Int 0761-2005

Be it enacted by the Council as follows: Section 1. Chapter one of title ten of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended to add a new section 10-116.1, to read as follows: §10-116.1 Civil penalty for bias-motivated property damage. Any person who willfully and without authority breaks, defaces or otherwise damages any property, with the intent to harass, annoy, threaten or alarm another person, because of a belief or perception regarding such person's race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation, regardless of whether the belief or perception is correct, shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than ten thousand dollars and not more than twenty-five thousand dollars. Such civil penalty shall be in addition to any criminal penalty or sanction that may be imposed, and such civil penalty shall not limit or preclude any cause of action available to any person or entity aggrieved by any of the acts prohibited by this section. §2. This local law shall take effect immediately.