Gov. Kathy Hochul was in Manhattan Thursday for a public safety roundtable about combating hate crimes. Hochul also announced her support for new legislation that would expand to a number of offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes.

“Oct. 7 was a turning point in our start,” Hochul said. “We’ve seen a horrific increase in hate crime against Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers.”

What You Need To Know

  • Governor Hochul was in Manhattan Thursday for a public safety roundtable about combating hate crimes

  • She also announced her support for new legislation that would expand to number of offenses that can be prosecuted as hate crimes

  • She is supporting the “Hate Crimes Modernization Act," a bill that aims to close loopholes in state hate crime laws, in part, by adding 31 new offenses to the list of those eligible to be prosecuted as hate crimes.

  • Threats are up 400% since Oct. 7

Hochul said she is supporting the “Hate Crimes Modernization Act,” a bill that aims to close loopholes in state hate crime laws, in part, by adding 31 new offenses to the list of those eligible to be prosecuted as hate crimes.

“Threats are up 400% since Oct. 7., that’s just the threats,” Hochul said. "There is a 95% increase in hate crime against [the] Jewish residents of New York.”

She has announced an investment of $60 million into the effort of prosecuting hate crimes — $25 million announced last year and another $35 million announced as part of this year’s budget. It will, in part, allow organizations targeted with hate to request up to $200,000 each to secure their facilities.

“There is no small hate crime,” Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun said. “Every hate crime is a large crime. We know vandalism can escalate rapidly into violence.”

“The Muslim community is asking our legislators,” Imam Mansoor Rafiq Umar, the CEO & President of Halal Watch World LLC, said. “We’re asking our representatives to pass this bill and help protect us.”

Sixty-six offenses can be charged as hate crimes now. Under the legislation crafted with the help of the Manhattan District Attorney, that number would jump to nearly 100 and include graffiti, arson and gang assault.

“If you are assaulted in New York state by one person, we can charge that as an assault as a hate crime. If you are assaulted by five people for the same reason, we can’t charge that as a hate crime under gang assault,” Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said. “That’s why we are here.”

Law enforcement officials say they’ve been on an upward trend since 2015 but surged in 2023 to a record high of 650 hate crimes reported.

The Hate Crimes Modernization Act is currently in the committee stage and has several steps to go before any votes are held on passage.

State data also shows hate crimes increased by 90% between 2020 and 2022.