Around the country and right here in New York City, there has been an alarming rise in hate violence, in recent days especially against Asian Americans, fueled by right-wing rhetoric about the coronavirus. In March 2021 a shooter targeting Asian women killed 8 people at Atlanta area spas, and in NYC, there have been hundreds of incidents of hate and violence against Asian people, including the brutal beating of Yao Pan Ma in Harlem in April.
Identity-based violence against Jewish, Muslim, LGBTQ, immigrants, and Black people has also risen in recent years, both in NYC and across the country. Rising xenophobia, fueled from rhetoric from the Trump administration on down, has led to violence like the murder of 11 Jews in the Tree of Life Synagogue outside Philadelphia by a killer obsessed with the idea that Jews support refugees seeking to enter the United States.
Brad will use the platform of the Comptroller’s office to be a strong ally to communities facing identity-based hate, and work with grassroots organizations, educators, and community leaders to fund and support community-centered strategies to combat hate. Using the tools of the office, he will audit the performance of the city’s current strategies to combat and prevent hate violence, and use that analysis to make the case for more strategic approaches.