Former Hate Crime Chief Sues Mayor Adams Over Abrupt Dismissal

Earlier this year, Hassan Naveed, the ex-chief of the city’s division for combating hate crimes, was abruptly terminated from his role. Following this, Naveed claimed that his dismissal was the consequence of discrimination based on his religion. He also made public his intention to challenge Mayor Adams’ administration with legal proceedings on account of this issue.

Information on Naveed’s notice of claim sheds more light on his plan to also directly confront Adams with a lawsuit. This move is a response to accusations that the mayor, post Naveed’s termination, engaged in actions intended to damage his reputation and target him with retributive behavior.

The notice, submitted in July and previously undisclosed to the public, sets marks the beginning of Naveed’s intended legal action against the city. It also indicates that Adams purportedly made ‘incorrect and slanderous’ remarks concerning Naveed during a press conference held at the City Hall on April 30.

Explicitly, Naveed’s lawsuit would assert a claim of ‘character defamation’ and ‘retaliation’. It will go beyond this to include unjust termination and restrictions placed on his religious freedoms. As a Muslim, Naveed upon his exit on April 18, was vocal about the fact that his faith was the concrete reason behind his job termination.

When asked to respond to the accusations of defamation, Adams’ spokesperson, Kayla Mamelak, asserted that Naveed is the one disseminating ‘untruthful’ statements. Her response came in the midst of a discussion with The News during the week.

For his part, Naveed further clarified his defamation claims in the notice. He insisted that Adams’ comments made on April 30 were in stark contrast to his service appraisals during his tenure at the city hall. He alleges to have obtained positive feedback in those assessments.

Around the period Naveed was dismissed, hate crime statistics were witnessing a significant rise in the city. This came on the heels of the eruption of the Israel-Hamas conflict. The first quarter of 2024 saw the NYPD addressing 136 reported instances of hate crimes, as well as making 76 arrests connected with hate crimes.

In the following period, the figures continued to escalate. The NYPD recorded 153 cases of hate crimes and executed 79 related arrests during the third quarter of 2024.

Amidst all this, Naveed has stated that he made several request via emails while still in his position at City Hall. He appealed to the then-Deputy Mayor for Public Safety, Phil Banks’ office, to provide more provisions for his team in light of the increasing number of hate crimes at the beginning of 2024. However, regretfully, Naveed reported that his requests were dismissed.

In response to the matter, Adams’ spokeswoman, Mamelak, declared around the same time in April that Naveed’s release was due to a decision centered on the significance of the office’s mission. She stressed the need to prioritize reducing hate crimes over personal objectives. This was the reasoning given behind Naveed’s dismissal.

Over half a year from Naveed’s discharge, no one has yet filled his former post. Eunice Lee, who served as Naveed’s assistant and was the only other staff member within the office dealing with hate crimes prevention, also left her position in July. The position remains vacant till this date.

Presently, City Hall is in the midst of integrating a new executive director as a replacement for Naveed into their ranks. However, no specific deadline or timeframe for this hiring has been provided, raising further questions about the department’s direction.