“Good afternoon. Last Friday, the murder of a young man named Mark Carson shocked our city. He was murdered because of his sexual orientation – and only because of his sexual orientation. 

“It was a cold-blooded hate crime that cut short a life full of promise – and brought back awful memories for people who were once afraid to walk down the street with the person that they loved. 

“Thankfully, we have come a long way from those days – but the murder of Mark Carson is a tragic reminder of how far we still have to go.

“In recent weeks, there have been a number of incidents where people were attacked, verbally and physically, because of their sexual orientation. And in just the last 24 hours, the NYPD learned of two other incidents of New Yorkers being attacked violently because of their sexual orientation.

“Both of these incidents took place in Manhattan – and Commissioner Kelly will provide some more details about each.

“Thankfully, in this case nobody was killed – but that doesn’t for a moment make these crimes any less despicable, or any less unacceptable. New York City has zero tolerance for intolerance.

“We are a place that celebrates diversity – a place where people from around the world come to live free of prejudice and persecution. Hate crimes like these are an offence against all we stand for as a city – and we will do everything possible to stop them, whether that hatred is based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or ethnicity.

“That’s why we work hard to protect every community that’s victimized by hate crimes, and that’s why we’ve increased patrols in the areas where hate crimes have occurred, something Commissioner Kelly will discuss.

“The NYPD, however, can only do a certain amount to protect New Yorkers from violence. We’ll do everything that we can and we’ll prosecute, to the fullest extent of the law, anyone who commits hate crimes. But all of us can do our part as well to end hate crimes and spread tolerance: as parents, as teachers, as friends, and as members of the community.

“No person – regardless of what they look like or who they love – should ever walk down the street in fear.

“Now, let me turn over the floor to Commissioner Kelly.”