Some disturbing events have been happening in the area recently.

From a man in a clown nose holding an offensive sign up at a local Dunkin to another guy giving the nazi salute to traffic in Pleasant Valley, there have been some disturbing instances in just the past couple of weeks here in the Hudson Valley, in particlular, the Dutchess County area.

Also See: Who Vandalized Pleasant Valley, NY Smoke Shop and Why?

Note:  "These images contain slurs and expressions that may be triggering or hurtful to some readers."

Terrible to see stuff like this here in the Hudson Valley area, or anywhere for that matter. Everyone should learn to be kind to one another, instead of deliberately spreading hate.

One incident I recently heard about happened at a Dunkin on rt 82 in Hopewell Junction where a man was holding up a shocking sign that read, "Dunkin Donuts Hire Retards. They Suck".

The disturbing incident caught the attention of many including NYS Assemblyman Anil Beephan who issued a press release condemning the incident involving the man holding up the offensive sign, targeting the staff of the Hopewell Junction Dunkin' Donuts.

Assemblyman Beephan stated, "The language used in this display is utterly unacceptable and deeply offensive to our community. We stand firmly against all forms of discrimination and hate speech, especially when directed towards vulnerable communities and our working residents whom I have gotten to know personally over the years. As a proud East Fishkill resident, we must stand together as a community defending our own against such distasteful rhetoric.”

Taking action, Assemblyman Beephan contacted regional corporate officials requesting the names of every employee at the Hopewell location.

The purpose is to provide official Assembly Citations expressing gratitude and support for the dedicated customer service employees who work tirelessly to serve the community.

NYS Assymblyman Anil Beephan
NYS Assymblyman Anil Beephan
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Another disturbing incident, one that I observed firsthand, was over this past weekend. On Sunday, I was driving through Pleasant Valley when I witnessed a guy standing on the side of rt 44 giving the "nazi salute" or "Hitler salute", whatever you wanna call the offensive gesture, to oncoming traffic.

I couldn't believe what I was witnessing. Another witness to the incident happened to take a video, which was posted to social media of the man shouting stuff that was terribly offensive, so offensive in fact that we have decided not to include the video in this article.

Not sure why we are seeing all this hate as of late. It's really sad to see these disturbing incidents on the rise here in the Hudson Valley. We truly should learn to be more kind to each other. Can't we do better?

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