“We are facing a real crisis where too many New Yorkers fear violence or harassment because of their identity,” said Council Member Tiffany Cabán, Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus. “We need to invest in what works – policies that build relationships and solidarity to make communities safer from hate violence. We cannot continue the failed policies of reactive policing that does little to prevent the hate violence facing our city. I'm grateful for JFREJ’s leadership in advancing these evidence-driven policies to make this city safer for everyone.”

“No one should have to live under the threat of hate-motivated violence in our city. Yet, we have seen reports of hate crimes increase extraordinarily over the past several years. In order to tackle this violence and make the city safer for everyone, we are championing evidence-based solutions. That means centering community responses, not responding to violence with more violence. I'm glad to stand alongside JFREJ, who has worked tirelessly to research solutions that could bring real systemic change to our neighborhoods. We take hate crimes seriously and are fighting to ensure long-term, effective change,” said Council Member Alexa Avilés.

“Hate and bigotry have no place in our city, especially one as diverse as ours,” said Council Member Sandy Nurse, Chair of the Committee on Civil and Human Rights. “With reported hate crimes going up, it’s clear our current police-forward approach isn’t working. We need data and community-driven responses to both prevent and stop the scourge of antisemitism, Islamaphobia, and all forms of hate-based violence. JFREJ’s community-led policy proposal, NYC Against Hate Violence, does just that by taking direction from community organizations that have been on the frontlines of combating hate. I urge the Council to take the lead on combatting hate and fully fund this plan.”

“NYC must take a smarter, community-first approach to stopping hate violence,” said Council Member Harvey Epstein. “For too long, reactive, police-driven strategies haven’t delivered real safety. We should be investing in prevention, giving New Yorkers the tools to intervene, strengthening our neighborhoods, and ensuring every person feels safe and respected. This is why I am proud to support JFREJ’s investment in non-carceral hate violence prevention to keep all New Yorkers safe.”

“Six years ago I stood with these same groups to fight for funding for community-based prevention,” said Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. Now we have the data and research to support a much more comprehensive, more effective set of policies that we can bring to scale. This will take experimentation and iteration; it will take energy and focus, it will take the wisdom and experience of all the communities here and many more. But it’s time for New York to finally take hate violence seriously, and this is the blueprint for how we do it. I am proud to stand with JFREJ, all of these other groups, members of the council, and the mayor, and I will work with them to help get this done.”

“After years of leadership in fighting antisemitism and leading the NYC Against Hate coalition, JFREJ is incredibly proud to make this contribution to public safety policy,” said Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) Executive Director, Audrey Sasson. “New York’s Jewish communities have never been offered real prevention options at scale. Instead elected officials and legacy organizations have repeatedly divided us from our neighbors and offered us mask bans, buffer zones, and security theater instead of thoughtful, well-resourced policy. We are offering a comprehensive, integrated, evidence-based approach to combating identity-based violence for all communities.”

“The Asian American Federation is proud to have contributed to NYC Against Hate Violence. This robust, thoroughly-researched report comes at a time when Asian New Yorkers continue to grapple with violence and discrimination and when immigrants are facing threats to our safety,” said Daphne Thammasila, Associate Director of Programs at Asian American Federation. “AAF’s Hope Against Hate Campaign was envisioned as a community-centered approach to safety in the wake of anti-Asian violence during the pandemic. Through the campaign and our Safe Zones and Community Companion programs, we gained valuable lessons on what it means to keep each other safe and to build safety and belonging from the neighborhood up. We’re grateful that these lessons were highlighted in the proposal—along with many other grassroots initiatives to prevent hate violence and strengthen relationships across the City.”

"As we continue to see a rise in hate violence, our response must be rooted in community, not policing. Our communities have lived under constant fear of hate violence, and combating this violence will require us to listen to our vulnerable communities, invest in community based solutions, and build relationships that promote lasting change grounded in community,” said Marwa Janini, Executive Director of the Arab American Association of New York.

“Hate violence does not happen in isolation — it is driven by fear, disinformation, and a lack of sustained investment in the relationships and resources that keep communities safe. New Yorkers deserve a proactive, community-based response rooted in prevention. We are proud to support NYC Against Hate Violence because real safety is built through trust, strong neighborhood infrastructure, and ensuring communities have the tools to respond before harm occurs,” said Hassan Naveed, Deputy Executive Director at the New York City Anti-Violence Project.

"Hate violence is not just a policy issue. It is a lived reality for Muslim New Yorkers who face fear, intimidation, and harm in their neighborhoods, schools, and houses of worship. At the Muslim Community Network, we have seen firsthand that safety is built through relationships, education, and community investment. We are proud to stand with NYC Against Hate Violence and call on the City to make the bold, evidence-based investment our communities deserve." said Husein Yatabarry, Executive Director of Muslim Community Network (MCN)

“NYC-DSA is proud to endorse NYC Against Hate Violence,” said Grace Mausser, Co-Chair of NYC-DSA. “The evidence shows us that reactive and punitive police-led measures have utterly failed to protect New Yorkers from hate crimes. We can lead the way in hate violence prevention and create a city in which all are safe and welcome by empowering New Yorkers to intervene and growing strong ties within our communities.”

“We are proud to stand with partners across New York City in calling for a real investment in hate violence prevention. As an organization rooted in pluralism, dignity, and solidarity across communities, we know that hate cannot be addressed only after harm is done. Real safety is built in the everyday work of helping people know one another, protecting vulnerable communities, and refusing the politics of fear and division. We are honored to support NYC Against Hate Violence and this vision for a city that takes prevention seriously,” said Vrinda Jagota, NYC Organizer, Hindus for Human Rights

"The Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC) has supported our staff and community members through the rise in anti-Asian hate violence over the past six years through our services, resources, and advocacy. Through this work, we know that true safety is built through a community-driven approach that centers relationship-building, safe reporting, violence interruption, and anti-bias education. We know true safety is built through deeper connections among diverse New Yorkers. We stand in solidarity with racial, ethnic, religious, and other targeted identity groups across the city as we call for the City to invest $30 million in preventing hate violence," said Wayne Ho, President & CEO of the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC).

“As the only Muslim women-led organization in New York City focused specifically on addressing hate-based violence, Malikah sees every day how deeply this crisis impacts our communities, especially Muslim women, who experience violence at the intersection of gender, religion, and race. This is why we are proud to stand with JFREJ to endorse NYC Against Hate Violence. We cannot police our way out of hate. Real safety comes from investing in community-based prevention, self-defense education, survivor support, and the relationships that make intervention possible,” said Rana Abdelhamid, Executive Director of Malikah Safety Center

“As we reflect on this call to move violence prevention beyond policing, we are reminded that community care is violence prevention. Violence so often results from unmet needs, and deeply rooted life-affirming services are central to a meaningful, preventative response. Too often, our current systems of justice respond to harm with punishment rather than care. However, the experts in this proposal prove time and time again that true safety is built through investment, connection, and community-led infrastructure. CAE is proud to support NYC Against Hate Violence and its dedication to building a safer New York City,” said Rama Issa-Ibrahim, Executive Director of the Center for Anti-violence Education.

Endorsing Organizations: NYC Against Hate Violence was produced by Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ), and endorsed by the Asian American Federation (AAF), the Arab American Association of New York (AAANY), the New York City Anti-Violence Project (AVP), CAIR-NY, the Center for Anti-Violence Education (CAE), the Chinese-American Planning Council (CPC), the New York City-Democratic Socialists of America (NYC-DSA), Hindus for Human Rights, Jewish Voice for Peace NYC, Make the Road New York, Malikah Safety Center, the Muslim Community Network NY (MCN), National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), Rabbis for Ceasefire, and Trans formative Schools.