Gov. Hochul heard firsthand from people affected by hate crimes in Manhattan on Thursday ahead of remarks touting a bill package that would add 31 offenses to the state’s statute of hate crimes, including first-degree murder, rape, graffiti vandalism and arson.
Hochul praised the proposed bill package dubbed “The Hate Crime Modernization Act” at a press briefing at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in Manhattan following a roundtable discussion with various groups targeted by hate crimes.
“We just don’t understand where these forces are coming from, why they feel empowered like never before, why they’re so visible now,” Hochul said, later adding “this (hate crimes) shouldn’t happen here.”
Currently, there are 66 types of hate crimes included in the state’s existing statute. The legislation would include 31 other offenses, including first-degree murder, so long as the intent of the attack was driven by bias or prejudice, according to Hochul.
The bill also has the backing of all of the city’s five district attorneys, who have pitched in to help shape the legislation.
Barry Williams for New York Daily News
Asian Americans, activists and elected officials gather for an anti-Asian hate rally in Sarah D. Roosevelt Park Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)
Assemblywoman Grace Lee and state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, both Manhattan Democrats, introduced the measure in November last year, garnering immediate support. Hochul is seeking to have the measure passed by the legilsature, touting it in her State of the State address.
Hate crimes, which became a major concern during the start of the pandemic in 2020, have spiked dramatically since Oct. 7 following the terror attack by Hamas on Israel and the war in Gaza that followed.
According to a report compiled by the Anti-Defamation League, there’s been a nearly 400% surge in the U.S., with Jewish and Muslim people the main target of such hate…
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