Hate Crimes

A Watertown couple say they’ve been targeted twice in the past week because of Democratic and pro-LGBTQ signs in their yard.

It’s in response to a rise in hate crimes, primarily against Jewish and Muslim communities, amid the Israel-Hamas war. Religious organizations can apply for up to $50,000 for security measures, like cameras and access control systems.

During a protest against the war in Gaza on the New Haven Green attended by more than 100 people, a protester climbed the city’s 30-foot menorah to hang a Palestinian flag.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) is calling on the federal government to provide $40 million to fight hate crimes in Connecticut.

The subcommittee will consist of members of the county’s Jewish-American Advisory Board, as well as other Suffolk officials, and partner with the police department’s specialized unit responsible for investigating hate crimes.

Over 30 anti-hate activities will be offered at places of worship across Long Island during the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. The goal is to learn from the civil rights movement to find ways to identify and overcome prejudice in the community.

Police across the U.S. report incidents of hate crimes to the FBI each year. The latest data from 2021 shows there was a 22% decrease in the number of participating law enforcement agencies — the lowest in two decades.

According to a poll from the Asian American Institute for Research and Engagement, 60% of business owners said they've lost customers or faced racist threats due to anti-Asian sentiment.

The family of an 11-year-old Black boy who was pushed off his bicycle by a white man in Deep River last week is calling for the man to be charged with a hate crime.