“I commend our police department in apprehending and charging one of the criminals in his role with the destruction of the Tulsi Mandir Temple’s Gandhi statue. Attacks like this directed at a specific culture or religion cannot be tolerated and in my opinion are crimes against the entire community. I also thank the Queens DA’s office for treating this as a hate crime. Hopefully we can educate more people on the harm that these hate crimes cause and let criminals know that there are consequences for their actions. We will continue to stand together on the side of peace and love, the foundation for most every religion, to drive out hate.”