With the number of hate crimes on the rise — particularly those against Asian American Pacific Islander, Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers — Queens Borough President Donovan Richards sent a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio and City Council Speaker Corey Johnson requesting an increase in funding for initiatives aimed at combating hate-based violence.
In Queens, the problem is particularly acute, according to Richards. Though the borough is beginning to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, Queens has seen an alarming increase in such attacks.