Hate crimes in New York City surged between 2020 and 2021, according to the NYPD team that tracks crime statistics.
The rise was driven by increased numbers of attacks targeting Jews and Asian-Americans. Asian-Americans experienced a 357% rise in hate crimes, from 28 reported in 2020 to 128 reported in 2021. The Jewish community was again the most targeted group, with antisemitic incidents rising from 121 in 2020 to 179 in 2021, an increase of 48%. Overall, hate crimes are up 100%.
These number reflect national trends; the FBI hate crime statistics for 2020 revealed that Jews were the most targeted religious group, making up 57.5% of the religiously-motivated bias crime. In racial bias crimes, attacks against Asian-Americans rose 43%, including a mass shooting at an Asian business in Atlanta in March that killed eight.
Assemblyman Daniel Rosenthal, who represents a Central Queens district with large Jewish and Asian-American populations, told Hamodia, “The trending rise in hate crimes is an unfortunate reality we live with today. However, it’s important to remember that this did not happen overnight. Over the past few years, society has continued to normalize antisemitic rhetoric and promote anti-Asian sentiments. City Hall needs to take affirmative and quick action to ensure that the Jewish and Asian communities feel safe and welcome in our city.”
NYPD commissioner Dermot Shea told Pix11 that “the trend of doubling within a year is obviously concerning…what we are seeing is anti-Asian really increasing both by percentage and the raw number. when you look at anti-Asian and antisemitic attacks, that’s over 50% of all hate crimes.”
When asked about what may be driving the surge, Shea said, “It’s the same old song in terms of what we’re seeing. We’re seeing a little bit of mental illness, we’re seeing just disregard for common decency.”
He added that he believed bail reform laws may be an element, saying, “When you have mass amount of people put back on the streets that have traditionally been held in jail, you’re seeing some of that permeate here as well.”
Elected officials representing communities with large Jewish populations laid the blame for the spike on liberal criminal-justice policies.
Councilman Kalman Yeger (Boro Park, Midwood, Bensonhurt) told Hamodia, “In an atmosphere of hateful words and acts against our communities from those at the highest levels of government and media, together with an anarchist movement to suppress the justice system’s ability to catch and punish violent offenders, no one should be surprised that hate crimes are skyrocketing. New Yorkers are relying on the next mayor to take hold of this violent, chaotic city, and put a stop to the criminal behavior running rampant through our streets. A civilized society must separate the criminals from the law-abiding. New Yorkers deserve better from the justice system. We deserve order and justice.”
Councilwoman Inna Vernikov (Midwood, Sheepshead Bay, Brighton Beach) told Hamodia, “The blame for this rise in hate crimes lies squarely at the feet of out-of-touch politicians who impose nonsensical policies onto the people of this city. Efforts like “defund the police“ and bail reform have made it easier for criminals to run amok in New York City. Ultimately, Asian-American and Jewish populations are paying the price for this political misconduct.”
Source: Hamodia