Res 1619-2021

By Council Members Koo, Chin, Cornegy, Levin, Salamanca, Rivera, Lander, Ayala, Van Bramer, Treyger, Brannan, Vallone, Adams, Powers, Brooks-Powers, Moya, Ampry-Samuel, Dromm, Reynoso, Menchaca, Maisel, Cumbo, Miller, Gjonaj, Holden, Yeger, Cabrera, Feliz, Louis, Koslowitz, D. Diaz, Levine, Gennaro, Rose, Grodenchik, Dinowitz and Ulrich Whereas, The COVID-19 pandemic has seen a sharp increase in the number of reported hate crimes and bias incidents against Asian Americans in New York City and nationwide; and Whereas, According to a recent New York Times article, activists and police officials believe many potential hate crimes and bias incidents against Asian Americans in New York City have gone underreported or were not classified as hate crimes; and Whereas, This underreporting and lack of recognition is due to various reasons, including the way hate crimes and bias incidents are designated; and Whereas, Even with the underreporting, New York City has seen 35 anti-Asian crimes reported so far this year-including a recent attack against a 65-year-old Filipino woman near Times Square-compared to 28 during all of 2020, which itself was a jump from just 3 in 2019, according to New York Police Department ("NYPD") statistics; and Whereas, The spike in crimes against Asian Americans in New York City mirrors a nationwide increase, with Stop AAPI Hate-an initiative that tracks violence and harassment against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders-recording more than 3,000 reported incidents in the United States since the start of the pandemic, with at least 260 placed in New York City; and Whereas, While the NYPD has created an Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Task Force to address this increase in bias-based crimes, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, (H.R. 1843/S.937), sponsored by U.S. Representative Grace Meng and Senator Mazie Hirono, respectively, would enhance such efforts at the federal level by: (1) designating an officer or employee of the Justice Department to facilitate expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes reported to federal, state, and/or local law enforcement; (2) issue guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to establish online reporting of hate crimes/incidents available in multiple languages, and expand culturally competent and linguistically appropriate public education campaigns, and collection of data and public reporting of hate crimes; and (3) issue guidance describing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID-19 pandemic; now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the United States Congress to pass, and the President to sign, the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, (H.R. 1843/S.937), which would facilitate the expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes. LS #17242 5/12/2021 1:45 PM M.T.