Attorney General Bondi Responds to Questions on Hate Crime Prevention Programs

Concerns Over Proposed Grant Program Cuts

• 💡 Representative Grace Meng expressed deep concern over the proposed budget cuts to grant programs aimed at preventing hate crimes.
• 🎯 These programs, like the "community-based approaches to advancing justice" initiative, supported local groups in increasing hate crime reporting, providing resources in multiple languages, and fostering better law enforcement-community relations.
• ⚠️ Meng highlighted the programs' importance, especially in response to the rise in hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic and referenced the tragic Atlanta murders.

Support for Hate Crime Survivors

• 📌 A letter from hate crime survivors and family members, including those connected to Emmett Till, James Byrd Jr., Matthew Shepard, and the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting, was submitted expressing strong concerns about the termination of these grants.
• 🤝 Meng emphasized the need to combat hate on all fronts, not just through prosecution but also through prevention, by bringing together law enforcement, community leaders, and the public.

Attorney General Bondi's Response

• 💬 Attorney General Pam Bondi stated she had not yet received the letter but welcomed working with Meng on issues regarding hate crimes in any community.
• 📞 Bondi offered her personal cell phone number to discuss specific grants and expressed a willingness to review and potentially reinstate grants on a case-by-case basis, prioritizing law enforcement.
• ⚖️ She mentioned that out of 5800 grants, approximately 6% (365) had been cut, and 13 had been turned back on due to direct outreach.

Specific Programs Mentioned

• 🔍 Meng specified the three largest DOJ funding sources for hate crime prevention programs that are proposed for elimination: Community-Based Approaches, Jabara, Hire, No Hate, and Shepherd Bird.
• 🤝 Both Meng and Bondi agreed to work together to address the impacted programs, including those that directly support local law enforcement like the NYPD.