Queens leaders organize to combat spike in hate crimes

Queens residents and leaders rallied against hate at Borough Hall in 2017. Photo via Queens Borough President's Office/Flickr

By Rachel Vick

Queens elected officials and community leaders will gather in front of Borough Hall at 9:30 Monday morning to address a recent spike in hate crimes, including assaults on Asian Americans and anti-Semitic graffiti outside a synagogue

Queens Borough President Donovan Richards announced the rally Friday, following the two assaults in Flushing and Astoria by men allegedly using anti-Asian slurs and the discovery of a swastika at the entrance to the Rego Park Jewish Center.

“These disgusting acts of anti-Asian and anti-Semitic hate were reprehensible, and those who committed them should be held accountable to the fullest extent possible,” Richards said. “Racism and anti-Semitism are never acceptable, especially here in The World’s Borough, where we take pride in our great diversity.” 

“Queens residents should also be vigilant in reporting and speaking out against such acts of hatred and in showing support for our neighbors when they are attacked,” he added.  

Attacks against Asian Americans constituted 10 percent of all hate crimes investigated by the NYPD in 2020, with the number of incidents increasing by 800 percent last year, according to NYPD data.

The spike in anti-Asian offenses is fueled by COVID-19 racism, fueled by smears from powerful figures, including ex-President Donald Trump, according to experts on bias and psychology. Millions of Americans have used racist terminology referring to the coronavirus as the “China virus” or the “Kung Flu.” 

The surge in bias crimes over the past few years spurred the creation of a state-run hotline as well as the formation of the NYPD’s new Asian Hate Crime Task Force.