Hate Crimes Spike, With Anti-Trans Attacks Surging
National statistics from 2019 coincide with 2020-to-date NYC numbers trending down
BY MATT TRACY
Hate crimes soared nationwide
last year to
new heights not seen
in more than a decade,
according to new FBI data, and
there was an increase in the number
of victims targeted on the basis
of gender identity.
The 2019 nationwide statistics
were announced just weeks after
the NYPD reported fresher numbers
showing a more recent drop
in hate crimes this year compared
to last year in New York City.
But the release of the annual
nationwide FBI report, which includes
information on race, sexual
orientation, gender identity,
and other demographics, revealed
concerning longer-term patterns.
Law enforcement agencies logged
7,314 criminal incidents, according
to the FBI, for a total of 8,559
related offenses. Last year marked
an increase of nearly 200 criminal
incidents from the year before and
➤ KAWASKI TRAWICK, from p.6
housing in the city,” Clark said in
a written statement. “There must
be treatment and services readily
available to prevent persons from
reaching a point where they may
cause harm to themselves or others.”
After Trawick’s family reviewed
the video in August, his mother,
Ellen Trawick, slammed Clark
for opting not to pursue charges
against the offi cers. Trawick’s
mother again spoke up after the
report and video were released
to the public and demanded that
Thompson and Davis get booted
from the NYPD.
“It’s crystal clear from the video
and the facts that NYPD Offi cers
Brendan Thompson and Herbert
Davis unnecessarily killed my
son,” she said. “Kawaski was cooking
in his own apartment, not a
threat to anyone when Davis and
Thompson entered his home without
permission and immediately
Members of the Proud Boys have been egged on the hate-fi lled drivel fl owing from President Donald
Trump’s mouth.
escalated the encounter resulting
in Kawaski’s death.”
She added, “They refused to
answer when my son repeatedly
asked them why they were in his
home. Thompson tased my son
out of nowhere, even though Kawaski
posed no threat — and then
he shot and killed my son. Neither
offi cer gave any aid while my son
lay dying on the fl oor. If Thompson
and Davis had treated Kawaski
like a human being, he would be
alive today. Because of the failure
of the Bronx DA to indict these offi -
cers, I’m focused today on fi ghting
to make sure that Mayor de Blasio
and the NYPD fi re Thompson and
Davis because the way they killed
my son makes them a clear danger
to New Yorkers.”
Trawick’s mother also described
the report as one that was “written
in a biased way that summarizes
the incident by reiterating NYPD
talking points instead of highlighting
the multiple problems with the
offi cers’ actions and failures…”
Royce Russell, an attorney representing
REUTERS/ LEAH MILLIS
Trawick’s family, also
raised concerns about the report
and said it “has a slant by way of
omissions, which clouds the air of
transparency.” Russell called on
Clark to show full transparency
and release all relevant documents
and reports.
Justice Committee and Communities
United for Police Reform,
a pair of organizations working to
fi ght police violence in New York
City, ripped the report and echoed
Trawick’s mother’s calls to fi re the
police offi cers.
“Kawaski Trawick was a Black
queer man who was gunned down
by police in his home, where he
should have been safe,” Ileana Méndez
Peñate, a spokesperson for
Communities United for Police Reform,
said in a written statement.
In addition to the fi rings, Méndez
Peñate said Mayor Bill de
Blasio and Police Commissioner
Dermot Shea should remove police
from “all mental health response”
in the city.
Loyda Colon, co-director of Justice
CRIME
represented the third consecutive
year with at least 7,100 criminal
incidents across the United States.
National statistics from 2019 coincide
with fresh numbers showing
generalimprovement in New
York City
The cases overwhelmingly pertained
to single-issue bias incidents,
57.6 percent of which were
tied to offenders’ bias in relation
to race, ethnicity, or ancestry. Approximately
17 percent of the 7,103
single-issue bias incidents last
year stemmed from sexual orientation
related bias, while 2.8 percent
of the incidents were motivated by
gender identity-related bias. Those
numbers remained largely unchanged
compared to 2018 when
17 percent of single-bias incidents
were tied to bias on the basis of
sexual orientation and 2.4 percent
of single-bias incidents were motivated
by gender identity.
There were more than 5,500
➤ HATE CRIMES, continued on p.27
Committee, said the report
sought to excuse Thompson and
Davis from accountability and
cover for the DA’s failure to deliver
justice for Trawick’s family.
“These are further injustices
done to Kawaski Trawick’s family,
on top of the NYPD’s unnecessary
murder of their son,” Colon
explained in a written statement.
“To add insult to injury, this report
and decision comes after the DA’s
offi ce spent more than a year and
a half dragging their feet on their
investigation and mistreating the
Trawick family. This whole time,
Offi cers Thompson and Davis —
who chose to escalate their encounter
with Mr. Trawick despite
there being no need — have continued
to collect City paychecks
and pose a threat to New Yorkers.
We stand with the Trawick family
in their demand that Mayor de
Blasio and Police Commissioner
Shea not replicate the failure of the
Bronx DA and instead immediately
fi re the offi cers who killed Kawaski
Trawick.”
GayCityNews.com | November 26 - December 2, 2020 7
/GayCityNews.com
