Gov. Cuomo Calls for State Probe Into Alleged Gouverneur Hate Crime

By Diane Rutherford

ALBANY, N.Y. - Governor Andrew Cuomo is weighing in on the alleged hate crime on a Gouverneur school bus.

"I am appalled by the reports of the horrendous, 20-minute racist assault on a 10-year-old African American girl in the town of Gouverneur. That this was allegedly perpetrated by her own classmates, on a school bus with an adult monitor present, makes this incident even more shocking and troubling. When we put our children on the bus to school, we are entrusting others with our most precious resource and this was an egregious and inexcusable violation of that trust," Cuomo said in a news release.

The governor went on to say that he's directing the New York State Division of Human Rights to investigate the incident "and, if applicable, to take legal action to the fullest extent of the law against the perpetrators."

Earlier this week, Gouverneur village police charged two girls, ages 10 and 11, with second-degree harassment. The 11 year old was additionally charged with third-degree assault as a hate crime.

Police received a complaint on September 10 from a parent, who reported her 10 year old daughter was on a school bus when she was beaten and subjected to racially motivated language.

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Source: WWNY