As Attacks on Asian Americans Continue, New York State Senate Passes Senator Brad Hoylman's Legislation on Hate Crimes
March 31, 2021
NEW YORK—Today, the New York State Senate passed the Hate Crimes Analysis & Review Act (S.70/A.2230), sponsored by State Senator Brad Hoylman (D/WF-Manhattan) and Assembly Member Karines Reyes (D-The Bronx) that would improve New York State’s ability to monitor and respond to hate crimes. The legislation is moving forward at a time when hate crimes, specifically those targeting the Asian American community, are on the rise in New York City and the rest of the nation.
Senator Hoylman said: “Just this week, a 65-year-old Filipino-American woman was viciously attacked in my district on 43rd Street. She was assaulted in broad daylight, as a building’s security guards did nothing to protect her. This hate is anathema to the New York I want to live in. We must take action to address this dangerous rise in racism and bigotry. I’m proud to sponsor the Hate Crimes Analysis & Review Act with Assembly Member Reyes, legislation that would impose much-needed reforms on the way our state collects and releases data on hate crimes. This data will be a crucial step towards understanding the spike in hate crimes and determining ways to stop it; as the saying goes, you can’t manage what you can’t measure. I’m grateful Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins stands up to hate whenever it crops up in New York. Let’s be clear: there’s no room for hate in New York State.”
The Hate Crimes Analysis and Review Act would require the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DJCS) to maintain and make public statistical data about hate crimes, while expanding the data points law enforcement is required to report. This legislation would also require DJCS to issue an annual report based on this data.
Barely two weeks ago, six Asian women were targeted by a mass shooter in Atlanta. In the last few weeks, New Yorkers have rallied across the city to raise awareness of the disturbing spike in crime against the Asian-American community. Yet on February 28, former president Donald Trump delivered a stemwinding speech at CPAC in Florida where he used a racist term to describe COVID-19. Research published in the journal Health Education & Behavior shows this racist terminology led to a spike in hostility against Asian-Americans that increased the likelihood of anti-Asian violence and discrimination.
In 2020, NYPD reported 29 racially-motivated crimes against AAPI people in New York City, 24 of which were reportedly motivated by racist misconceptions about COVID-19. This represents a 900% increase from the previous year, when there were only three hate crimes reported against AAPI New Yorkers. The “Stop AAPI Hate” coalition reported 259 anti-Asian incidents in 2020, most of which related to verbal abuse or harassment.
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