Tuesday, June 23, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 1
Committee: Committee to Combat Hate
0:15 Way good afternoon, everyone
0:15 and welcome to today's New
0:18 York City Council hearing for
0:19 the committee to combat hate.
0:21 If you would like to testify
0:23 .you must fill our testimony
0:24 slip with one of the sergeant
0:26 at arms. He can also submit
0:28 testimony at testimony at
0:30 council that got at this time,
0:34 please silence all of devices
0:35 and no 1 approach a day is at
0:37 any time during this hearing.
0:39 We are ready to begin. Good
0:51 afternoon, everyone. My nam
0:52 eis Yusef Salaam and I serve as
0:53 the chair to the committee on
0:54 camp to combat hate. I would
0:56 like to first start off by
0:58 thanking everyone for joining
0:58 us here today and I would also
1:01 like to recognize my
1:03 colleagues as they ce iomnto
1:09 the role? Not yet, but
1:12 . Today's today's oversight
1:12 hearing examines the role of
1:15 community engagement in
1:15 preventing and responding t
1:18 ohate and bias. New
1:19 . York City is one of the most
1:19 diverse places on earth the
1:23 diversity of our the diversity
1:25 that diversity is our greatest
1:28 strength.
1:28 And it is a source of great
1:29 pride and unity for New
1:32 yorkers hate crimes strike at
1:34 the very heart of this
1:35 strength by seeking to divide,
1:37 seeking to pit us against each
1:40 other as opposed to uniting
1:44 one another. They target not
1:45 just the individual.
1:47 But all our communities,
1:48 sending a message of fear and
1:51 exclusion to all who share the
1:54 victim's faith, the victim's
1:56 wreath race, the victim's
2:00 gender identity or the
2:01 victim's background that harm
2:03 is immediately
2:04 . But it can be, it can
2:06 reverberate throughout
2:06 . Generations at our last
2:08 hearing we examine some very
2:10 concerning multi year trends
2:12 of increasing hate crime and
2:15 bias
2:15 . Get in 20 25. We also saw
2:17 some encouraging
2:18 . Trends last year in New York
2:19 City recorded a 20% citywid
2:22 ereduction and hate crime
2:22 complaints across the board
2:25 compared to the prior year.
2:29 This includes decreases
2:30 across all four major
2:32 categories of bias, religion,
2:35 race and ethnicity, gender
2:37 and sexual orientation and of
2:41 course, each
2:42 . Much of this progress
2:42 reflects sustained investments
2:44 in prevention and youth
2:46 leadership and community
2:47 outreach and in coordinated
2:52 citywide action. We are here
2:52 to learn more about this work
2:53 and how it can be supported
2:56 and expanded in the coming
2:59 years
3:00 . And at the same time, we
3:00 must also take an honest look
3:04 at where the fight against
3:04 hate is falling short even in
3:06 a year of.
3:08 Overall progress. Some
3:09 communities still suffered
3:10 spikes in hate bias, violenc
3:14 ebuddhist communities, for
3:15 example, so a dramatic
3:16 increase in reported hate
3:17 crimes and anti female crimes
3:19 rules as well
3:22 . These variations remind us
3:23 that aggregate data can
3:26 obscure real challenges and
3:28 harms.
3:28 We must ensure that no
3:30 community is left behind that
3:32 no community is ignored. We
3:37 also know that hate crimes are
3:39 chronically under.
3:40 Reported, not necessarily
3:41 because of distress in the
3:42 government, although that can
3:43 be a part of it.
3:46 Instead, many turn to their
3:46 communities for trusted
3:50 support when they have been
3:51 the target of hate and bias.
3:53 This is why it's crucial that
3:55 we partner with community
3:57 based organizations to build
3:58 trust to encourage reporting
4:01 and to connect affected
4:02 individuals and communities
4:04 with the resources and support
4:07 they need.
4:07 Today we'll hear from three
4:09 offices whose work reflects
4:11 this principle office for the
4:12 prevention of hate crimes. The
4:14 mayor's office to combat anti
4:18 semitism
4:18 . In the mayor's office of
4:19 faith based and community
4:21 partnerships. I look forward
4:22 to a thoughtful discussion
4:24 surrounding these issues as
4:25 well as feedback and testimony
4:27 from the administration and,
4:29 of course, members of our
4:32 public.
4:32 I'll know. I would like to
4:33 pass it to our committee
4:33 counsel to administer the oat
4:39 s. Good afternoon, everyone.
4:39 Thank you for being here if
4:41 you could raise your right
4:42 hand, please and repeat after
4:45 me. I I swear to tell the
4:47 truth, the whole truth and
4:48 nothing but the truth before
4:56 this committee. Thank you so
4:56 much you begin. Oh, dennis
5:15 .good afternoon chair salam
5:16 ,members of the community t
5:17 ocome back hates and all
5:19 members of the New York City
5:21 council. My name is jeremy,
5:24 and I am the executive
5:25 director for the New York City
5:25 office for the prevention of
5:28 hate crimes, also known as
5:31 opie hc, which under minimum
5:32 donnie's leadership is now
5:33 probably part of the city's
5:36 New office to come for
5:38 community safety before.
5:39 I begin. I want to thank me
5:41 and I'm donny, the deputy
5:43 Mayor of community safety. We
5:43 need a francois and the
5:46 commissioner of the office of
5:48 community safety doctor brahms
5:51 for their bold vision and for
5:52 making the prevention of hate,
5:54 a genuine priority of thi
5:58 sadministration the decision t
5:59 obring opr see into the office
6:00 of community safety was not a
6:03 routine reorganization. It was
6:04 a clear statement of value,
6:08 preventing eight before it
6:09 ever takes hold is not
6:10 peripheral to public safety
6:12 ,but rather it is central to I
6:15 tthat commitmen hast finally
6:16 given offices like ours. The
6:20 mandates, the partners and the
6:21 support to do the work at the
6:23 as an afterthought expected t
6:32 osolve growing challenges
6:35 without the resources
6:36 necessary to meet the moment
6:41 this administration has made a
6:42 different choice. The mamdani
6:44 administration has made and
6:46 unprecedented.
6:46 Commitment to hat
6:48 eprevention by increasing
6:50 funding or to obviously by $26
6:55 million, an increase of more
6:55 than 800% this historic
6:59 investment recognizes that
7:00 preventing hate is not simply
7:02 about responding after
7:05 incidents occur if it's about
7:06 building resilient communities
7:08 where hate cannot take root in
7:10 the first place for the first
7:13 time opioid being resource
7:15 ,that is scale that matches
7:16 both the urgency of this
7:18 mission and the diversity of
7:20 the City it serves.
7:22 That investment will allow
7:23 us to expand programming,
7:27 deepen partnerships reach more
7:29 communities hire more staff
7:30 and build a City prevention
7:34 infrastructure. It is a
7:35 ninvestment worthy of our City,
7:37 the most diversity in the
7:40 world that diversity is one of
7:42 our greatest strengths, but it
7:44 also requires intentional
7:45 investments to keep those
7:49 bonds strong investments in
7:52 relationship building
7:53 investments in education
7:55 investments in community trust
7:57 today, I would like t
7:59 ohighlight how opiates see with
8:00 the backing of the man
8:03 administration fulfills its
8:04 mission to prevent hate
8:07 strengthening communities and
8:08 fast to belonging across our
8:11 City, no New yorker should
8:13 ever feel unsafe because of
8:15 their identity, their beliefs.
8:18 The appearances or background.
8:19 This administration had made
8:22 that principle a foundation of
8:24 community safety agenda and
8:26 opiate is proud to help carry
8:31 it forward one of the primary
8:31 ways we accomplish this work
8:33 is through partners against
8:34 the hate initiative or pat
8:37 hpath is a backbone of New York
8:39 city's community based prevent
8:41 hate prevention infrastructure
8:42 through six and organizations
8:44 and more than 40 some vendors.
8:47 Path provides cultural
8:49 responsive programming in more
8:50 than 20 languages and reaches
8:53 communities across all fiv
8:56 eboroughs because we believe
8:57 hate prevention is not only
8:59 about responding after harm
9:01 occurs path health bills,
9:04 resilient communities by
9:05 creating opportunities for New
9:05 yorkers to connect.
9:08 Learn from one another and
9:09 recognize the common humanity
9:11 that binds us all
9:14 . In fiscal year 20 25 alone
9:15 through a path in and
9:18 obviously led programming we
9:20 conducted nearly 700 events
9:24 engage more than 62000
9:26 participants across New York
9:29 City
9:29 . Worked alongside over 240
9:31 partners and in over 20
9:37 different languages. These
9:37 efforts include anti hate
9:39 education victim support
9:40 services conflict, the
9:42 escalation training, youth
9:44 programming and outreach to
9:46 communities that have
9:47 historically faced barriers to
9:49 reporting hate incidents
9:52 . What makes path successful
9:53 is that it is led by trusted
9:56 organizations deeply rooted I
9:57 nthe communities they serve
10:00 these organizations are often
10:00 in the first residents turned
10:06 to for support information and
10:07 healing after experiencing
10:08 bias or hate call part path
10:11 partners, including the 67%
10:14 clergy council, the jewish
10:16 community relations council
10:19 anti violence project, the
10:20 american association of New
10:23 York, the asian american
10:24 federation and the hispanic
10:26 federation work together t
10:27 ocombat anti semitism, anti
10:31 lgbt plus hate islamophobia.
10:34 Anti asian hate anti arab
10:36 hates anti black racism and
10:38 other forms of bias wlehi
10:41 fostering inclusion,
10:42 solidarity and safety for all
10:46 New yorkers
10:46 . The impact extends beyond
10:48 any single.
10:49 Event when communities have
10:51 trusted relationships nowhere
10:53 to seek help and feel
10:53 connected to one another, they
10:57 are better equipped to prevent
10:59 conflicts from escalating
11:00 support victims when incidents
11:02 occur and build resilience
11:04 against hate and bias another
11:07 way we accomplish his work is
11:08 by bringing communities
11:09 together through initiatives
11:11 such as unity in the community
11:15 seven on seven.
11:16 This initiative emerged
11:17 during a period of heightened
11:20 concerned along
11:20 . Roosevelt avenue in queens.
11:23 Public conversations about
11:26 street vending
11:26 . Quality of life concerns and
11:27 changing conditions in the
11:29 corridor we're creating
11:30 tension among residents and
11:32 community groups threatening
11:34 to erode trust and deepen
11:37 division rather than allowing
11:37 communities to retreat further
11:39 into silos. Opie, is she to
11:42 create spaces for dialogue and
11:44 connection obviously, and his
11:46 partners brought together a
11:48 communities connected by the
11:50 seventh training corridor
11:51 seven on seven. That's the
11:54 wholehing t, including east
11:55 asia, south asia, south, east
11:58 asian communities, latino
11:59 communities. Lgbt q hopeless
12:02 plus of diverse of other
12:03 communities we partner with
12:05 City agencies to bring
12:06 resources directly t
12:07 oneighborhoods while creating
12:09 opportunities for his
12:10 residents to share experiences
12:13 . Learn about one another our
12:13 culture and identify common
12:18 concerns. The goal was simple
12:20 to remind New yorkers that
12:21 what we have. What would that
12:22 there is more in common that
12:26 unites us.
12:26 Anti virus they initially
12:28 demonstrated the power of
12:29 bringing coming together by
12:31 creating opportunities for
12:32 residents to connect, she
12:34 experiences and build
12:35 relationships. It helps
12:37 strengthens trust
12:37 . Deepened understanding and
12:41 reinforce the sense of
12:42 belonging that makes
12:44 communities is.
12:45 Resilience these connections
12:45 are the foundation of
12:48 community cohesion.
12:49 Helping neighbors see one
12:49 another, not as strangers but
12:52 as partners in building is
12:54 strong and more connected
12:56 community. Finally, as a
12:58 critical part of our long term
13:00 prevention strategy is
13:02 investing in young people
13:04 through of a youth ambassador
13:06 leadership program or yelp,
13:09 launched in October 2025 and
13:11 in partnership with New York
13:12 City public schools, the youth
13:15 ambassador program or yelp and
13:16 young people between the ages
13:17 of 818 to become ambassadors
13:22 of inclusion, respect and
13:24 belonging. The program brings
13:26 all five boroughs.
13:35 But dispense received
13:35 training in leadership
13:38 development, civic engagement,
13:40 public speaking community
13:41 organizing and restarted
13:44 practices
13:44 . What makes the all
13:45 particularly powerful is that
13:46 young people are not simply
13:49 learning about leadership
13:50 .they are practicing it.
13:54 Participants in the program
13:54 returned to their schools and
13:56 communities to lead projects.
13:58 Facility discussions in
13:59 their schools and communities
14:00 and serve as a positive role
14:02 model for their peers at a
14:06 time when young, many young
14:07 people are exposed to miss
14:10 division and online hate y'all
14:13 provides an opportunity to
14:15 equipped the next generation
14:17 with the tools necessary to
14:20 build more inclusive
14:23 communities, the young people
14:24 we engaged today will become
14:25 the community leaders,
14:28 educators, public servants,
14:30 business owners and parents of
14:33 tomorrow by teaching empathy,
14:36 leadership, civic engagement
14:37 and respect for differences.
14:40 Now we investing in the long
14:40 term prevention of hate and
14:43 bias before it takes root. All
14:46 told our programming at
14:48 opiates, which includes
14:50 interfaith engagement, youth
14:52 art projects, community
14:53 dialogues, anti hate education
14:55 and victim support services
14:56 helped build trust, strengthen
15:00 relationships across
15:02 communities support victims
15:03 and create opportunities for
15:04 New yorkers to engage across
15:07 differences before conflicts
15:10 occurs
15:11 . As part of the office of
15:11 community safety and with the
15:12 support of medium donny,
15:14 deputy Mayor francois and a
15:16 newly appointed commissioner
15:18 ,dr delaney brahms oop as she
15:19 is working closely with our
15:23 partner with parking offices
15:25 too strengthen coordination
15:26 ,shared dinner and best
15:28 practices and identifying New
15:30 opportunities to advance
15:33 community safety together w
15:34 eare helping shape a
15:36 coordinated approach.
15:36 To prevention that
15:38 recognizes the importance, the
15:40 important role community,
15:41 engagement, education and
15:43 relationship building play in
15:44 keeping New yorkers safe.
15:47 Me. Mm. Danny's historic
15:48 investment in opiate see will
15:51 allow us to expand and enhance