Hate crimes in New York: Training now mandatory after conviction

Anyone convicted of a hate crime in New York State must undergo anti-hate crime counseling or training under a bill signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday, days after an Aquebogue man was charged with making social media posts about attacking a synagogue.

The governor also signed a bill to establish "a state-wide campaign for the acceptance, inclusion, tolerance and understanding of diversity."

“My friends, this is our moment. We’ll be defined by how we respond in this moment for generations to come,” Hochul said at her office in Manhattan. “Because this can be used and looked back upon through history as the turning point, the turning point, when this form of hatred and bigotry was rejected by the larger masses as a whole. Where all New Yorkers stood up and said, 'We are the same family.' ”

The counseling and training law takes effect in 30 days; the diversity campaign law takes effect April 1.

In the synagogue case, Christopher Brown, 21, of Aquebogue, and another man were arrested Friday night at Penn Station and charged after the government saw Brown's Twitter posts.

Upon capture, Brown had with him an 8-inch military knife and a swastika armband, according to charging documents provided by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office. A Glock 17 firearm and a 30-round magazine were recovered from the Manhattan apartment of Brown’s co-defendant, Matthew Mahrer, 22, the documents said.

No specific synagogue has been identified, and it remained unclear whether the pair had any in mind.

Brown had allegedly tweeted that he was going to ask a priest “if I should become a husband or shoot up a synagogue and die,” according to the documents.

Brown is jailed without bail. Mahrer's bail was set at $150,000 cash or $300,000 bond. Brown was charged with making a terroristic threat, aggravated harassment and criminal possession of a weapon. Mahrer faces a charge of criminal possession of a weapon. He was released on bail Sunday, according to the New York City Deparment of Correction website.

The counseling and training bill itself doesn't describe the curriculum but says the program, if determined by the court to be appropriate, must be "developed or authorized by the court or local agencies in cooperation with organizations serving the affected community."

New York isn’t alone in looking toward educational programs to reduce hate-crime recidivism.

In Los Angeles, a two-year pilot launched in October 2021, called Reconciliation Education and Counseling Crimes of Hate Program (REACCH), “aims to curtail hate crimes and xenophobia at a time when such crimes have surged.”

“The root cause of the bias will be examined and addressed. Then the participants will do community service with the targeted victim community,” says program’s website, which is run by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, whose media relations office didn’t immediately answer emailed questions seeking an update on how the program has performed.

And in Maryland, there’s similar legislation sitting on that governor’s desk that authorizes judges to require a hate criminal to complete an “antibias education program.”

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.