Hate Crimes in New York Increased by 76% Compared to Last Year

Decrease Among Asians... Jewish and Black Populations Increase Up to 3 Times

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] Hate crimes in New York City, USA, have surged compared to a year ago. However, crimes against the Asian community have decreased.

According to CNN on the 17th (local time), the New York Police Department (NYPD) Hate Crime Task Force reported that a total of 194 hate crimes occurred in New York City from January 1 to the 10th of this month. This represents a 76% increase compared to the same period last year (110 cases).

Hate crimes, which have emerged as a serious social issue in New York, were exemplified by the Brooklyn subway shooting on the 12th. The shooter, Frank James, was found to have expressed grievances about racism and homelessness on social media prior to the attack.

Hate crimes against Jewish and Black communities, on the other hand, surged threefold and twofold respectively during the same period, while crimes against Asians, who have been targets of hate crimes since the pandemic, decreased by 32% from 47 cases last year to 32 cases this year.

This is analyzed to be because Asians tend to report crimes less frequently and it is relatively more difficult to prove crimes against them.

In fact, indiscriminate violent crimes targeting Asians have continued to occur in New York this year. In January, a mentally ill homeless person pushed a Chinese woman onto the subway tracks, causing her death, and in late February, a man in his 20s attacked seven Asian women in a series of assaults.

A man in his 40s was caught last month after hitting an Asian man’s head with a hammer at a subway station, and a Korean diplomat was also a victim of a random assault in February.

Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City who took office earlier this year, has focused on improving public safety by introducing subway safety measures and plans to eradicate gun crimes, but the effects are still minimal.

CNN explained, "Mayor Adams has long-term goals of solving the gun crisis while simultaneously increasing economic opportunities, improving child education, and providing additional access to mental health resources."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.