What to Know
- Hate crimes are up 35 percent in NYC year over year, with a 45 percent uptick in arrests, officials said Monday
- Bias incidents have spiked 115 percent since Election Day, with 43 cases reported in NYC vs. 20 in the same time period last year
- There have been similar cases reported across the U.S. in the aftermath of the election
Mayor de Blasio says he believes President-elect Donald Trump is to blame for an increase in reported hate crime cases across the city.
The Democratic mayor made the comments at a news conference Monday.
De Blasio spoke out against the attack on officer Aml Elsokary, who was off-duty when a man approached her and her son and threatened to cut her throat, and said Trump used hate speech during his campaign. The mayor urged Trump to be more proactive in discouraging hate crimes.
In New York City, hate crime has spiked 115 percent since Election Day, with 43 cases reported compared with 20 cases in the same period in 2015, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce. Bias against Muslims has doubled, with four cases reported since Election Day compared with two reported in the same time period last year.
Overall, hate crimes are up 35 percent year over year, with a 45 percent uptick in arrests, Boyce said.
There have been similar reports of bias across the U.S. in the wake of the presidential election. Most of the cases appear to involve graffiti or violence directed at racial or ethnic minorities and in some reports the perpetrators indicated support for Trump.
Local
Most recently, a Muslim woman wearing a hijab was harassed in the 23rd Street subway station by three men who allegedly called her a terrorist, chanted "Donald Trump" to her and told her to get out of the country, officials said.
Last month, Trump said he didn't hear about the violence and harassment in his name or in some cases directed at his supporters other than in "one or two instances."
"I would say don’t do it, that’s terrible, ‘cause I’m gonna bring this country together," Trump said in the "60 Minutes" interview.
He added: "I am so saddened to hear that. And I say, “Stop it.” If it-- if it helps. I will say this, and I will say right to the cameras: Stop it."
