What is a Hate Crime? A hate crime is a criminal offense motivated by prejudice or bias based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or other protected characteristics.
Reporting a Hate Crime, Step-by-Step guide for Students, Staff, and Faculty:
1. If the hate crime is ongoing or poses an immediate threat to safety call 911
2. Notify Campus Public Safety
Phone: 718-262-2222
Public Safety Virtual Escort Services https://us02web.zoom.us/my/escort
Public Safety Office Location: Acore 1M02 - near 1st floor Liberty Avenue entrance.
Director, Chief James Assmann Email: Jassmann@york.cuny.edu
o Use campus phones to call extension 2222 or 2220 or emergency wall phones located in corridors and public areas, which automatically connect to Public Safety.
3. Contact the York College Office of Diversity and Compliance:
o Director: Arlene Peterson
o Email: APeterson1@York.cuny.edu
o Phone: 718-262-2137
o Report the incident to the Office of Diversity and Compliance, which handles investigations into hate crimes, discrimination, and bias incidents.
4. Use the University-Wide Reporting Portal:
o Visit the CUNY University-Wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting System to submit a report online for discrimination, bias incidents, or hate crimes. Reports are reviewed by the Chief Diversity Officer of the implicated CUNY college. Go to the University-Wide Discrimination and Retaliation Reporting System (cuny.edu) and fill out the online form.
What Should I do if I am a Victim?
Written or Visual Threat - When a threat is received in a written or graphic format, such as a handwritten note or graffiti.
• DO NOT touch or alter the item. DO NOT throw it away.
• Photograph or precisely rewrite the threat on another piece of paper.
• Make note of the following:
- The date, time, and location of the threat were identified.
- Any details about how the threat was delivered or discovered.
- Anyone else who saw the threat
Phone Threat - When a threat is received by phone.
• Remain calm. If not in immediate danger, do not hang up.
• Try to obtain as much information about the caller and threat.
• Write down any numbers or letters on the phone’s display.
• Write down the exact wording of the threat. – Keep Text Messages
Electronic Threat – When a threat is received over the internet, such as through an email or social media.
• DO NOT delete the electronic threat.
• Leave the message open on the device or computer.
• Print, photograph, or copy the message.
• Note the date and time the threat was received.
Verbal Threat – When a threat is received verbally.
• Stay calm and attempt to de-escalate the situation.
• If the perpetrator leaves, note their description and direction of travel.
• Write down the threat precisely as communicated.
Physical Threat—An in-person threat that places a victim or others in immediate danger. It is important to remember that all threat types have the potential to escalate into a physical threat.
When confronted with an immediate threat of physical harm, there are three options:
• Run – Identify an escape route. Leave behind your belongings and, if possible, help others escape.
• Hide —Find a safe place to hide from the threat. Lock doors and block entrances if you're indoors. Silence your cell phone (including vibrate mode) and remain silent.
• Fight—This is a last resort. Act with as much physical aggression as possible and attempt to incapacitate the threat.
Bystander intervention is a strategy that empowers witnesses to intervene directly or indirectly in harassment situations, overcoming the natural tendency to feel uncertain or hesitant. It focuses on verbal and nonviolent incidents, like instances of hate speech or following someone, and it’s not a new concept:
The 5D’s represent various approaches – Distract, Delegate, Document, Delay, and Direct – that can help you assist someone experiencing harassment, reinforce that harassment is unacceptable, and show those around you that they can play a role in creating a safer community.
Distraction - a subtle and creative way to intervene. Its aim is simply to derail the incident of harassment by interrupting it. The keys to good Distraction are:
• Ignore the person who is harassing and engage directly with the person who is being harassed.
• Don’t talk about or refer to the harassment that’s happening. Instead, talk about something completely unrelated.
Delegation - asking a third party for help with intervening in harassment. The keys to Delegation are:
• Look for a Delegate who is ready and willing to help. Often, a great choice is the person right next to you.
• When you Delegate someone to help you, try to tell them as clearly as possible what you’re witnessing and how you’d like them to help.
Documentation - involves either recording or taking notes on an instance of harassment. It can be really helpful to record an incident of harassment, but there are some keys to safely and responsibly documenting harassment:
• Assess the situation. Is anyone helping the person being harassed? If not, use another of the 5Ds. Recording someone’s experience of harm without ensuring they’re already receiving help can just create further trauma for them. If someone else is already helping out, assess your own safety, and if you are safe, begin documenting.
• ALWAYS ask the harassed person what they want to do with your recording and/or notes. NEVER post it online or use it without their permission.
Delay—Even if you cannot act in the moment, you can still make a difference for someone who is being harassed by checking in on them after the fact. Many types of harassment happen in passing or very quickly, and it’s not always possible to intervene. However, you do not have to just ignore what happened and move on. You can help reduce that person’s trauma by speaking to them after an instance of harassment.
Direct – responding directly to harassment by naming the inappropriate behavior and confronting the person doing harm. This one should be used with caution because Direct intervention can be risky – the person harassing may redirect their abuse towards the intervening bystander or escalate the situation in another way. The first key to Direct intervention is to assess the situation before you decide to respond by asking yourself the following questions:
• Are you physically safe?
• Is the person being harassed physically safe?
• Does it seem unlikely that the situation will escalate?
• If you can answer yes to all of these questions, you might choose a direct response.
The second key to Direct intervention is to keep it short and concise. As tempting as it may be, avoid engaging in dialogue, debate, or an argument – since this is how situations can escalate. If the person harassing responds to your Direct intervention, focus your attention on assisting the person who was harmed instead of engaging with the person doing the harm.
Police Response:
1. Immediate Police Assistance:
o NYPD should be notified immediately if the incident is in progress or involves severe threats to safety. Dial 911.
o If on campus, Call Public Safety immediately at (718) 262-2222. Public safety can respond quicker and will contact NYPD directly by Police radio or dispatch.
2. NYPD Hate Crime Task Force Involvement:
o If the incident is suspected to be bias-motivated, the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force will be informed for further investigation.
3. Thorough Investigation:
o Detectives from the NYPD Hate Crime Task Force will conduct a thorough investigation into the reported hate crime.
Campus Public Safety Response:
1. Initial Contact:
o Upon notification, campus Public Safety will respond to the scene to ensure immediate safety and gather initial information.
2. Interim Safety Measures:
o Public Safety can provide interim safety measures such as escorts, restricted access to perpetrators, and enforcement of protection orders if necessary.
3. Documentation and Reporting:
o Public Safety will prepare a hate crimes incident report, which is logged on the Public Safety Crime Log to document the incident.
4. Coordination with College Administration:
o Public Safety will promptly notify the college president about the incident.
5. Collaboration with NYPD:
o Public Safety will coordinate with NYPD within 24 hours of receiving the report to ensure that appropriate actions are taken, including updating the Public Safety Crime Log once NYPD/NYSP Hate Crimes Task Force confirms the incident as a hate crime under NYS Penal Law 485.05.
Additional Support Services:
· Counseling Center:
o Location: Academic Core Building, Room 1G03
o Phone: 718-262-2272
o Email: counseling@york.cuny.edu
· Student Affairs and Enrollment Management:
o Location: AC-2F01A
o Office: 718-262-2331
o Fax: 718-262-2216
o Email: SAEM@york.cuny.edu
By following these steps, CUNY York College community members can ensure that hate crimes are reported promptly and investigated thoroughly and that appropriate support and measures are provided to those affected. If you have any questions concerning this guide, please put
“Hate Crime Training Question” in the subject line and email: Chief James Assmann, Director of Public Safety Jassmann@York.cuny.edu Arlene Peterson, Director of Diversity & Compliance APeterson1@York.cuny.edu
