New York City Council’s Committee to Combat Hate held an oversight hearing on June 23, 2026, examining why NYPD hate‑crime counts are lower than totals collected by community groups such as Care New York and the Anti‑Defamation League (ADL), and what city steps — including investments in the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and expanded community outreach — could close the reporting gap. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
# What’s happening
– The Committee to Combat Hate held an oversight hearing on June 23, 2026. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
– Mayor Zohran Mamdani invested $26 million into the Department of Community Safety. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
– Care New York reported incident totals that exceed NYPD-recorded hate-crime counts. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
# Why it matters
– People targeted by bias who do not report to police rely on community groups for support. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
– Underreporting limits accurate city data and planning for prevention, outreach, and victim services. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
# Key details
– Hearing date: June 23, 2026; location: Hearing Room 1, 250 Broadway. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
– Mayor’s investment: $26 million to the Department of Community Safety (includes Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes). Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
– Requested funding: witnesses urged a proposed $29 million for the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
– Care New York reported that nationally hate crimes against Muslims rose 130% between 2020 and 2025; in their survey 64% of Muslims experienced a hate crime or bias incident, but only 4% reported to law enforcement. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
– ADL reported 1,160 anti‑Semitic incidents in New York State in 2025, with 74% occurring within New York City’s five boroughs. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
– The Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPC) sends hate‑crime notifications to community groups and officials within 24 hours of receiving NYPD notice. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=2206
VJam Jaten — Executive director, Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPC)
– Role or jurisdiction: NYC Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (city agency). Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
– Action taken or responsibility: oversees prevention, education, outreach and a hate‑crime notification system. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
– Relevant numbers or dates: OPC was discussed in relation to proposed $29 million funding. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
Care New York
– Role or jurisdiction: community‑based organization collecting incident reports statewide. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
– Action taken or responsibility: collected community reports and published the “feeling the hate” findings. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
– Relevant numbers or dates: reported a 130% national rise in anti‑Muslim incidents (2020–2025). Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
Anti‑Defamation League (ADL)
– Role or jurisdiction: national anti‑hate organization tracking anti‑Semitic incidents. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
– Action taken or responsibility: audits incidents, verifies reports, and provides education and response guidance. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
– Relevant numbers or dates: reported 1,160 anti‑Semitic incidents in New York State in 2025. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
Mayor Zohran Mamdani
– Role or jurisdiction: Mayor of New York City. (Name corrected per city records.) Source (meeting citation referencing mayoral investment): https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
– Action taken or responsibility: invested $26 million into the Department of Community Safety, which includes OPC. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
The Committee hearing, the gap in official counts, and testimony
City council members convened the Committee to Combat Hate on June 23, 2026 to examine community engagement, prevention programs, and city investments. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
Witnesses from community organizations testified that their incident totals exceed NYPD counts, producing a persistent reporting gap. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
Care New York presented survey findings showing high prevalence of hate‑motivated experiences among Muslims and low reporting rates to law enforcement. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
ADL presented its audit numbers for 2025, noting New York State recorded 1,160 anti‑Semitic incidents and that most occurred in New York City. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
Why community counts exceed NYPD totals
Witnesses identified multiple reasons for the discrepancy: fear or distrust of law enforcement, language barriers, lack of clarity about what counts as a hate crime, and reliance on community organizations for support. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
Testimony noted that many people report incidents first to community groups or schools rather than the NYPD, producing parallel datasets that are larger than official counts. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=331
OPC and city responses discussed at the hearing
The Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPC) described prevention work in schools, bilingual outreach, and its hate‑crime notification system. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
OPC said it sends notifications to community boards, organizations, and elected officials within 24 hours of receiving an NYPD hate‑crime notification. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=2206
Witnesses urged clearer public education on the difference between a hate crime, a bias incident, discrimination complaints, and emergencies so people know where to seek help. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
Funding and program recommendations
Witnesses noted a mayoral investment of $26 million into the Department of Community Safety and urged the City Council to match and direct funds to community‑based organizations. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
OPC requested $29 million to support programming focused on prevention, education, and outreach. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
Community suggestions to close the reporting gap
Speakers recommended more accessible reporting channels, multilingual outreach, school‑based prevention programs, and surveys to produce statistically representative incident estimates. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
ADL and other groups asked the city to invest in community‑based education and trauma‑informed survivor support. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
Definitions and data notes
Hate crime versus bias incident: witnesses said a “bias incident” may not meet the legal threshold for a hate crime and that the city should clarify reporting options. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297
Care New York’s figures covered statewide reporting and national trends; some witnesses noted their data sets include incidents not reported to NYPD and therefore produce higher totals. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511
Procedural details from the hearing
The committee administered oaths to witnesses before testimony. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=331
The hearing included testimony from the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, the Mayor’s Office to Combat Anti‑Semitism, the Mayor’s Office of Faith‑based and Community Partnerships, and community organizations. Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=331
Source list (by paragraph/section)
– Hearing metadata and opening remarks: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
– Care New York testimony on Muslim reporting, 130% increase, and underreporting: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6511 and https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6440
– OPC funding request, programming, and notification practices: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=6297 and https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=2206
– ADL testimony and 2025 anti‑Semitic incident totals: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=5251
(Reporting by Nancy, coverage of the NYC Council Committee to Combat Hate oversight hearing, June 23, 2026.) Source: https://youtu.be/AfnHnyx6iR4&t=234
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