New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday the availability of an additional $25 million to fight hate crimes. The funds will be used to support nonprofit organization serving those at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or missions.
In the same statement, Governor Hochul also revealed an expanded online reporting form that will allow New York residents to report bias and hate incidents. The updated form improves data collection capabilities. It also bolsters the state’s efforts to track and respond to acts of hate and discrimination.
The official website of New York State quoted Hochul. “By their very nature, hate crimes strike at the heart of our democratic values and threaten to undermine the very tenets of our society. By helping these nonprofit organizations protect themselves against these cowardly acts of violence, we continue to make public safety a top priority. Bigotry and hate have no place in our state.”
The announcement comes as hate and bias incidents continue throughout the state, many targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. There has been an exponential rise in hate and bias incidents targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in New York State and across the nation in the past year. A recent Stop AAPI Hate National Report documented more than 9,000 incidents across the nation since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.
In March 2021, a virtual public forum hosted by the Division of Human Rights brought together community leaders to discuss the impacts of these attacks across the state. The 2022 Enacted Budget, signed in April 2021, contained millions of dollars in funding to support community organizations combating discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
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