2017 New York Laws
PEN - Penal
Part 4 - Administrative Provisions
Title Y - Hate Crimes Act of 2000
Article 485 - Hate Crimes
485.00 - Legislative Findings.

485.00 Legislative findings.
The  legislature  finds  and  determines  as  follows:  criminal  acts
  involving violence, intimidation and destruction of property based  upon
  bias  and  prejudice  have  become  more  prevalent in New York state in
  recent years.  The intolerable truth is that in these  crimes,  commonly
  and  justly  referred  to  as  "hate  crimes", victims are intentionally
  selected, in whole or in part, because of their  race,  color,  national
  origin,  ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability
  or sexual orientation. Hate crimes do more than threaten the safety  and
  welfare  of  all citizens. They inflict on victims incalculable physical
  and emotional damage and tear at the very fabric of free society. Crimes
  motivated by invidious hatred toward particular  groups  not  only  harm
  individual  victims  but  send  a  powerful  message  of intolerance and
  discrimination to all members of the group to which the victim  belongs.
  Hate  crimes  can  and  do intimidate and disrupt entire communities and
  vitiate the civility that is essential to healthy democratic  processes.
  In  a  democratic society, citizens cannot be required to approve of the
  beliefs and practices of others, but must never commit criminal acts  on
  account  of  them. Current law does not adequately recognize the harm to
  public order and individual safety that hate  crimes  cause.  Therefore,
  our  laws  must  be  strengthened  to  provide  clear recognition of the
  gravity of hate crimes and the compelling importance of preventing their
  recurrence.
Accordingly, the legislature  finds  and  declares  that  hate  crimes
  should be prosecuted and punished with appropriate severity.