| Have you been a target of harassment or violence as a result of the COVID-19 crisis? - COVID-19 does not discriminate based on race, yet Asian Americans have been targeted by racism, xenophobia and acts of violence related to COVID-19.
- It is a hate crime under New York state law to be assaulted or to have suffered another act of violence or other specified offense because of a belief or perception about your race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation.
- If you have suffered bodily injury or an attempt with a dangerous weapon because of your race, color, religion or national origin, you may also have suffered a hate crime under federal law.
- If you have been the victim of a hate crime and you believe you were targeted because of your race or ethnicity in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis or if you have witnessed such an incident or have questions about whether something constitutes a hate crime, several resources are available to you.
How can I report a hate crime to state or local law enforcement? - To report a hate crime that is in progress or for any emergency, call 911.
- For non-emergencies, there are several ways to report a hate crime and seek help in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, listed below.
- If you live in New York City:
- Both New York State and New York City have hate crime tasks forces for reporting of events and other assistance
- If you live in New York City, you can also report hate crimes to the District Attorney in your borough
- Immigration status does not in any way prevent victims from reporting Hate Crimes or receiving essential services in New York City.
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- If you live in the New York City metro area:
- If you live in New York State outside New York City, the New York Attorney General’s Office can also help connect you to available resources.
- Connecticut and New Jersey have similar governmental resources.
- Several non-governmental organizations also provide reporting mechanisms, but keep in mind that contacting one of those organizations is not equivalent to reporting an incident to police.
Why should I report a hate crime? - Reporting to law enforcement can assist in identifying and prosecuting criminals who commit hate crimes. This can also help prevent future crimes. There may be compensation or other services available for victims of hate crimes.
- Reporting the crime can be helpful in bringing civil claims against those responsible for the anti-Asian harassment and violence, which can seek to recover damages for victims and changes in policies and practices.
- Reporting to non-governmental organizations helps them collect information to understand the scope of the problem, obtain the resources and services necessary to address the problem and effect policy changes.
Where can I report a hate crime? New York Hate Crime Task Forces New York State - Hate Crime Task Force - NYS Division of Human Rights Bias Incident Hotline Report incident at https://www.ny.gov/content/hate-crime-report-incident , or by calling
1-888-392-3644 or text “HATE” to 81336. Additional information:
- Victims may apply for compensation and other assistance from the Office of Victim Services(“OVS”) here:
https://ovs.ny.gov/help-crime-victims
Individuals seeking help from OVS also can search for a service provider online:
https://ovs.ny.gov/locate-program.
You do not need to have a physical injury to seek compensation for certain offenses. - Chinese translation is available at:
https://www.governor.ny.gov/sites/governor.ny.gov/files/atoms/files/11.15.16.rel_.BIAS_Chinese.pdf
New York City Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (Hate Crimes Task Force)
To contact the Hate Crimes Task Force, call 1-888-440-HATE. Non-emergencies should be reported to the local precinct, which you can find using this website:
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/nypd/bureaus/patrol/find-your-precinct.page .
To contact the Hate Crimes Task Force directly, please email: hctf@nypd.org
Additional Information: - Call 888-NYC-SAFE if you notice any potentially dangerous activity on an MTA bus, subway or railroad.
- Call 877-NO-HATE-NY to provide any tips relating to hate crimes.
- Victims of hate crimes will be provided with appropriate assistance by the local precinct’s Community Affairs team and the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force.
- Immigration status does not in any way prevent victims from reporting Hate Crimes or receiving essential services in New York City.
- Visit https://www1.nyc.gov/site/stophate/file-a-report/file-a-report.page
New York City District Attorneys’ Offices Manhattan District Attorney - Office of Hate Crimes Unit To report hate crimes, call the Hate Crimes Hotline at 212-335-3100. For more victim resources, visit https://www.manhattanda.org/victim-resources/hate-crimes/ for additional information. Brooklyn District Attorney – Hate Crimes Bureau To report hate crimes, call the Brooklyn DA Hate Crimes Unit at 718-250-4949 or visit http://www.brooklynda.org/hate-crimes-bureau/ for additional information. Bronx District Attorney – Hate Crimes Unit To report hate crimes, call 718-590-2000 (Main) or 718-590-2272 (Community Affairs Unit) or visit https://www.bronxda.nyc.gov/html/bureaus/trial-division.shtml for additional information.
Queens District Attorney - Hate Crimes Unit
To report hate crimes, call 718-286-6580 or visit http://www.queensda.org/ for additional information. For callers who speak limited English, call the Office of immigrant Affairs at 718-286-6690 or email OIA@Queensda.org.
Staten Island District Attorney
To report hate crimes, call 718-876-6300 or visit https://www.statenislandda.org/ for additional information. New York State Attorney General New York Attorney General’s Office Report hate crimes and bias incidences by emailing the Attorney General’s Civil Rights Bureau at civil.rights@ag.ny.gov or calling 1-800-771-7755. - The Attorney General’s Office will connect victims and impacted communities to available resources, launch civil investigations and support local law enforcement.
New York State Division of Human Rights
To file a complaint, visit https://dhr.ny.gov/complaint#file or call 1-888-392-3644. For additional information, please visit: https://dhr.ny.gov/coronavirus-discrimination Resources in Connecticut and New Jersey Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection The Crime Analysis Unit oversees the Connecticut Bias (Hate) Crime Reporting Program. Please visit https://portal.ct.gov/DESPP/Division-of-State-Police/Crimes-Analysis-Unit/Crimes-Analysis-Unit or call (860) 685-8030.
You can also contact the Office of Victim services at (800)-822-8428 or by email at OVS@jud.ct.gov .
Additional information is available at: https://www.jud.ct.gov/crimevictim/. New Jersey Attorney General’s Office – Bias Crimes Unit
Report hate crimes and bias incidences by calling 800-277-BIAS (2427), by emailing NJBIAS@NJDCJ.org or by visiting https://www.nj.gov/oag/bias/report-bias.html . Additional resources on identifying, understanding and reporting bias crimes are available at: https://www.nj.gov/oag/bias/ .
Non-Governmental Organizations NOTE: Contacting the below organizations is NOT equivalent to reporting an incident to police or filing a police report. The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) Report an incident and share your story at
http://www.asianpacificpolicyandplanningcouncil.org/stop-aapi-hate/ . Incident report forms are available in multiple languages. NAPABA For additional resources, visit: https://www.napaba.org/page/20_resources_on_coronavirus . Communities Against Hate Report an incident at: https://communitiesagainsthate.org/ . Asian Americans Advancing Justice Report an incident at: https://www.standagainsthatred.org/report . Additional Information - Reporting is encouraged and is accessible in Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese.
- Assistance with legal and social services is available through the Stop Hate hotline (1-844-9-NO-HATE), which is accessible in a number of languages.
- Coronavirus/COVID-19 Resources to Stand Against Racism, available at: https://advancingjustice-aajc.org/covid19
Equality Watch - by the New York Civil Liberties Union
For help on where you can report an incident, visit:https://www.equalitywatchny.com/. Southern Poverty Law Center
The Southern Poverty Law Center tracks acts committed by known hate groups. Report a hate incident perpetrated by a hate group by calling 888-414-7752 or visiting https://www.splcenter.org/reporthate. Anti-Defamation League
To report a racist or bigoted incident, visit: http://newyork.adl.org/contact/. For general information, call 212-885-7700. For additional resources for victims of hate crimes, please visit:
https://www1.nyc.gov/site/stophate/resources/city-council-hate-violence-prevention-initiative.page Click here to return to the COVID-19 Resources page Please read: The information provided on this website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice. Instead, all information, content, and materials available on this site are for general informational purposes only. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the COVID-19 crisis, readers are advised to check official government sources for the most up-to-date information on changes in policy and procedure since the information on this website may not constitute the most up-to-date legal or other information. This website contains links to other third-party websites. Such links are only for the convenience of the reader and the contents of any third-party sites are not an endorsement by AABANY or its members. | 
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