By COLlive reporter
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the opening of its Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, about two months ahead of its official deadline, a spokeswoman from the mayor’s office said.
On Tuesday, De Blasio announced the hiring of Deborah Lauter as the new Executive Director of the OPHC, which will be tasked with coordinating city agencies’ responses to hate crimes as well as developing prevention strategies.
Lauter, who formerly spent 18 years with the Anti-Defamation League, will be formally introduced Tuesday as the first executive director of the city’s newly established Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC).
The announcement was made in response to three City Council members who urged Mayor Bill de Blasio earlier in the day to keep a promise he made in June to open the agency “this summer.”
“New York City wholeheartedly rejects any form of hatred or bigotry. We’ll be opening our Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes (OPHC) next week to ensure New Yorkers across all five boroughs feel supported, safe, and respected,” deputy press secretary Avery Cohen said.
Last week, A 63-year old Jewish man was viciously attacked and beaten with a brick in a Crown Heights park and an Orthodox Jewish man was hit in the face with a rock as he was stopped in traffic. Also last week, two suspects attacked an Orthodox Jewish man in front of a synagogue in Brooklyn, beating him with his own belt.
Suspects in all three incidents are still at large, according to police.
The NYPD hate crimes unit and NYS Police hate crimes task force are investigating both cases.
Earlier this month, four men were charged with assault and robbery in connection with three incidents targeting Jewish men in Williamsburg, police said.
But what will this force have the ability to do?
nothing but lip service
and a waste of taxpayer dollars
If they take up the responsibility of making sure people are punished for these crimes it will definitely help. Right now nobody cares because nobody will be fired if nothing happens