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New York City Legislation : Supporting Materials
Press Advisory: City Council to Introduce Bills Calling for City-Wide Plan to Mitigate Backlash Hate Crimes and an End to Discrimination Based on Religious Headdress
Coalition of City Organizations Work With Councilman David Weprin to Draft and Introduce Bills
(February 11, 2005) Councilman David Weprin along with a coalition of New York City-based ethnic, religious, interfaith, immigrant rights, and civil rights organizations will hold a press conference to announce the coming introduction of two bills in the City Council.
The first bill will require New York City to create a plan to mitigate backlash violence in the event of another catastrophic public emergency, such as September 11, 2001, that may precipitate such a backlash. The second bill would call on city agencies to ban discrimination on the basis of religious headdress .
- What: Press Conference by Councilman David Weprin and a coalition of New York City-based ethnic, religious, interfaith, immigrant rights, and civil rights organization
- Why: To announce the introduction of two bills to reduce bias and discrimination in New York City
- When: Sunday, February 13, 2005, 12:30 P.M.
- Where: Steps of City Hall, New York City
For more information, please visit www.sikhcoalition.org/NewYorkCity.asp or call Amardeep Singh, (917) 628-0091.
List of City Council Co Sponsors
David Weprin
David Yassky
James F. Gennaro
Letitia James
Leroy G. Comrie Jr.
Annabel Palma
John C. Liu
Gale Brewer
Bill Perkins
Margarita Lopez
Letter to City Council Members
February 7, 2005
Dear Councilmember:
We are writing to you as a coalition of ethnic, religious, interfaith, and advocacy organizations dedicated to address the continued problems of racism and hate in our city. Our coalition has worked with Councilman David Weprin’s office to draft two bills that we hope that you will support. The first bill permits city employees to exercise their right to religious freedom by wearing religious headdress at work. The second bill directs the Office of Emergency Management to oversee the creation of a backlash mitigation plan to protect our friends and neighbors from being targets of hate-motivated violence. The bills will be introduced on February 16, 2005, enabling our city to take two significant steps towards ending discrimination and preventing violent acts of hate ; we hope that you will support this effort.
After September 11, there was an increase in hate-crimes committed against Arabs, Muslims, Sikhs, South Asians and those perceived to be so. For example, the New York Attorney General’s office reported that crimes that targeted Middle Easterners quintupled in 2001. Such backlash is preventable. Local government can take measures to mitigate this violence by, for example, identifying groups likely to be targeted, building relationships with community and religious leaders, airing public service announcements condemning violence and threatening strict prosecution, and training police officers to identify hate crimes. The creation of a backlash mitigation plan falls squarely within the responsibility and expertise of the Office of Emergency Management (“OEM”). However, OEM has not yet addressed the predictable and preventable problem of backlash crimes. This bill directs OEM to create a backlash mitigation plan in consultation with the relevant city agencies and community groups, to be implemented as needed by the NYPD and other city agencies identified by OEM.
Recently, employee uniform policies have been a source of debate with respect to their application by New York City agencies. For example, two New York Police Department (“NYPD”) workers, followers of the Sikh religion, were dismissed subsequent to being informed that the NYPD dress code did not permit the turbans and uncut beards required by their religion. This violates § 8-107 of the New York City Administrative Code, which bars city agencies from imposing conditions of employment that would require a person to violate, or forego a practice of, his or her creed or religion. This bill reminds to comply with the anti-discrimination requirements of administrative code § 8-107. The legislation does not mandate a dress-code for the city: rather, it makes clear that New York City will be fair in the treatment of its employees.
Councilmember Weprin and community organization sponsors of the legislation will hold a press conference on Sunday, February 13, 2005 on the steps of City Hall. We ask for your support as a co-sponsor of these two pieces of legislation and invite your participation in Sunday’s press conference.
If you have any questions about these bills, or wish to sign on as a co-sponsor, please contact Amardeep Singh, Legal Director, Sikh Coalition, (212) 655-3095 or Rebecca Shaffer, Legislative Aid, Councilman David Weprin, (212) 788-6984.
Sincerely,
The Sikh Coalition
Archdeacon Michael S. Kendall, The Episcopal Diocese of New York
Coalition For Asian American Children and Familes
Council on American-Islamic Relations – New York
Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Islamic Circle of North America
Islamic Leadership Council of NY
Harlem Imams Shura
Legal Access Network for South Asians
Muslim Alliance in North America
Muslim Consultative Network
New Immigrant Community Empowerment
New York Immigration Coalition
New York Disaster Interfaith Services
South Asian American Leaders of Tomorrow
South Asian Bar Association of New York
The Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood
United Methodist Committee on Relief
Women in Islam, Inc.
Alt Muslims.com
Shobak.org
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