Westchester County Executive George Latimer is introducing legislation making it illegal to injure or intimidate a person because of their background.
The bill comes after thousands of Asians have been attacked in New York City and across the country since the beginning of the pandemic.
Many of them were attacked on public transportation and right in the public eye. "The First Amendment right to free speech is inviolate. But at the same time, that speech, when it moves into other areas of activity and become prejudicial in its implication, that we then have a right and a responsibility to society to address that act, and to call it for what it is and where appropriate, to prosecute that," says Latimer.
The next step is for county legislators to review the bill.