Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle (D-Bergen) statement on recent report of bias crimes escalating in the state over the last few years:
“Amidst a rising tide of bias and hate crimes throughout the United States, the Attorney General’s yearly Bias Incident Report shows that New Jersey is unfortunately not immune from this trend.
“These trends are not limited to one state or region, hate and intolerance are on the rise. We are in the midst of a national reckoning; it is up to us to determine who we, as New Jerseyans and as Americans, will be.
“The Lakewood incident this past weekend where over 50 families in a predominantly Orthodox Jewish community had their tires slashed overnight should raise concern of the brazen acts of hate we’ve seen across the country recently. I believe that we must be unified in our commitment to stand up against hate and bigotry; we must lead with compassion, empathy and strong moral character.
“We are who we are as a nation because of our vast diversity in race, culture and heritage. No one should live in fear and no one should be attacked for who they are, where they come from or how they look. Bias and hate crimes are abhorrent and we must continue condemn them in the strongest terms possible.”