Former City Comptroller Bill Thompson joined today with Senator Diane Savino to call for new steps to combat hate crimes and promote tolerance just days after a Brooklyn statue of Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese was slathered with swastikas and racial epithets.
The statue, a symbol of racial tolerance, depicts the two teammates at a Cincinnati ballgame where Robinson was subjected to death threats and racial taunts. To show solidarity, Reese, the team captain, put his arm around Robinson on the field, a gesture captured by the statue.
Thompson is proposing new Homeland Security funding go toward additional cameras to monitor areas around houses of worship and sensitive targets.
Sadly, the desecration of the famous statue is not an isolated incident. A recent Anti-Defamation League study found that anti-Semitic incidents in New York City and State, including “incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism,” increased substantially from 2011-2012. Across the state the number of incidents increased from 195 in 2011 to 248 in 2012, and in the city from 127 to 172 during the same period.
“New York City was founded in the spirit of acceptance, and we refuse to tolerate crimes against this spirit,” said Senator Savino. “When anyone of a certain race, religion, gender or ethnicity feels unwelcome in a community, everyone in the community suffers. With his call for more stringent security measures and increased anti-bullying education, Thompson – and all of us – are building a better New York.”
“The recent hate crime in Brooklyn and others across the city are reprehensible,” said Thompson. “We cannot and will not tolerate an attack against any one religion, ethnicity, race, or gender. Today’s call for increased federal protections and educational initiatives to promote tolerance are the types of steps we must take to ensure that all New Yorkers feel welcomed to live, work, and raise their families in New York City.”
Thompson’s Plan to Promote Tolerance:
· Encourage citizens to report incidents when they occur. Call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be confidential.
· Work with Federal and State partners to boost Department of Homeland Security funding so the city can increase surveillance around places of worship and sensitive locations.
· Strengthen educational programs that promote tolerance and anti-bullying in schools.
(YWN Desk – NYC)
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One Response
A desecration like this in which the perpetrator has not been apprehended could possibly be a hate crime hoax, i.e., in this case an attempt to draw attention to an issue rather than a motived crime of hate. It may be unwise to base claims or statements on an unproven and unsolved case and risk embarassment later.