Vandals Tag Spike Lee's Old Neighborhood Following Director's Anti-Gentrification Rant

Director Spike Lee is becoming well versed with what happens when the public knows where you live.

Last year, Lee got into legal trouble when he tweeted out what he thought was the home address of George Zimmerman. The Florida man shot and killed Trayvon Martin in 2012, but a jury later cleared him of murder charges. The couple who lived at the address Lee shared with his social media followers sued the director, claiming the Tweet put them in danger.

Now, a vandal has tagged property Lee once called home in Fort Greene, NY and summoned the spirit of one of his most famous features in the process. The criminal spray painted “Do the Right Thing” both on Lee’s old house’s stoop as well as the home next door. They also broke a window on the front door during the process. Lee’s father currently lives in the director’s former home.

Dianne Mackenzie, who lives at the house, told 1010 WINS the vandals spray painted between the downstairs window of her brownstone and the side of her stoop, which is connected to the Lee’s home.

“I think there is a connection between Spike Lee’s comments and the vandalism on my house,” Mackenzie said. “This kind of thing does not happen in this neighborhood, we don’t get graffiti, we don’t have windows vandalized, it just does not happen, it’s unusual, and the coincidence of it happening the day after all of the attention he got it just screams at you that it has to be connected with what he said.”

Mackenzie said during his rant, Lee mentioned his father’s address and that neighbors had complained about music coming from the home.