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Anti-Bullying Workshop in Sunnyside Aims to Address Hate Crime Spike

 A local lawmaker is organizing a self-defense class in the neighborhood in  response to the recent uptick in hate crimes across the city.
A local lawmaker is organizing a self-defense class in the neighborhood in response to the recent uptick in hate crimes across the city.
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SUNNYSIDE — A local lawmaker is organizing a self-defense class in the neighborhood next week that will focus on anti-bullying tactics and "de-escalation" — a response to the recent uptick in hate crimes across the city.

The event, which will take place Wednesday at Sunnyside Community Services, was inspired by a rise in "hate crimes, bigotry and bullying" in the wake of last month's presidential election, according to Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer, who's hosting the workshop.

It will be led by the Women's Initiative for Self-Empowerment and the Center for Anti-Violence Education, and will include advice on how to be an "upstander," or someone who intervenes when they see a person being bullied or harassed. 

"So we all know how to respond in hateful situations," Van Bramer said in a statement about the event. "Given the attacks happening all across the city, we need this now."

NYPD statistics show hate crimes have jumped more than 30 percent citywide in 2016 compared to the year before, including a spike in the weeks after the election.

MAP: Tracking Reported Hate Crimes in NYC Since the Election

Recent incidents include a Muslim woman attacked on the 6 train earlier this week by three men yelling "Donald Trump,"  as well as a number of graffiti sightings featuring swastikas and other hate speech.

In Long Island City, video of an Uber driver being verbally harassed by a man in a car shouting anti-Arab obscenities went viral last month, while a Muslim teenager was hit in the face with a bottle while sitting on a bench in Astoria on Nov. 19.

Van Bramer himself received an anti-gay death threat, via email, in the weeks following the election after he organized a rally to protest President-Elect Donald Trump.

The self-defense workshop in Sunnyside is free and open to all, but those who want to attend must RSVP to the councilman's office in advance by calling (718) 383-9566 or emailing eehrenberg@council.nyc.gov.