Morgan McKay is reporting for the State of Politics blog state officials March 23, announced it was launching a hotline number New Yorkers can call to report hate crimes and bias-based incidents. Even during the pandemic, hate crimes are still pervasive in New York. Of late, there has been an increase in the number of incidents against Asian-Americans. People are being called racial slurs, attacked for wearing a protective mask and even sprayed with chemicals. Anyone who has experienced a hate crime or biased-based incident can call 1-800-771-7755 or email civil [dot] rights [at] ag [dot] ny [dot] gov. The AG's office will help connect victims to resources, launch civil investigations and help law enforcement bring a person or group to justice. Read the full story at NYStateofPolitics [dot] com.