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NYPD releases new data on religious hate crimes. There's nothing to cheer.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 23, 2023
Modified Oct 24, 2023
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Spencer Platt/Getty Images
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 23, 2023
Modified Oct 24, 2023
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The NYPD added three anti-Muslim and 20 antisemitic hate crimes to its tallies for the one-week period ending Sunday, according to new data shared Monday with Gothamist.
The new data comes two weeks after the deadly Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the fighting that has ensued. They bring the total number of reported hate crime complaints against Muslims so far this year to 12, and against Jews to 196, according to the NYPD.
The number of incidents for both groups is still down compared to this time last year, when 18 anti-Muslim hate crimes and 208 antisemitic hate crimes were reported.
Hassan Naveed, executive director of the city Office for Prevention of Hate Crimes, said in a statement his office is encouraging people to report hate crimes and bias incidents. He added that many of the "targeted communities are historically vulnerable to underreporting," and that his office is working with "community partners on the ground" to urge reporting.
The NYPD did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department has not released complaints data for weeks prior to Oct. 7, making it difficult to draw comparisons.
Last week, for the period of Oct. 8-15, the NYPD released data showing two anti-Muslim hate crimes and 15 antisemitic hate crimes were added to the department's yearlong tally. The numbers are subject to change because some cases are still under investigation and ultimately could be deemed not to be hate crimes at all.
Additionally, the department has not specified exactly when the additional acts occurred, only that new hate crimes were added to the running tallies during the specified week.
Local Jewish and Muslim leaders say their communities are on edge due to a potential rise in identity-based attacks, and law enforcement and other public officials have predicted an increase in religious hate crimes and bias complaints.
The FBI and U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland recently warned of increased threats against Jewish and Muslim Americans.
Local Muslim advocacy organizations — the New Jersey and New York Chapters of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Majils Ash-Shura, also known as the Islamic Leadership Council of New York — say they've received a flood of complaints about anti-Muslim harassment and discrimination. The incidents range from school bullying to workplace firings to assaults by strangers.
The local chapter of Anti-Defamation League said there's been an uptick in antisemitic incidents in New York City, and the Community Security Initiative said there's been an "explosion" in online posts threatening violence against Jews.
Criminal justice experts caution against the accuracy of official hate crime data due to underreporting, delays in reporting, and misclassification. And media blitz around a specific incident can also increase reporting about related hate crimes, some researchers warned.
“Researchers will find these upticks around certain media events, and they're really measuring the attention to the crimes more than the crimes themselves,” Michael German, a former FBI special agent and fellow at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law School, said.
A hate crime designation requires an underlying crime such as assault or robbery, and brings with it the possibility of more punishment on conviction.
Under state law, hate crimes must be motivated by someone’s real or perceived race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender identity, national origin, ancestry, religion, age, disability or sexual orientation.
This article was updated with comment from Hassan Naveed, executive director of the NYC Office for Prevention of Hate Crimes.
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Race And Justice Unit
Arya Sundaram
Arya is a reporter covering race and justice. Got a tip? Email: [email protected] or reach Arya on Signal at 512-650-8767.
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