NYPD Investigates Threatening Email Sent To City Councilman

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The NYPD's Hate Crimes Unit is investigating a threatening email that was sent to the majority leader of the New York City Council.

Queens Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer (D-Sunnyside) said he recently sent emails promoting two events that he organized following the President-elect Donald Trump's victory.

One of the events was a community meeting Wednesday that attracted more than 700 people to talk about hatred to immigrants. On Saturday, the councilman is planning a march across the Queensboro Bridge to Trump Tower to protest the rhetoric used during Trump's campaign.

The notices were sent to a list of people who signed up to receive emails from him, and in response Van Bramer told 1010 WINS he "received several incredibly hate-filled emails and letters."

He called police after one email called for him "to be executed because I am a traitor, because I am a gay man," Van Bramer said.

He said he has received other messages from Trump supporters that are "deeply hateful."

"It's not the only one, I had someone on the Facebook page with their name associated with it say that I should be thrown off the Queensboro Bridge during the march," Van Bramer added.

Van Bramer said hatred is on the rise and bigotry has been resurgent since Trump's win.

"The folks who somehow feel that the results of this election have given them license to display their hatred for all to see need to be checked and need to be reminded that that hate was never right, it is still not right, and we're not going to stand for it," Van Bramer said.

Van Bramer said he will not stop fighting for what he believes in.

"No amount of threats or emails or death threats can stop me from being who I am and from doing what I believe is right and that is what I'm going to do," Van Bramer said.