NYPD: We Take White Supremacist Groups Seriously

After being criticized for their slow response to a rumble involving the ultra-nationalist Proud Boys last month, the New York Police Department tried to assure City Council members on Monday that it is keeping close watch over white supremacists and other hate groups. 

Oleg Chernyavsky, the NYPD's executive director of legislative affairs, told the council's public safety committee that his department considers the groups domestic terrorists.

"The units within our intelligence bureau that investigate terrorism, that investigate domestic terrorism, are the same individuals that investigate these hate groups," he explained.

In the past month alone, anti-Semitic graffiti prompted the cancellation of an event at a Brooklyn synagogue; the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan was defaced with racist slurs; and a black woman was punched and stabbed on a subway platform while her assailant yelled expletives at her.

Queens Councilman Donovan Richards said the city needs to show it has zero tolerance for these attacks. Referring to the raucous clash between members of the Proud Boys and anti-fascist protesters, he said, "The lack there of an arrest in that situation does send a message to those white nationalists that it's open season in our city."

Five Proud Boys were arrested and charged with counts including rioting and assault. Chernyavsky said no one stepped forward immediately to complain about the assaults, and the police had trouble gathering video quickly to identify the perpetrators. He said detectives are still investigating.

Deputy Inspector Mark Molinari, commanding officer of the NYPD's hate crimes task force, said the brawl was not designated a hate crime. But he repeated the investigation is not over.

Queens Councilman Rory Lancman pressed the NYPD representatives on whether the department is treating white supremacists and the alt-right as seriously as it treated suspected terrorist organizations after the Sept. 11 attacks. "I believe somewhere in your headquarters there's a list of known ISIS supporters," he said. "Do you know who in New York City are members of the Proud Boys?"

Chernyavsky responded that the NYPD works with hundreds of law enforcement partners around the nation. "We actively work with both our federal and other state partners, and actually track white supremacist groups and other hate groups both around the nation and internationally," he explained. "So yes, we are monitoring."

However, when asked how many white supremacist groups are active in New York City, Chernyavsky said he did not want to risk tipping off any groups and offered to share the information with council members in private.

Through Nov. 19, the NYPD had confirmed 313 hate crimes this year compared to 308 during the same period in 2017. Anti-Semitic incidents made up more than half of those, an increase of 18 percent since last year. Anti-black incidents totaled 39, an increase of 27 percent, and there were 15 anti-white incidents compared to 8 last year. 

But attacks against Muslims declined, from 34 in 2017 to 15 so far this year.

The City Council is considering proposed legislation that would create a new office to advise the mayor in planning and implementing a coordinated response by police and other agencies to hate crimes. This office would look into the security concerns of different neighborhoods and houses of worship. And there would be educational outreach to prevent these crimes. 

Chernyavsky said Mayor Bill de Blasio's administration supports these goals and is still looking into the bill.

Correction: The original version of this article misattributed the number of hate crime incidents to Deputy Inspector Mark Molinari. It was the NYPD press office that released updated figures through Nov 19, reporting 313 incidents in 2018 vs 308 in 2017.