Nassau drawing up plans to combat hate crimes against Asian Americans and others

Nassau County is creating a plan to help prevent anti-Asian and other hate crimes in an effort to address cultural and language needs in vulnerable communities, police Commissioner Patrick Ryder and county legislators said Thursday.

During a 90-minute Public Safety Committee hearing in Mineola, legislators condemned the spate of recent attacks against people of Asian American Pacific Islander heritage.

Lawmakers agreed to create a policing plan within the next 30 days to better document incidents of racial bias.

Nassau police said they have received no reports of physical attacks despite the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryder said in Nassau, there has been an increase in reports of offensive "off the cuff comments" made to Asian American residents.

However, legislators and Farah Mozawalla, executive director of the county’s Office of Asian American Affairs, noted fear in the community — particularly among older Asian American women — following the March 29 assault of Vilma Kari, the 65-year-old Filipino American woman who was beaten on her way to church in Manhattan.

Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello (R-New Hyde Park) said merely because there have been no reported hate crimes against Asian Americans in Nassau, "that doesn’t mean they aren’t occurring."

Nicolello said, "Asians are feeling the effects of these hate crimes and it’s important that we are proactive with these issues."

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran said, "although there have been no reported hate crimes targeting Asians in Nassau, we must remain vigilant in the face of a horrifying rise of Anti-Asian attacks in our state and country."

"I commend the Legislature for treating this matter with the urgency it deserves," Curran, a Democrat, said in a statement.

Several residents testified that as more businesses open up and people begin to emerge from pandemic lockdowns, incidents of anti-Asian rhetoric have become a major problem in Nassau County, though many have gone unreported.

"I’m born and raised in New York City. I’m a die-hard Yankee fan, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I’m not reminded I’m Chinese," said Derek Chan of Roslyn.

Other speakers called on the police department to assign a dedicated investigator to Asian American hate crimes.

Some also said the state’s new discovery law, enacted in 2019, allowing for victim information to be shared with defense counsel leads to underreporting of hate crimes.

"We need to have someone in the police department who understands the culture" of Asian American communities, said David Chan of Manhasset.

Ryder said the department is working with the Office of Asian American Affairs on an outreach program to make sure community members are aware of their rights and the services the county and the police department provide.

"It’s not just a concern for the Asian American community. But it’s all communities in Nassau County," Ryder said. "We have a zero tolerance for hate and we have zero tolerance for bias … ."

Ryder referred to a 400-page police reform plan the county submitted to the state on April 1, saying the proposal makes building trust in various communities a priority, so residents know "they can come to us to report these crimes."

"We cannot do it alone," Ryder said, "We need to have families involved to move away from the Archie Bunker mentality."

By Candice Ferrette

candice.ferrette@newsday.comcandiceferrette

Candice Ferrette covers Nassau County government and politics on Long Island. She has been a reporter at Newsday since 2011.