Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on Monday announced an ambitious plan to revamp the office’s Hate Crimes Unit amid a spike in bias attacks against Asian Americans and other groups.

Bragg is seeking $1.6 million from the city to hire new staffers and expand the specialized team, which is currently investigating and prosecuting 88 cases, 27 of which involve crimes against victims of Asian descent.

Hate crimes “tear at the very fabric of society,” Bragg told The Post in a phone interview Monday, noting an uptick in anti-Asian attacks during the pandemic and a wave of anti-Semitic crimes just prior to lockdown. 

“It’s fundamental that we seek to move back better, be together as a cohesive city,” he added. “We can’t be divided.”

The 61 other alleged hate crimes being prosecuted by the Manhattan DA include: 25 anti-LGBTQ hate crime cases; 11 anti-black hate crime cases; 10 anti-Semitic hate crime cases; and six anti-white hate crime cases. 

Among the open cases are unprovoked violent attacks, spitting incidents and anti-Semitic graffiti. One disturbing case from last month involves a homeless man who allegedly battered seven Asian American women during a two-hour rampage in Midtown. 

Bias attacks against Asian Americans have skyrocketed in both New York City and around the country since the beginning of the pandemic. The NYPD reported a 900-percent surge in anti-Asian crimes from three in 2019 to 30 in 2020. 

Hate crimes overall were up 16 percent in March from the same time last year, with attacks against LGBTQ New Yorkers up a whopping 233 percent, according to NYPD data.

Bragg hopes to hire additional staffers to the new and improved Hate Crimes Unit including Mandarin, Cantonese or Korean speakers – outreach he said was critical to building ties in targeted communities and prosecuting hate-crime cases. 

“Many of the communities that are being besieged are historically distant from law enforcement,” Bragg told The Post. 

The DA’s office intends to work with community leaders in neighborhoods such as Chinatown, Washington Heights and Harlem, he added. 

“We can’t solve the case unless we’re aware of it,” Bragg said, adding that outreach is imperative to investigate cases that don’t get media attention.

The push to prioritize hate crime prosecutions will face legal and political hurdles, he said. 

“The statute, unlike almost all other criminal laws, requires proof of motive,” Bragg told The Post. 

His investigators therefore have to do additional steps such as combing through social media to prove a crime is actually driven by bias. 

“That still takes funding and resources,” Bragg said. In addition, getting funding for the unit is critical to employ community outreach officials. 

Bragg is hopeful there’s broad political support on the issue. 

“I know the mayor has spoken prominently about the need to address this issue. I think there’s a strong consensus we need to prioritize it,” he said. 

The team is currently headed by full-time investigative analyst Chief Hannah Yu and Bragg plans to hire two full-time deputy chiefs, multiple specially-trained assistant DAs, as well as analysts, victim services staff members and community partnership coordinators.

The DA’s Office is actively recruiting for the positions of Deputy Chief, AAPI Counselor, and LGBTQIA+ Victim Service Advocate. The other positions will be posted as soon as funding is secured.

The Manhattan DA testified before the City Council in March to plead for the funding. 

“Combating hate crimes is a shared priority for my Office, the New York City Council, and the Mayor’s Office, and I’m hopeful we will receive the funding we need to combat the surge in hate crimes,” he said Monday.