Amid rise in NYC anti-Asian violence, Sen. Schumer, Rep. Meng vow to pass COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act

The feds need more tools to crack down on anti-Asian hate crimes, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Grace Meng, both Democrats from New York, said Monday in Koreatown in midtown Manhattan.

The Dems were pushing for legislation from Meng that aims to encourage people to report hate crimes.

“I dare any Senator to vote against this legislation, and if they do, shame on them,” Schumer told a crowd of about 30 people at Broadway and W. 32nd St., vowing to get the Senate version of the bill passed by 5 p.m. Monday.

Meng’s “COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act” would require the Department of Justice to speed up hate crime investigations, provide guidance to local cops on reporting hate crimes and work with the Department of Health and Human Services on best practices for keeping racist language out of COVID info from the government.

Meng and Schumer said the legislation would pave the way for relief to communities on edge from an alarming streak of hate crimes — about 40 Asian New Yorkers had been victimized by hate crimes as of mid-April, according to NYPD stats, with an unknown number of incidents believed to be unreported.

“Asian Americans have been screaming out for help this past year,” Meng said.

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the bill in about two weeks, Schumer said.