Read the PDF of our staement here.
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Urges NY State Assembly Members to Oppose Bill Expanding Hate Crime Coverage to Law Enforcement
The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) sent a letter to New York State Assembly Members urging them to oppose A. 2962-A, which would unnecessarily and unreasonably expand New York’s hate crime statute to include coverage of law enforcement officers, firefighters, and emergency medical services personnel. While LDF supports efforts to advance public safety, A. 2962-A does not accomplish this goal. It is an inappropriate and misguided proposal for the following reasons:
New York law already imposes adequate penalties for crimes against law enforcement and other first responders.
Hate crimes laws are intended to address biased-based crimes against social groups that historically have experienced discrimination.
2962-A will harm community-police relations.
Read our full letter.
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
