A confrontation captured on video at a village block party has thrust the small community of Fishkill into the national spotlight, after a man interrupted two teenagers filming a dance video by making a Nazi salute. News 12 reported that the man has stayed silent in the days since, while the mother of one of the girls has chosen to speak out about what happened.
The mother, Oris Jenkins, said her 16-year-old daughter and a friend were simply doing a dance video at the gathering when the man stepped into the frame and made the gesture, which is associated with allegiance to Adolf Hitler. According to her account, the incident unfolded at Saturday's village block party before spreading widely online.
The fallout reached well beyond the moment itself. Jenkins said her daughter had a difficult time at school the following Monday, fielding questions from seemingly everyone, including the principal, as the clip circulated and the episode became a talking point far beyond the teenagers' own circle of friends.
Jenkins also said she felt for the school-age children of the man involved, wondering aloud how he would want his own children to be treated. News 12 said it was not naming the man at this time, even as the story gained traction and turned into a wider conversation about the community.
Local institutions moved quickly to condemn the act. The Jewish Federation of Dutchess County said that targeting children to propagate symbols of genocide and terror is a pathetic attempt to intimidate, and that it has no place in Dutchess County, framing the gesture as an affront to the entire community.
Councilman Brian Rye said his constituents are growing tired of the negative attention, noting that a search for Fishkill alongside the gesture had begun trending online. He said it was the man's responsibility to step up and address what he had done, arguing that he could not simply escape the situation by staying quiet.
Jenkins said she shared that wish, and that she still has questions about what would possess someone to do such a thing to two young girls, suggesting he would not have acted that way toward an adult. She asked that anyone sharing the video use a blurred version to protect her daughter, saying she wants the story known even as she shields her child. News 12 said it had called several listed numbers for the man and his workplace seeking comment, and was still waiting to hear back.