The Guardian
‘Alarming Increase’ of Anti-Asian Violence in the United States Terrifies Community Members
While it is difficult to prove that recent incidents have been fueled by prejudice, activists and community leaders say race has played an important role. People walk in the Chinatown area of New York City on February 5. Photo: Angela Weiss / AFP / Getty Images As an increase in anti-Asian prejudice continues to sweep the United States, politicians and community advocates call for measures to combat a disturbing increase in physical attacks and harassment. During a press conference last week, leading Democratic congressmen condemned the increase and said much of the blame lies with former President Donald Trump’s racist rhetoric about the Chinese and the coronavirus. The Asian-American community has reached a “crisis point,” said Judy Chu, a California congresswoman who chairs the Congressional Asian-Pacific Congress. Community members are “terrified of the alarming increase in anti-Asian American prejudice,” she said. “These attacks are not accidental,” said Chu. “It is clear that January 6 was not the only violence incited by Donald Trump.” Chu’s words come amid a wave of violent incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific islands in the United States. While it is difficult to prove that these violent incidents are purely motivated by intolerance, activists and community leaders, as well as the victims and their families, feel that race has played an important role. Jessica Wong, left, Jenny Chiang, center, and Sheila Vo, all of the Massachusetts Asian American Commission, condemn racism directed at Asian communities during the March 12 pandemic. Photo: Steven Senne / AP Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old Thai woman who lived in San Francisco, died several weeks ago after being thrown to the ground. The victim’s family reportedly told KTVU that she was attacked because of her race and age. “What else could have motivated you?” Ratanapakdee’s son-in-law said about the attacker. Across the bay, a man pushed three people into Oakland’s Chinatown neighborhood. The victims – a 91-year-old man, a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman – were injured, according to CNN. In the Flushing neighborhood of New York City, a 52-year-old Chinese-American woman was attacked in front of a bakery on Tuesday. This woman asked a man in front of her about the line, and he was then “extremely angry, screamed and cursed, used his hand to touch her face and came face to face with her,” prosecutors in court said. The victim’s daughter said on Facebook that he pushed her “so hard that she hit her head on the concrete and passed out on the floor,” according to NBC New York. On the same day, two elderly Asian men were beaten on the subway in separate incidents, the network said. The man accused of involvement in the bakery incident was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment. He was not charged with a hate crime, records indicate. Former President Bill Clinton has also spoken out against increasing reports of anti-Asian attacks. “I am deeply concerned about the increase in hate crimes against Asian Americans,” he said on Twitter. “We must speak out against all kinds of discrimination, reject the ignorant rhetoric that drives this wave of violence and reach out to support our neighbors.” Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition that documents anti-Asian prejudice during the pandemic, said the organization received more than 2,808 “first-hand reports of anti-Asian hatred” from March 19 to December 31. These reports are from 47 states and the District of Columbia. According to data from Stop AAPI Hate, physical attacks accounted for 8.7% of these incidents, while coughing / spitting totaled 6.4%. Verbal harassment constituted 70.9% of these incidents; and leave or avoidance were 21.4%. The numbers of law enforcement agencies are also disturbing. New York police department records also show a worrying increase in anti-Asian hate crimes. In 2020, there were reports of 29 victims in total – with 24 listed as having “coronavirus motivation”. In 2019, there were only reports of three anti-Asian hate crimes recorded by the department. From January 1 to February 17, the most recent data provided by the NYPD, authorities reported that there were two victims of anti-Asian hate crimes. In the same period of 2020, no victims of anti-Asian crimes were registered. Karlin Chan, a Chinatown Block Watch volunteer, patrols the neighborhood in New York City on May 17. Photo: Jeenah Moon / Reuters “No area is really immune. It is urban, rural, ”Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asia Pacific Policy and Planning Council, told the Guardian. “Even when the country was largely housed there, people were facing incidents in supermarkets, pharmacies and retailers.” “These were the only places we were able to go … they had to worry about someone verbally attacking them, physically assaulting them or refusing to serve, as they were just trying to survive,” said Kulkarni. “He worries our elderly and women more. It looks like they’re messing with the elderly, ”said Karlin Chan, a community advocate in Chinatown, Manhattan. “These people are opportunists. They will not choose a fit young man. This concerns the community. Chan said the Manhattan Chinatown community was fortunate to have suffered fewer incidents than Flushing. However, residents were shaken by several incidents last winter, before the pandemic hit New York City. “Just before the blockade, Chinatown was very quiet,” said Chan. “These opportunists, or some racists, harassed people. On the Lower East Side, the streets were very quiet. “In response, Chan formed a watch block that circulates around the neighborhood several times a week,” just to assure neighbors and residents that there are people in the community, and outside the community, who are concerned. ” Chu and other lawmakers who attended the press conference, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, urged Congress to pass legislation that would provide federal subsidies to state and municipal governments to improve reporting of crimes of prejudice and provide better support for victims. Congresswoman Barbara Lee said that everyone should work to “end hatred and violence”. “These tragic attacks are happening in communities across the country,” said Lee. “These attacks are simply unacceptable.”