Since the election of President Trump, there has been an increase in hate crimes and hate incidents. As such, it is important to be aware of what is happening in our communities to our new American neighbors. Every month, we publish a list of hate incidents that occurred in order to track hate crimes in our community as well as to document this moment in history and inform the community.
In the month of February, there were eighteen hate crimes reported in New York State, a slight increase from January 2017. Here are the crimes which occurred in the metropolitan area:
- 2/3/17 – A Jewish woman was pushed and called a slur on the C Train in Manhattan.
- 2/3/17 – A swastika was spray-painted on a cement barrier wall in Medford.
- 2/5/17 – The ads covered in swastikas and antisemitic messages on the 1 train in Manhattan.
- 2/5/17 – A Muslim woman was verbally assaulted in Hunt’s Point, the Bronx.
- 2/6/17 – Swastikas were spray-painted on the drivers and passengers door of a vehicle in a public parking garage located on Main Street and First Street in Mineola.
- 2/8/17 – Swastikas etched into two tables in the Carle Place High School Cafeteria.
- 2/9/17 – Swastikas drawn in the snow on cars in Jewish neighborhood in Borough Park, Brooklyn.
- 2/13/17 – Anti-Semitic drawings and messages were found on 1 Train Manhattan.
- 2/18/17 – Anti-Mexican hate graffiti found in Penn Station bathroom, Manhattan.
- 2/21/17 – 2 swastikas spray-painted on a private residence in Central Islip.
- 2/27/17 – A bomb threat made to the Mid Island Y Jewish Community Center in Plainview.
- 2/27/17 – Bomb threats made to Jewish Community Centers in Staten Island.
- 2/27/17 – Swastikas spray-painted on a billboard in Ronkonkoma.
It is important to note that the NYPD has seen a 94% increase in antisemitic hate crimes since this time last year, with hate crimes in general increasing by 55%. “We don’t take any of it lightly. People have every reason to be concerned,” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said, “But we’re going to go right at any acts of hate. We’re going to crack down on any movement that purveys hate as a way of showing that we’re not going to let it happen here.”
These are only the bias incidents and hate crimes reported, although there are likely many that go unreported. Nationally, there were over 75 hate crimes and bias incidents made public on the news.
