Assemblyman Tom Alfano announced that legislation he sponsored with Assemblyman William Colton that increases the penalty to a Class E Felony for making a swastika on public property or burning a cross on public property or a private building without the owner's permission in public view, was signed into law by the governor.

Alfano fought for the legislation after an incident in North Valley Stream where hate messages were spray-painted on the garage door of a family. "It was a sickening act and I'm proud that this bipartisan effort made this bill law. Hate crime has no place in our communities," Alfano said. In the incident cited by Alfano, a family moving into the North Valley Stream community was met by spray-painted hate messages and symbols on their garage door.

The swastika was the adopted symbol of the barbarous Nazi regime, which murdered millions of innocent civilians and sought to exterminate the Jewish people. Under its banner, six million Jews were slaughtered, including millions at such infamous and inhumane concentration camps as Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and Treblinka. Hate groups seeking to inflict fear in Jewish communities have been known to desecrate synagogues and cemeteries with swastikas.

The cross has been the symbol of salvation to hundreds of millions of Christians worldwide for more than 2,000 years. Hate groups have used cross-burning and other forms of desecrating the cross to terrorize African-Americans and instill fear in communities of diversity.

"Hate crimes have to be stamped out in every corner. By taking a strong stand and putting muscle behind these laws, we're sending a message to hate groups that we will not allow their twisted views to harass, threaten or intimidate our communities," Assemblyman Alfano said.

Alfano also noted that increased penalties were not the only answer to hate crime. "We need to, as communities, look out for our fellow neighbor. Neighborhood watch, civic associations, volunteer groups all have a part to play. It's my hope that we start to practice the catch-phrase of "If you see something-say something," so that we can fight hate crimes in every form," Alfano concluded.