Hate crimes have surged in New York state — up 69 percent since 2019. That’s the startling finding of a new report by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
The Democrat says there were nearly 1,100 instances in 2023, the highest number since data collection and annual reporting were mandated in 2000.
DiNapoli warns the number could actually be low given underreporting for a variety of reasons including language barriers, fear of retaliation, mistrust in law enforcement and lack of confidence that justice will be served.
DiNapoli says hate crimes grew in New York City but grew ever more rapidly in the rest of the state since 2019.
The most common bias is for religion, and hate crimes against both Jews and Muslims have effectively doubled over the past five years.
Anti-Asian hate crimes spiked during the pandemic then dropped in the last two years — but remain 11 times the number in 2019.