New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Yang said the state’s new controversial bail reform law desperately needs an update to allow judges to set bail in cases of nonviolent hate crimes.
“Considering the unprecedented and devastating recent spike in hate crimes against Jewish, Muslim and Asian New Yorkers across the city, it’s clear we need to exempt hate crimes from the bail reform measures enacted by the state last year,” Yang told The Post.
The mayoral hopeful’s pointed comments come just days after he deflected when asked the same question by a Post reporter at a press conference Monday.
“We should examine the rules that are necessary to keep New Yorkers safe, and make sure that person is not able to repeat their crime,” Yang had answered.
The Democratic candidate announced his new position after the Brooklyn man accused of beating a Jewish man in a hate attack in Midtown said he would “do it again,” according to prosecutors.
“Releasing someone who not only committed one heinous and violent anti-Semitic hate crime, but showed no remorse and pledged to do so again once released, is unconscionable,” Yang said.
The alleged attacker, Waseem Awawdeh, 23, is being held on $10,000 bail because he’s charged with assault as a hate crime, gang assault, menacing, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and criminal possession of a weapon.
Only nonviolent hate crimes like vandalism are excluded from the new reform measures.
Still, Yang said the message needs to be “absolute and clear.”
“We need to send an absolute and clear message that those who commit hateful acts will be held accountable,” he told The Post.
Earlier this month, Mayor Bill de Blasio praised a rogue judge who tried in vain to lock up an accused synagogue vandal — saying the state’s controversial bail reform law should be reconsidered for hate crimes.
Meanwhile, Yang also joined rivals Eric Adams and Ray McGuire in supporting an expansion of Kendra’s Law to require treatment for mentally ill people who have a history of violence.
“We must also recognize that many who commit hate crimes have serious mental health needs, and we need to drastically expand services to get them help,” Yang said.
“To that end, I believe the recently extended Kendra’s Law must be supplemented with real outpatient services to meet people with mental health needs where they are.”