New York officials on Monday announced it was launching a hotline number New Yorkers could call to report hate crimes and bias-based incidents. 

Even during this pandemic, hate crimes are still a pervasive problem in New York.

Recently, there has been a rise in the number of incidents against Asian-Americans, with people being called racial slurs, attacked for wearing a protective masks and even sprayed with chemicals.

“No one should live in fear for their life because of who they are, what they look like, or where they come from," Attorney General Letitia James said. 

Anyone who has experienced any hate crimes or biased-based incidents can call 1-800-771-7755 or email civil.rights@ag.ny.gov.

Law enforcement is ultimately responsible for bringing a person to justice, but the AG's office say that they can still help connect victims to resources, launch civil investigations and help law enforcement. 

"I’m urging all New Yorkers to come together, call virus the coronavirus, and report to the hotline those who would use this uncertain time to make racist, xenophobic or biased attacks,” said Queens Democratic Rep. Grace Meng.