NY Gov. Cuomo Announces Crackdown On Hate Crimes

Gov. Andrew Cuomo Image by Getty Images

By Daniel J. Solomon February 24, 2017

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced new measures to combat anti-Semitic hate crimes and other bias incidents, days after the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Missouri.

“There is no place for hate or discrimination or bigotry in New York,” the Democrat said, promising that his administration would set up a toll-free hotline to report hate crimes, dole out $5,000 in reward money for reports leading to hate crime convictions and request that state legislators budget $25 million for extra security and surveillance at religious schools. “Make no mistake. The threat is real, these are not isolated instances, there’s a clear pattern,” he added.

Cuomo noted that bias incidents have spiked considerably since the election of President Trump, though he refused to lay the blame at the new leader’s feet.

New York has seen a rise in hate crimes since the election, including graffiti in public spaces and bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers. The NY Police Department said hate crimes are up 35 percent since 2015.

Cuomo previously said that he was directing the state police to open a new division dedicated to hate crimes investigations.

Contact Daniel J. Solomon at [email protected] or on Twitter @DanielJSolomon

Daniel J. Solomon is the former Assistant to the Editor/News Writer at the Forward. Originally from Queens, he attended Harvard as an undergraduate, where he wrote his senior thesis on French-Jewish intellectual history. He is excited to have returned to New York after his time in Massachusetts. Daniel’s passions include folk music, cycling, and pointed argument.

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