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36 Percent Post-Election Hate-Crime Spike Worries Police Officials

By Trevor Kapp | November 22, 2016 3:25pm
 Police are considered about a major uptick in hate crimes across the city recently.
Police are considered about a major uptick in hate crimes across the city recently.
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Anton K. Nilsson/DNAinfo

ONE POLICE PLAZA — NYPD officials are “concerned” about a 36 percent increase in hate-crime incidents across the boroughs since Election Day.

There were 30 hate crimes reported from Nov. 8 through Nov. 21 across the city, compared to just six over the same time period last year, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said.

“It is a serious uptick,” Boyce said. “We are concerned about it.”

The biggest spikes were in anti-Semitic graffiti and anti-white attacks, according to the NYPD. Of the 30 total incidents since Election Day, 15 were considered anti-Semitic, police said.

“The anti-Semitic swastikas are up the most,” Boyce said. “The graffiti is driving the number up at this point.”

Through Nov. 20, there had been 345 hate-crime incidents this year, compared to 253 at the same point last year, a 36 percent spike, according to NYPD statistics.

Of those 345 incidents, 120 were classified anti-Semitic, compared to 104 at the same point last year, according to the data.

On Friday, swastikas were found scrawled across the stairwell inside the Independence Towers on Taylor Street in South Williamsburg.

The vandalism also included “KKK" and "Trump,” police said.

Some of the hate-crime episodes have also been violent.

On Sunday, Tony Brimfield, 42, called a man a “cracker,” then cut his nose with an umbrella near Penn Station after making a comment about the man’s interracial relationship, police said.

Brimfield also yelled,’ F--k you, whitey’ at the man, police and prosecutors said.

He was charged with hate-crime assault, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Sunday announced that he was ordering the New York State Police to create a specific unit that will investigate hate crimes.

“New York State will not allow the law to be violated, period,” Cuomo said.