Complaints up over bias beefs
THE CITY agency that fights discrimination saw a massive rise in complaints filed over the past year, new data shows.
The Commission on Human Rights — the watchdog agency tasked with enforcing the city’s human rights law — received 8,330 reports of alleged violations in 2016, compared to 5,296 in 2015, a spike of nearly 60%, according to a report to be released Wednesday.
“I think that it’s connected to what we’re seeing nationally. The election season brought about some dangerous rhetoric,” department chairwoman Carmelyn Malalis told the Daily News.
She credited her agency’s growing caseload to residents relying on the city with uncertainty in Washington — and to increased outreach.
“People are much more knowledgable of their rights and are trusting local government more to handle these types of cases,” she said.