For Immediate Release: June 30, 2026
Press Contact: Sophie Ellman-Golan | sophie@jfrej.org
New York, NY – Following the announcement of New York City’s FY27 budget, Audrey Sasson, Executive Director of Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) released the following statement on behalf of the organization:
“Today’s budget announcement demonstrates that this administration is serious about delivering real safety to New Yorkers. For over a decade, JFREJ has been calling for New York City leaders to invest in prevention, not punishment, in order to address our city’s hate violence crisis. Year after year, the city government failed to deliver – until today. By delivering on the mayor’s campaign promise to increase funding for hate violence prevention by 800% and keep the NYPD headcount flat, the Mamdani administration and the City Council have significantly raised the bar for what it looks like to seriously address antisemitism and hate violence.”
Over the past decade, the NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force has been the city’s primary tool for fighting identity-based violence. On their watch, hate crimes have only increased. Even as crime in the city has fallen, hate crimes only increased, up 152% in 2026 compared to the same period in 2025. Increased policing has long been an over-relied-on response to a problem the NYPD is unequipped to solve.
In March of 2026, JFREJ unveiled NYC Against Hate Violence: a comprehensive report and policy proposal detailing how the city government can and should invest $26 million in non-carceral hate violence prevention to address the crisis of hate violence in our city, and keep all New Yorkers safe. In the months since, JFREJ and partner organizations have been calling for Mayor Mamdani and the City Council to fund the proposal. In May, the mayor included $26 million for hate violence prevention in his executive budget.
The FY27 budget, with its 800% increase in hate violence prevention funding and flat NYPD headcount, demonstrates that the city is ready to pursue a new, evidence-based approach to public safety and hate violence.
##
Jews For Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) is a 6,000-member grassroots organization and the home of New York’s Jewish Left. For 36 years, JFREJ members have organized alongside our neighbors to transform New York from a playground for the wealthy few into a real democracy, free from all forms of racist violence.