Committee to Combat Hate meeting
February 25, 2026, 10:00 AM
The Committee to Combat Hate held hearings on seven bills addressing security and anti-hate measures, including Int 0001-2026 and Int 0175-2026, which would require the city to develop security perimeter plans for places of worship and educational facilities, and Int 0165-2026, which would require the police department to report on the status of open hate crime cases. The committee also heard Int 0388-2026, which would establish a hotline for reporting discriminatory harassment, and Int 0022-2026, which would require the Department of Education to distribute materials about the risks of social media and online hate.
What was discussed
- Chair Salaam and Speaker Menin open the first hearing of the Committee to Combat Hate Council Member Yusef Salaam, Chair of the new Committee to Combat Hate, opened its first hearing, and Speaker Julie Menin grounded the discussion in data on rising hate incidents across the city, framing the seven-bill package as a response to antisemitism, Islamophobia, and other bias. The bills
- CCHR and NYPD testify on the anti-hate bill package JoAnn Kamuf Ward, Deputy Commissioner of Policy and External Affairs at the Commission on Civil and Human Rights (CCHR), with Chief-of-Staff Jose Rios-Lua, testified on the commission's anti-bias mandate, trainings, and its existing InfoLine, while NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Legal Matters Michael
- Are the security-perimeter bills for houses of worship and schools constitutional and workable? Across extended questioning from Speaker Menin, Chair Salaam, and Council Members Abreu, Nurse, Cabán, Avilés, Santosuosso, Dinowitz, Vernikov, Mealy, and Hudson, NYPD Deputy Commissioner Michael Gerber said the department has no objection to Intro 1-A and considers it constitutional, explaining
- Would a dedicated anti-hate hotline duplicate the CCHR InfoLine? Questioned by Speaker Menin and Council Member Inna Vernikov about Intro 388's proposed discriminatory-harassment hotline, Deputy Commissioner JoAnn Kamuf Ward said the CCHR InfoLine already accepts reports and questioned whether a separate hotline would be well-situated, while Menin argued a
- How does the NYPD track hate crimes, and would open-case reporting help? Chair Salaam and Council Member Lynn C. Schulman questioned the NYPD on hate-crime data and Intro 165's requirement to report on the status of open hate-crime cases. Assistant Chief Andrew Arias described how hate crimes are investigated, categorized, and analyzed by bias motivation, and Deputy
- State Assembly members testify in support of the anti-hate package A panel of state legislators voiced support for the Council's effort: Assembly Members Jeffrey Dinowitz, David Weprin, Linda Rosenthal (Chair of the Assembly's relevant committee), Micah Lasher, and Sam Berger testified about the rise in hate incidents and the need for coordinated city and state
- Jewish community and security organizations back the houses-of-worship and school security bills A large panel of Jewish community leaders, security experts, and congregants urged passage of the security-perimeter bills, citing incidents outside synagogues such as at Park East Synagogue. Witnesses included Devorah Halberstam, whose son Ari was killed in the 1994 Brooklyn Bridge attack; David
- Interfaith leaders voice support for the anti-hate measures Faith leaders from across traditions testified in support of the Committee's anti-hate work, including Reverend Robert Waterman, Joseph Rosenberg of the Catholic Community Relations Council of the Archdiocese of New York, Rabbi David Ingber of Romemu, and Bishop Mitchell Taylor, framing protection
- Civil-liberties and labor advocates warn the security perimeters would chill protest Opponents of the buffer-zone provisions warned they could restrict lawful protest and conflict with a negotiated settlement in prior protest litigation. Jennvine Wong of the Legal Aid Society's Cop Accountability Project argued the bills direct the NYPD to create buffer zones that could sweep in
Agenda
7 items
- Int 0388-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to establishing a hotline to report discriminatory harassment and unlawful discriminatory practices Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0327-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to reimbursing nonpublic schools for the cost of video surveillance cameras Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0297-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to emergency planning for religious and non-profit institutions Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0175-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a plan regarding security perimeters adjacent to educational facilities Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0165-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the police department to report on the status of hate crime cases Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0022-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to requiring the department of education to distribute materials to students about the risks of social media and online hate Hearing Held by Committee
- Int 0001-2026 A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to a plan regarding security perimeters adjacent to places of religious worship Hearing Held by Committee