NYC Mayor Eric Adams hosts conference to combat unprecedented levels of hate crimes in Big Apple

Mayor Eric Adams warned against “pervasive” and “normalized” hate infecting the Big Apple at a community summit held Tuesday to combat hate crimes — which soared a disturbing 68% last month.

“You’re seeing the level of hatred that I would never have witnessed in my lifetime,” Hizzoner told a packed room at Gracie Mansion in Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

“It’s time for us to pause for a moment and have a true reflection on where we’re going and what does the future look like. Hate has become so pervasive and comfortable and we have normalized hate,” Adams added.

Almost 50 New Yorkers in attendance at the Mayor’s home listened to stories of those who have been victims of hate crimes in the past year and discussed how best to address the scourge gripping New York City.

Hate crimes surged a whopping 68% in June, compared to the same month last year, according to the latest crime stats released by the NYPD. Of the 62 hate crimes for that month, more than half targeted Jews, the police stats show.

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The eight speakers at the summit — who were not connected to the government — represented the black community, the Asian community, the Jewish community, the Muslim community and the LGBTQ community.

Some government officials were also in attendance.

Civil Rights Lawyer Norman Siegel, who organized the event, told The Post attendees would not be leaving without an “action plan” — which would involve rolling out town hall meetings across the five boroughs conducted by NYC and NYS Human Rights Commissions along with civil rights groups.

“The premise is that you have to speak up in opposition to hate and hate violence, otherwise, the silence can be interpreted as condoning it,” Siegel explained.

Siegel added that while the Israel-Hamas war has contributed to the increased incidents of hate crimes, antisemitism wasn’t the focus of the summit.

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“I think what we’re trying to do is to explain that it’s not just one community that’s the victim of hate. We’re all in it together,” he said.

Itay Morchi Levi, who moved to New York 11 years ago from Israel to play Jazz, told The Post that he was invited along to speak after a violent incident at his club in Brooklyn.

“There was red paint thrown at people and racist messages glued to our door saying ‘zionists can’t play Jazz’ and other hateful things,” he said.

Morchi Levi said he is “optimistic” after hearing from officials and other members of the community.

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“We can humanize each other and have a deeper conversation to stop the hate and prejudice that we’re dealing with,” he said.

There were 45 incidents of crime targeting Jewish people last month, compared to just 19 in June 2023, according to NYPD statistics.

It’s for that reason Director of Communications for End Jew Hatred, Michelle Ahdoot, highlighted to the Post that “not all hate is the same.”

“The single most significant hatred we see in New York City since Oct. 7th is overwhelmingly Jew-hatred,” she said.

“On an almost daily basis, we see groups of radical Hamas supporters — some even waving the Hamas flag — marching in city streets calling for the genocide of Jews. We do not feel safe.”

“We have all come to understand that Black Lives Matter, and that we need to Stop Asian Hate. Now is the time to End Jew Hatred, and we cannot afford to ‘all lives matter’ a minority community experiencing constant trauma.”

An “abate hate” action plan was drafted on Tuesday but will be released in full after Labor Day when it’s hoped to be implemented.

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