New York civil rights violation lawyer David Perecman of The Perecman Firm comments on newly released Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics that show New York City as America’s top city for hate crime incidents.
New York is among the most diverse cities in the United States. So it was somewhat surprising that New York ranked first among all U.S. cities in reported hate crimes in 2011, according to a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) crime statistics report published in 2012. New York tops many lists, but topping this one is not a distinction to be proud of, said New York civil rights violation lawyer David Perecman.
With 240 reported incidents for the year, New York City ranked above second place Boston (206) and third-place Los Angeles (170).
New York’s 2011 FBI data on hate crimes shows 134 of the 240 incidents reported were motivated by religious bias. Another 66 of the incidents were motivated by sexual orientation biases, 33 by racial bias and seven by ethnicity. No reported crimes were disability related.
The number of hate crimes in New York City reported to police in 2011 was lower than the previous year when 350 hate crimes incidents were reported.
New York State ranked second to California among all U.S. states in the number of hate crimes reported in 2011.
“Hate crimes are an embarrassment to a state and a city that pride themselves on their openness to diversity,” said Perecman.
The FBI has been collecting information on hate crimes for more than 20 years.
Overall, law enforcement agencies reported 6,222 hate crimes in 2011, involving 7254 offenses, according to the FBI’s national data. More than 7,700 individuals were victims of hate crimes. The data shows blacks, gay men, Jews and Hispanics were targeted more frequently than those of other races, sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity.
The FBI records the number of hate crimes reported as a result of bias toward a particular race, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity/national origin, or physical or mental disability.
Individuals who believe they have been victims of a New York civil rights violation including hate crimes can contact The Perecman Firm at 212-977-7033.
