Hate crimes against Asian people in New York City have increased by 335% this year when compared to the same period last year, according to the latest New York Police Department (NYPD) crime statistics report.
From January 1 through May 31, the city recorded 87 hate crimes against Asians, compared with 20 such crimes for the same period in 2020, city statistics show.
The news comes amid a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes nationwide this year. Last month, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State University San Bernardino reported that hate crimes against Asians in 16 of the nation’s largest cities and counties were up 164% since the same time last year.
As CNN has previously reported, hate crimes against Asians often go underreported due to the lack of mandatory national reporting requirements by police agencies, but also because of other factors that could deter victims from calling the police, such as long-standing distrust of law enforcement, language barriers, and immigration status.
In New York City, overall, hate crimes have increased by 98% this year, compared with January through May of 2020, the report states.
The report found that hate crimes against LGBTQ people increased by 188%, with 23 hate crimes reported this year through May 31, compared to the eight in the same period in 2020, the NYPD said.
Anti-Semitic hate crimes increased by 37% compared to 2020, with 86 hate crimes reported in 2021 thus far and 63 reported for the same period in 2020, the NYPD said.
Major cities including New York City saw a spate of anti-Semitic attacks in late May as Israel and Hamas militants clashed in Gaza, leaving hundreds dead.
The NYPD has since stepped up its presence in the city’s predominantly Jewish and Asian communities in response to the spike in hate crimes.
Shooting incidents in NYC increase by 73% for May 2021 vs. May 2020
The citywide data also reflects the all too familiar resurgence of gun violence nationwide as states and cities return to pre-pandemic life, the NYPD report continues.
Shooting incidents for May increased by 73% when compared to the same time last year, according to the NYPD. May 2021 saw 173 reported shooting incidents compared with 100 in May 2020.
The recent rise in crime has also become a focal issue in the city’s mayoral race, with the primary later this month.
Overall crime in New York City rose by 22% in May 2021 compared with May 2020, driven largely by a 46.7% increase in robbery and a 35.6% increase in grand larceny, the NYPD said, adding that the number of murders between the same periods has remained the same, at 37.
CNN’s Josh Campbell contributed to this report.
