Charged man says he regrets defacing Louisiana synagogue

MANDEVILLE, La. (AP) — A man charged with spraying anti-Semitic graffiti on a Louisiana synagogue said he regrets his actions and wants to apologize to the congregation.

Authorities arrested Caine Zander Brown about two weeks ago in connection with the September 2018 defacing of the Northside Jewish Congregation in the New Orleans suburb of Mandeville. He has been charged with felony hate counts of hate crimes and criminal damage to property.

Brown told The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate in an interview that he now rejects the neo-Nazi views he embraced at the time.

“I want to make amends,” Brown told the newspaper in a phone interview. “It’s part of my life that I regret. It was identity issues, social isolation, built-up anger and being a stupid kid.”

Graffiti sprayed on an outside wall of the synagogue in 2018 included swastikas and the words “synagogue of Satan.”

Craig Bialy, a vice president for the congregation, said he felt an in-person apology might be possible after Brown stands trial. Bialy stressed he was speaking for himself and not for the congregation.

“He’s a young guy, and I hope this doesn’t ruin the rest of his life. But it’s a choice he made,” Bialy said. “He tried to enforce fear and hate.”