Image source: Adam Krause, adamkrausephoto.com
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A Brooklyn, N.Y. neighborhood is apparently home to a small hotbed of neo-Nazism -- a group of young Polish men who have organized themselves under symbols of hatred and anti-Semitism.
According to the Daily Mail, the predominantly Polish neighborhood of Greenpoint counts among its residents these "neo-Nazis who walk the streets, just like anybody else, and are fiercely proud of their beliefs."
Their faces -- or the faces of those who chose to unmask themselves -- are now known to the world after local photographer Adam Krause gained their trust and was permitted to take their portraits.
Krause told the Daily Mail he first noticed the insignia on a man's T-shirt at the gym. He went up to the man and told him he didn't agree with what he was wearing, but said he found it interesting and wanted to photograph him.
"It took a lot of coordination, but I introduced myself to them and showed them my work and obviously there was some sort of interest for them as well," Krause said.
What followed was a series of photos offering a look at the seemingly incongruous juxtaposition of swastikas mere miles from Manhattan.
Speaking with the Daily Mail, Krause would not go into detail about who the men are or the history of neo-Nazism in the area.
"If the photos ask more questions than give answers, that’s good," he said.
The Greenpoint Gazette detailed an uptick of hateful and anti-Semitic graffiti in the neighborhood as far back as 2009:
According to longtime community members, the upsurge of anti-Semitic graffiti is a symptom of a larger systemic problem in Greenpoint, a neighborhood characterized by its large Polish population. As the neighborhood gentrifies—and those who initially settled it are being displaced—intolerance tends to increase.
According to the Daily Mail, swastika stud earrings recently nearly sold out at one local shop, suggesting a demand to identify with such a movement.
Still, a writer at Gawker-- and a friend of Krause -- noted: "As a mutual friend pointed out when Krause first showed us the photos, it seems this is more a group of angry young men who are confusing polish nationalism with anti-Semitism than any sort of active organization that poses a threat."
View more of Krause's photos here.
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