“I am outraged by the dismissal of hate crime charges in one of the most heinous acts of hate our city has witnessed in recent memory. It is incomprehensible to me that such violent acts of hate could receive a verdict of not guilty.

Hakim Scott viciously attacked Jose Sucuzhanay while calling him derogatory names and stood by and watched while his fellow attacker, Keith Phoenix, beat Jose with a baseball bat. Jose was attacked simply because of who he was and who these two criminals perceived him to be. His attack was motivated and fueled by pure hatred.

I urge all New Yorkers to join me in condemning this verdict, as we did when we originally learned of this attack.

Justice was served with guilty verdicts on manslaughter and attempted assault charges. With these two charges combined, Hakim Scott faces up to forty years in prison.

The fact is, however, that Mr. Scott has escaped serving any time for his vicious hate, hate that was at the heart of this horrible crime and murder. This is a sad day for the family of Jose Sucuzhanay and for all those who uphold and fight for tolerance and acceptance. I pledge to the Sucuzhanay family that our fight is not over and we will do all that we can to see Mr. Scott in jail for the rest of his life.

We remain hopeful that Keith Phoenix will ultimately be found rightfully guilty in the hate charges he faces.

This verdict falls short of true and full justice, and we will not give up on our efforts to combat every instance of intolerance and ignorance that we witness. Jose’s death will continue to resonate powerfully in our lives and will always be a clear and emphatic reminder that we must speak out.

I want to thank the NYPD’s Hate Crimes Task Force and the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office for their hard work. I also want to commend the Sucuzhanay family for their fortitude during this difficult time in their lives. Ultimately, we will prevail.”