Lucy Lang Releases Plan To Tackle Hate Crimes In Manhattan
Lang to Designate Leadership to Solely Focus on Hate Crimes, Build Trust With Vulnerable Communities to Encourage Reporting, & Work With Victims to Address Harm & Ensure Accountability
February 17, 2021
Today, Manhattan District Attorney candidate Lucy Lang released a plan to tackle hate crimes in New York City, as residents grapple with a disturbing rise in anti-Asian and anti-Semitic violence. Amidst national crises that have exacerbated and further revealed systemic racism, bias, and discrimination in our society, hate crimes have risen to their highest level in over a decade, with 2020 seeing more hate-motivated killings than any year since the FBI began recording such data. Lang is committed to ensuring that the Manhattan district attorney’s office makes addressing hate crimes a priority, and focuses on rebuilding the City, premised on the values of dignity and tolerance.
Lang’s plan will prioritize and streamline the Manhattan district attorney’s office’s response to hate crimes by designating leadership whose sole responsibility is supervising and handling hate crime cases. She will work with vulnerable communities to build trust and encourage reporting of hate crimes – which remain underreported due to distrust for law enforcement and a current lack of cultural training and sensitivity. Lang will ensure that the voices of victims are central to ensuring accountability and addressing the harm caused by hate crimes.
“With hate crimes at a decade-long peak and a recent alarming spike in anti-Asian and anti-Semitic violence, the next Manhattan district attorney must send a strong message on day one: hate has no home in Manhattan,” said Manhattan District Attorney Candidate Lucy Lang. “Addressing this crisis means holding those who commit hate crimes accountable and overhauling how the system works within our communities to build trust and root out these crimes at their core. As the next Manhattan district attorney, I’m committed to rebuilding our city premised on the values of dignity, equity and safety for all of our communities – particularly those that are most vulnerable to crimes of hate and racial terror.”
Lang firmly believes that being serious about hate crimes does not mean abandoning the principles of using incarceration as a last resort, and with the consent of victims, will use responsive sentencing, including restorative justice, as possible resolutions to address harm and ensure accountability in appropriate cases.
Lang has long called for prioritizing responses to hate crimes in New York and across the country, and her recent op-eds on combatting the rise in anti-Semitism as well as white supremacist terror can be found in Gotham Gazette and The Hill.
As DA, Lang will:
Designate hate crimes leadership whose sole responsibility is supervising and handling only hate crimes cases. Hate crimes deserve the full attention of attorneys assigned to address them, and those who investigate and prosecute such crimes need the capacity and resources to focus on them exclusively. Under Lang, hate crimes leadership will be dedicated full-time to investigating such cases, with the support of experienced ADAs and robust investigational resources.
Break the cycle of hate by responding seriously to every hate crime -- without sacrificing core values. Being serious about hate crimes cases doesn’t mean abandoning the principles of using jail and prison as a last resort, which requires legal analysis about available sentencing options as part of charging decisions. With the consent of victims, the District Attorney’s Office will consider responsive sentencing, including mental health treatment and restorative justice, as possible resolutions in appropriate cases.
Communicate transparently and broadly with the public to encourage reporting and make reporting accessible to all regardless of language barriers and mental and physical ability. Hate crimes by their very nature often target members of vulnerable populations who distrust police and the District Attorney. Understandably, these victims will be disinclined to report the crimes against them. Lang will meet directly with vulnerable community members and organizations representing them on a consistent basis. Lang pledges to be accessible and responsive to the needs and concerns of these community members and will train all office staff to be sensitive to and respectful of their experiences and concerns. She will advertise the hate crimes unit and its reporting mechanisms broadly in community meetings and across media and social media platforms in multiple languages to encourage reporting of hate crimes.
Include trauma-informed cultural humility training for all ADAs who handle hate crimes. Survivors of hate crimes can come from marginalized communities that require a survivor-centered approach and supportive services to encourage their cooperation with the District Attorney’s Office. All lawyers and staff who work with such communities will be trained to facilitate a procedurally just experience for hate crime survivors.
Work with the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes to engage with the community. The DA’s obligation to our community starts before crime happens, and Lang is committed to working with other city bureaus and officials to support educational and other efforts to stop hate crime before it occurs. That includes using the resources of the DA’s Office to create citywide partnerships with our communities.
Take all allegations of hate crimes seriously. Historically, hate crimes have been considered particularly difficult to prosecute and prove. But difficulty cannot be a bar to justice. The District Attorney’s Office will take every hate crime allegation seriously and investigate every case thoroughly. Lang will treat hate crimes as hate crimes.
To learn more about Lucy’s priorities, visit her plans page.