Julie Menin, the first Jewish speaker of the New York City Council, allocated $750,000 to the Brooklyn district attorney's hate crimes bureau on Monday following testimony from Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez that the unit received significantly less funding than comparable offices in other boroughs.
The funding targets hate-crime prosecutions in Brooklyn, home to approximately 462,000 Jews according to 2023 data from the UJA-Federation of New York. The allocation comes amid a period in which Jews, comprising roughly 10% of the city's population, were targeted in more than 55% of all confirmed hate crimes in New York City during the first six months of 2026.
City Council member Inna Vernikov, a Jewish Republican representing part of South Brooklyn and co-chair of the council's task force on Jew-hatred, advocated for the additional funding after Gonzalez highlighted the disparity at an April 22 task-force hearing.
Gonzalez testified in April that his office had received $50,000 from the previous mayoral administration to address all hate crimes, while district attorney's offices in other boroughs received more than $1 million. "I asked for $1.5 million to fund the dedicated hate crimes unit that would be funded like the Manhattan DA's office or the Queens DA office," Gonzalez testified. "I think the people of Brooklyn deserve to be funded with a dedicated unit."
Menin said the allocation would provide prosecutors additional resources to investigate and prosecute hate crimes. "Every New Yorker deserves to live free from fear and hate," She stated. "As antisemitic incidents and other hate crimes continue to threaten our communities, it is critical that prosecutors have the resources they need."
Gonzalez expressed gratitude for the support. "This investment will allow us to expand our work, strengthen specialized training and engage more proactively with communities targeted by hate so that we can prevent harm, support victims and hold offenders accountable," He stated.