New York governor ramps up ‘surveillance efforts’ to combat 'hate speech'
New York Governor Kathy Hochul Monday revealed that the state has been conducting “surveillance efforts” on social media to combat crime and “hate speech.”
“We’re very focused on the data we’re collecting from surveillance efforts – what’s being said on social media platforms,” Hochul told reporters after a meeting with Jewish leaders, local law enforcement, and White House officials to discuss a “rise in antisemitism.” “And we have launched an effort to be able to counter some of the negativity and reach out to people when we see hate speech being spoken about on online platforms.” She added that no New Yorker “should feel they have to hide any indications of what their religious beliefs are.”
New York, which has long led the country in violence directed against Jews, has seen a massive surge surrounding the October 7th attacks in Israel. NYPD said they responded to 69 incidents in October, a 331% increase from 16 incidents in September.
Such incidents have been encouraged by officials through justice policies. Earlier this year, for example, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg offered a sweetheart deal to Waseem Awawdeh, a Muslim who beat and pepper-sprayed a Jewish man on crutches while calling him a “dirty Jew” and telling him “Hamas is going to kill all of you.” Instead of facing seven years, Awawdeh served just six months.
Nevertheless, in August last year Hochul told New York’s 2.2 million Jews not to leave the Empire State, especially not for Florida which ranked lowest in the country for hate crimes in 2021. Many Jews from New York and California have been migrating to the Sunshine State, but Hochul last year urged them to stay in New York and suggested Florida Governor Ron DeSantis harbors antipathy towards Jews.
When she was running for office last year, Hochul dismissed the suggestion that crime is on the rise in New York as a “conspiracy theory” and said that Republicans who push the claim are “data deniers.”
“These are master manipulators,” Hochul said in an October interview. “They have this conspiracy going all across America trying to convince people that in Democratic states, they’re not as safe. Well guess what? They’re also not only election deniers, they’re data deniers.”
“It’s the Republican states where they have almost no restrictions on guns. . . . The safer places are the Democratic states,” she added. “I have faith in the voters of the state of New York. They know someone will actually be out there fighting for them and not try to arm everybody in the streets and think that’s the solution to the crime problem.”
Since Hochul took office in January, overall crime has worsened. By March, index crime arrests — arrests for violent crime and property crime — had reached a 24-year high, according to NYPD data.
Now Hochul says that in addition to ordering social media surveillance, she is increasing funding to law enforcement by $50 million with another $25 million going towards security grants.
“It’s painful to me as the governor of this great state — that has been known for its diversity, and how we celebrate different cultures, different religions, different viewpoints — it’s painful to see the cruelty with which New Yorkers are treating each other,” she said Monday. “Everywhere from college campuses, to our streets, to schools, to playgrounds; even as they’re entering their houses of worship.”
Hochul said she has “deployed the State Police to protect our synagogues and yeshivas and mosques and any other place that could be susceptible to hate crimes or violence.”
