According to the data the NYPD Hate Crime Review Panel presented at a news conference this week, New York City has witnessed a whopping 361% rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.
Quoting the New York Police Department (NYPD), NBC News reported that the number of such crimes against Asian Americans skyrocketed from 28 in 2020 to 129 thus far in 2021.
The press release from Commissioner Dermot McShea describes the NYPD Panel as a community leaders’ diverse panel that works with the police as part of the Police Department’s ongoing efforts to ensure vigorous enforcement of hate crimes and ultimate justice for New Yorkers who are its victims.
NYPD sad at the conference close to 250 arrests were made in connection with more than 500 total hate crimes this year, which represents a 106% increase compared to 2020.
On top of that, hate crimes based on sexual orientation jumped from 29 to 85 while hate crimes targeting the Jewish community rose from 121 to 183.
The co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, Russel Jeung, confirmed that the community panel’s data is consistent with a general in crimes during the epidemic and the surge of racism against Asian Americans.
He pointed that the increase in anti-Asian bias could be due, in part, to the political climate.
According to Jeung, both Republicans and Democrats have contributed to the policies and speech that have been fueling the anti-Asian hate crimes, such as perpetuating the anti-China rhetoric and the white supremacy.
In that rhetoric, which influences all sectors of society, Asians are portrayed as outsiders either to the country or to a neighborhood.
With several potential factors behind the surge, like increased awareness around reporting these crimes,
Yet, Jeung cautioned the data should not be interpreted as an exact reflection of the extent to which Asian Americans experienced racism.
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