Amid Hate Crime Surge, NYC Launches $3M Prevention Program

New York City NY

27 May, 2021

1:52 PM

Description

NEW YORK CITY — A near-daily spate of suspected hate crimes targeting the city's Asian and Jewish residents prompted Mayor Bill de Blasio to launch a new prevention effort. The $3 million effort dubbed Partners Against The Hate FORWARD — or, PATH — will provide aid to six community groups working to combat crimes motivated by bias, de Blasio said Thursday. "This is all about fighting back the hate," he said. Flanked by representatives from the six groups — Anti-Violence Project, the Arab American Association of New York, the Asian American Federation, the Hispanic Federation, the Jewish Community Relations Council and the 67th Precinct Clergy Council — de Blasio didn't give many details during his daily briefing. City officials later provided a release stating the program will provide funding to the groups with the aim of promoting community-based reduction approaches, expanding hate crime reporting and to provide services for victims. The groups also will serve as judges for $5,000 to $20,000 hate crime prevention innovation grants, according to the release. The grants will be awarded to people, organizations and academic institutions that develop projects aimed to reducing hate violence. NYPD has investigated 191 reported hate crime incidents so far this year — a 71 percent surge over last year, according to data. Anti-Asian violence in particular appeared on a significant uptick — in February, de Blasio called it a "second pandemic." Asian American city dwellers have been shoved in Flushing, barraged by slurs, had their fingers bitten off and beaten in broad daylight in front of a Hell's Kitchen hotel. Jo-Ann Yoo, who heads the Asian American Federation and appeared with de Blasio, has said the number of reported incidents is likely an undercount. Her group has counted nearly 1,500 incidents. The troubling spate of suspected anti-Asian hate crime recently has been matched by an equally disturbing uptick in anti-Semitic incidents. A Jewish man last week was beaten during protests in Times Square and NYPD officers have arrested suspects in other crimes that appeared to target Jewish people, de Blasio said.