Stavisky and Seawright, introduce new bill mandating counseling for hate crime perps

Sen. Toby Stavisky (right) and Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright (left) introduced new hate crime legislation on Monday. Photo via David Weprin/Twitter

By Rachel Vick

Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky and Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright announced new hate crime legislation Monday in response to the attack of a 15-year-old at a Rego Park playground last week.

Under the proposed legislation, Senate bill S6570, individuals convicted of a hate crime would be required to attend counseling and bias training.

“As legislators we need to be doing more to prevent these acts from occurring and reoccurring. It is not enough to simply punish attackers after their crimes,” Stavisky said. “The ‘fear of the other’ is a tool that has been used to drive division within communities for centuries. This legislation will help educate those who harbor baseless resentments and prevent them from acting out against others in hate.”

The training would be required on top of  any other penalties carried by the hate crime charge, which is only applied if the motive for an attack can be proven to have been based on the victim’s identity. 

Seawright said that anti-racism education is the cornerstone of tolerance and “is essential to keeping our communities safe.”

Leo Cai was attacked by five teenagers using anti-Asian slurs on May 1, according to the NYPD. Three have been arrested and charged with assault and harassment in the second degree, police said.

“We must learn to forgive, forgive ourselves, and forgive those who hurt us,” Cai said. “Help them grow, which also helps us grow ourselves.”

The bill is currently waiting for approval in the Senate Codes Committee.