A Grand Island man was charged with a hate crime after attacking a woman in a bar. Erie County District Attorney John J. Flynn announced that the 46-year-old man was arraigned on the evening of Thursday, April 21, 2022, before Grand Island Town Court Justice Mark S. Nemeth. Charles A. Vacanti is facing one count of Assault in the Second Degree as a Hate Crime and one count of Criminal Possession of a Weapon in the Fourth Degree.

On Saturday, March 19, 2022, at approximately 4:00 am, Vacanti got into a physical fight with a female victim at a bar on Ferry Road in Grand Island. During the assault, he allegedly hurled a racial slur toward the woman. He also allegedly used a pool cue to strike the woman in the face, injuring her. The victim suffered from pain and swelling in her face and required stitches for a cut to her lip.

Vacanti, who was released on his own recognizance, is due back in court on Wednesday, May 4, 2022, at 5:15 pm. A temporary order of protection was issued against Vacanti requiring him to stay away from and have no contact with the victim.

Here's a breakdown of the races of the perpetrators of hate crimes in New York State,

White - 104 (47.7%)
Black - 61 (28.0%)
Hispanic - 34 (15.6%)
Asian/Pacific Islander - 5 (2.3%)

These are the top four motives of hate crimes in the state,

4. Anti-Gender - 7 (3.1%)
3. Anti-LGBTQ - 43 incidents (19.3%)
2. Anti-Religion - 54 incidents (24.2%)
1. Anti-Race/Ethnicity/National Origin - 118 incidents (52.9%)

Black and Jewish people, as well as members of the LGBTQ community, are most frequently the targets of hate crimes,

• Anti-Black bias accounted for 59.2 percent (128 of 216) of the incidents involving anti-race/ethnicity/national origin bias and 26.2 percent (128 of 488) of all reported hate crimes.
• In the anti-religion bias category, antiJewish crimes accounted for the overwhelming majority of incidents: 88.3 percent (182 of 206).
• Anti-Jewish crimes accounted for 37.3 percent (182 of 488) of all hate crime incidents.
• Anti-LGBTQ bias accounted for 11.5 percent of all reported hate crimes (56
of 488).

9 New York State Counties With The Most Hate Crimes

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Gallery Credit: Yasmin Young

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