Hate Crimes Rise in NYC, Specifically Targeting Asians and Jews

New York City has seen a 73% increase in hate crimes between January 1 and May 2 of 2021 compared to the same time period last year, according to the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force.

In data released on Monday, the the city recorded 180 hate crimes in 2021, while in 2020 there were 104 hate crimes reported. Hate crimes were highest against Asian Americans, and Jews were the second most targeted community, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Asians were targeted in 80 reported hate crimes between January 1 and April 4, up from 16 in the same period in 2020, where there were 28 hate crimes against Asians. NYPD officials have said that some of the attacks are motivated by the false belief that Asian Americans are responsible for the coronavirus, a disease that originated thousands of miles away.

Jewish people were targeted in 54 reported hate crimes between January 1 and May 2, down from 58 such crimes in 2020.

Officers made 78 arrests in hate-crime cases between January 1 and May 2, up 160% from 30 arrests in 2020. The NYPD created the Asian Hate Crime Task Force and uses undercover Asian American officers and detectives to combat hate crimes.

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smarcus@hamodia.com