Video, Audio, Photos, & Rush Transcript: Governor Hochul Announces Nearly $25 Million Available to Strengthen Security at Nonprofit Organizations

Earlier today at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park City, Kathy Hochulannounced the availability of an additional $25 million to help nonprofit organizations improve the security of their facilities to better protect those at risk of hate crimes or attacks because of their ideology, beliefs, or mission. Available to those organizations that have not previously received state funding for this purpose, the allocation builds on nearly $43 million awarded today to 362 nonprofit organizations to help boost security infrastructure and enhance preparedness against potential hate crime attacks.

VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here and in TV quality (h.264, mp4) format here.

AUDIO of the event is available here.

PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.

A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks are available below:

Good morning, everyone. It's so great to see you this beautiful day that brings us to this place to talk about some topic that is painful, but also there was a side that is hopeful. This gathering here is what gives me hope to people who stand united in one cause and that is to stamp out hate and let people know, like the young children I spoke to. I have to tell you, I thank you for mentioning that. I was thinking about that as I was coming to the city this morning, I was wondering how they're doing because they were so afraid of just walking down the street, wearing a yarmulke to school. And the young person said to me, we were told that we shouldn't do this anymore because that might inspire someone to hurt us.

I said, no, young man, this is your opportunity to stand proud. This is your chance to honor the legacy of those who came before, who did resist because resistance refuses; people who resist refuse to come to victimhood. I don't want you to grow up to be a victim. I want you to grow up to be strong and proud. You continue to wear that every single day and I will protect you.

So that is what this is all about. Protecting the people of today, the children of tomorrow, and for generations to give a statement of our priorities and Maury, thank you for bringing me to places where I have a chance to have those encounters. Long before I became governor, I've been doing this for many, many years. My time in Congress, standing up strong for the people of Israel, standing up for the people of this state and as lieutenant governor visiting every borough and every part of this state where people gather and have the right to worship and to live the lives that they choose to.

I'm also so happy to be here at this place. I've been here many times, many events, and there are some individuals I want to recognize. Jack Kliger the president CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage. Thank you, Jack, for all you've done. Let's give Jack a round of applause.

Bruce Ratner, the Chair of the Board, the Museum of Jewish Heritage, as well. And B.J. Jones, the President and CEO of the Battery Park City Authority. And I have to give a special shout out to my friend, Patti Kenner, who's brought me to - hi Patti, I didn't see you over there - we vetted the luncheons. You had me do video announcements during the pandemic and made sure that I know the story as well as my own. I feel I do through your guidance and the way you've put your efforts into creating film and plays and ways that we can tell the story.

And I diverge one second, but I was up in Sackets Harbour and that is a place where people came to who had no home during World War II, refugees, fleeing oppression in Nazi Germany.

And they came to this little tiny community up on Lake Ontario. And there's a memorabilia of the first families that came here and eventually became assimilated into society, a reminder of the capacity we have for love for people who've been oppressed. And that is what we're going to convey here today with this event and my announcements.

I don't do this alone. I do this with incredible partners and I want to thank the elected officials who are here today. Starting with my Lieutenant Governor, an extraordinary leader already, I want to thank Brian Benjamin. He is passionate about these issues as we all are, but thank you for all you do for us. Lieutenant Governor, you've been a dynamic partner.

Another great champion for all of us here in the borough of Manhattan, Gale Brewer. Thank you for your friendship. Many, many years supporting me, supporting our joint causes and you're truly a consummate public servant.

Also our Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou is here as well. Assemblymember NilyRozic has joined us, Assemblymember great to see you again. And Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein is here as well. And we'll be joined by State Senator Brian Kavanagh.

This place is a stark reminder of what happens when hate goes unchallenged. The history is long and the history is sad, and the history is painful. And as someone who actually spent some time visiting concentration camps and other places where atrocities occurred it's still almost unfathomable to us today in 2021, to think that there are still seeds of hate.

And what we learned from way back, earlier in the past century, is if those seeds are not destroyed and crushed early, before they bloom even further. Then you have much worse to deal with. I sometimes feel those seeds are starting to grow. And I see that what I know of the fear that people have of being physically assaulted when they're walking down the street, whether they're part of the Jewish faith, whether they're someone who's Asian American, walking down into the subway, knocked over, African-Americans still subjected to hate crimes. But as leader of this state, fellow human being, and as a mom, it's hard to accept that that goes on to the people that we represent and are charged with taking care of. So it can be emotional sometimes to think of what someone like that little boy had to think about as he was going to school, is he going to be okay. Or an elderly person in Chinatown afraid to take the subway.

I heard so many people say they're afraid to go get vaccines because they'd have to get on a subway and they're afraid of being assaulted in this very city. That is not the city of New York or the state of New York that we cherish. And all of us have the power now to eradicate that by standing up and standing strong and calling out hate wherever it rears its ugly head.

I went up to Muncie shortly after that horrific attack and stood in a large forum. There were hundreds of people gathered, people of all faiths, and as sad as the occasion was - it was to honor the people that were slaughtered during their Hanukkah celebration. It also did give me a sense of optimism and hope of what we can accomplish together.

And I know there's a role for people to play, everyone has to play, in government. It's calling it out. It's deploying the resources where necessary. It's pulling law enforcement. It's putting together hotlines, giving people access. Everybody deserves to feel secure. And as we heard a long time ago, president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I visited his home this past weekend, went down because I wanted to immerse myself in the story of another governor who overcame great challenges, physical challenges as well, and then to send it to become the president.

And at that time he spoke at a state of the union address in 1941. He talked about the four freedoms that we are all entitled to as human beings. And I read those four freedoms once again. And the greatest to me was the freedom from fear. No New Yorker should have fear going to their homes, going to their work, going to their places of worship, or just taking the subway or going out to dinner. We have to eradicate that fear once and for all, and we can do it starting here today.

That is why I'm so proud to announce we've already awarded $43 million to 362 nonprofits to help boost infrastructure security and to enhance preparedness, to be prepared, be ready so we're not surprised and we're ready to be able to handle any assaults or hate crime attacks. This money will fund 872 different projects across the state, but we're not done, my friends.

I'm here to announce we're making an additional $25 million available through the Division of Criminal Justice Services that will support another 800 projects across the state. It's starting now. We'll get that money out. We'll get it where it's needed.

Also, to solve a problem you have to be able to quantify it, to study it, to find out where it's most pervasive, and that's why we're also launching today an online reporting system for people who have experiences. I spoke to many people who have been subjected to these attacks and the fear they have. There is a sense of shame and embarrassment and people don't want to come forward and tell what happened to them. So we want to make sure that there is a secure place where they can express what happens so we can have resources deployed to that community immediately to have a visual presence that says that is not accepted here - you cannot get away with that here in the State of New York.

We have a website and any person who says or who believes they're a victim of a hate crime should visit "ny.gov/hatehasnohome" to report your incident.

I want to just say one more thing. This stops now. I don't want a single New Yorker to ever, ever have the fear that's in the hearts of too many people from our Jewish community, our Asian community, our African-American community, or any other community that feels they've been under siege.

This is wrong. We are going to take a very strong stand, not just with these resources to protect, but we're going on offense. I like football a little bit in case you haven't heard. We're going to defend but we're going to go on offense and we're going to let people know that if they dare raise a hand to any New Yorker they are picking a fight with 20 million others, starting with their governor.

It stops right now in places like this all over our state and I want to thank you for being part of the solution. Thank you, my friends.