Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club member and chair of TJ Cares Mitchell Partnow hosted “Voices Against Anti-Semitism, Bigotry and Hate,” a public discussion about the recent uptick in antisemitic acts and hate crimes in Brooklyn yesterday evening on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
The discussion, held by the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club’s philanthropic arm, was aimed to address the issue and provide solutions for locals who are concerned over the regular reports of hate crimes.
“We decided to do something more meaningful with this [discussion], with all that’s going on in the city and the state and the country… with hate crimes. Luckily, our district hasn’t really been affected, but let’s make sure it stays that way, let’s make sure all the institutions have the tools to keep the neighborhood safe,” Partnow said in an interview with Kings County Politics.
In attendance were several elected officials, including State Sen. Roxanne Persaud (D-Canarsie, East New York, Brownsville, Mill Basin, Sheepshead Bay, Bergen Beach, Marine Park, Flatlands, Mill Island, Georgetown, Ocean Hill), City Council Member Farah Louis (D- Flatbush, East Flatbush, Midwood, Marine Park, Flatlands, Kensington) and both the female and male 59th Assembly District Leaders Sue Ann Partnow, who is the mother TJ Cares Chairperson Partnow, and Frank Seddio.
Missing from the roundtable were City Council Member Alan Maisel (D-Bargen Beach, Canarsie, Flatlands, Georgetown, Gerritsen Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Mill Island, Sheepshead Bay) and U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brownsville, Canarsie, East New York, East Flatbush, Bergen Beach, Gerritsen Beach, Beach, Marine Park, Mill Basin, Brighton Beach, Coney Island).
The star of the show, though, was Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, who explained how the New York Police Department and the court system handle hate crimes and what more could be done to protect people.
“Let’s be clear: there is no such thing in the penal bar as a hate crime,” he said. “It’s actually a sentencing provision. It actually enhances what the potential sentence is.”
Gonzalez described the increase in juvenile-related hate crimes, which have been on the rise. He said that nearly one-third of hate crimes are committed by juveniles.
Leaders from the local clergy and members of the Thomas Jefferson Democratic Club also attended the open discussion, which was held at the Congregation Beit Hillel Synagogue in Georgetown.
The overall consensus is that the event accomplished what it set out to achieve — educating the public and connecting local leaders over a growing issue in the Brooklyn community and in New York City as a whole.
“A lot of people exchanged information, a lot of people didn’t know about certain resources in the DA’s office, we had the Shomrim Society, which is the NYPD’s Jewish officers [who] have certain services they provide,” Chairperson Partnow told Kings County Politics. “I think it went really well.”
