Councilmembers meet with Bratton on anti-Semitic crime surge
“It’s shocking that we have not only seen an increase in anti-Semitism but that anti-Semitic crimes make up the largest portion of hate crimes in New York City,” said Councilmember David Greenfield. The troubling surge in attacks on Jews was the topic of a meeting Greenfield and two other Brooklyn council members had with New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton last week.
Greenfield (D-Borough Park-Midwood-Bensonhurst) and Councilmembers Mark Treyger (D-Coney Island-Gravesend-Bensonhurst) and Stephen Levin (D-North Brooklyn) sat down with Bratton and top NYPD officials to get answers as to why the attacks are happening and what can be done to stop the hate crimes.
In 2013, there were 192 recorded hate crimes in New York City, 64 of them anti-Semitic crimes. Greenfield said that the NYPD confirmed that there has been a 50 percent rise of anti-Semitic crimes between the months of July and September of this year as compared to last year.
Greenfield urged Bratton to work on improving communication between precincts and the local community, especially when hate crimes occur, and for the NYPD to be more aggressive in denouncing such crimes. Treyger called for more officers to be put on patrol in neighborhoods with high numbers of hate crimes. Levin suggested focusing on hate groups.