Gov. Hochul wants New York to take hate head-on.
The governor announced the release of $25 million in security funding to help prevent hate crimes during an appearance Wednesday at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in lower Manhattan.
The funds are in addition to $43 million previously earmarked for nonprofit organizations to improve security at facilities and better protect those at risk of hate crimes or attacks.
“No New Yorker should have fear going to their homes, going to their work, going to their places of worship, or just taking the subway or going out to dinner,” Hochul said, tipping her hat to the late president and governor Franklin Roosevelt and his “four freedoms.” “We have to eradicate that fear once and for all.”
Hochul said she spent time at Roosevelt’s Hudson Valley home over the weekend.
New York, like many other states, has seen an increase in anti-Semitic harassment, graffiti and discrimination in recent years as well as a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the past year, critics had accused former Gov. Andrew Cuomo of delaying the release of the funds despite the uptick in incidents across the state.
The new funding, which will be used to bolster security at community centers, schools, museums and day camps, will be distributed through the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Services.
Additionally, Hochul announced the state is setting up a new online reporting system for reporting hate crimes.
“To solve a problem, you have to be able to quantify it,” the governor said.
The site will be monitored by the State Police and the Division of Human Rights, which may follow up to determine whether a crime or an act of discrimination in violation of the New York State Human Rights Law has occurred.
“This new security funding and enhanced reporting form will go a long way to keep New Yorkers safe,” Assemblywoman Nily Rozic (D-Queens) said. “We will continue taking action until it is incontrovertibly clear that New York will not tolerate hate.”
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