Police Arrest Man for Vandalizing Little Gay Pub
Court records show that 38-year-old Nicholas Goldstein has been charged with destruction of property and defacing public property.
The Metropolitan Police Department charged Nicholas Goldstein, of Northwest D.C., with destruction of property for allegedly vandalizing posters of Kamala Harris painted on planters outside the Little Gay Pub on two separate occasions.
Police arrested the 38-year-old on Monday, Sept. 23, claiming he was caught by video surveillance cameras engaging in acts of vandalism against the bar, whose owners have been vocal in their support for Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.
Police accused Goldstein of vandalizing the posters on the planters two separate times — once, on Sept. 11, around 2:36 p.m. and again on Sept. 21 around 8:23 a.m.
In the first incident, he allegedly spray-painted the letter “HMS’ across Harris’s face. In the second incident, he painted an X across Harris’s face and scrawled “Harris = Hitler” and “Trump > Hitler” on the side of a nearby Metro bus stop and on posters outside the bar’s door.
While the initial incident report noted that the MPD is investigating the incidents as possible bias-motivated crimes intended to show animus toward the LGBTQ community, it is unclear whether prosecutors will seek to add bias enhancements to the charges against him. If they do, it would result in potentially harsher penalties or extended jail time.
It is still unclear what the motive behind the vandalism was.
The Little Gay Pub celebrated the arrest on its Instagram account.
“Thank you all for the love, support, and action,” the post reads. “If anyone doubts the power, resilience, and connectivity of our community just take a look at this guy. Sleep tight everyone.”
On Tuesday, Sept. 24, Goldstein was arraigned on two counts of destruction of property valued at less than $1,000, and one count of defacing public property.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him. He was released pending trial, but has been ordered to stay away from the area surrouding the Little Gay Pub.
D.C. Superior Court records do not indicate when Goldstein will next appear in court.
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