By Louis Chan
AsAmNews National Correspondent
Nine New York City members of Congress on calling on New York Police Department Commissioner William Bratton to investigate an “alarming rise in crimes committed against the Asian American community.”
The letter authored by U.S. Reps. Grace Meng (D-Queens) and Nydia Velazquez (D-Brooklyn/Manhattan/Queens) says the rise in crime against Asian Americans is disproportionate to their rise in the overall population.
“The rise in crime against the Asian American community is very troubling,” said Meng. “We hope that after receiving our letter, the NYPD will determine why this is occurring, and make every effort to combat this disturbing spike in criminal activity.
“All New Yorkers deserve to feel safe,” said Velázquez. “The recent numbers on crime rates in our Asian American communities are troubling and demand action. We expect NYPD to not only examine these trends but propose tangible solutions to address this problem.”
Among the more high profile crimes were an attack on Tony-winning playwright David Henry Hwang who was stabbed unprovoked in the back of his neck Thanksgiving weekend and a series of random attacks against Asian American women last year.
In their letter, the Congresswomen wrote:
“According to the annual ‘Crime and Enforcement Activity in New York City’ report your Department produces, “Asian/Pacific Islander” was the only race/ethnicity category that experienced an increase in the percentage of victims for every type of crime measured between 2008 and 2014, the years for which reports have been made publicly available. Unfortunately, the rise in New York City’s Asian American population does not account for the increasing number of Asian American victims of crime. For example, between 2008 and 2014, Asian Americans went from accounting for 2.1% of the victims of felony sex crimes to 5.5% – the ratio more than doubled, unlike the rise in the Asian American population of the city. Furthermore, the percentage of Hispanic victims fell dramatically while their overall share of the city’s population increased. Clearly, troublesome trends are emerging.
“Frankly, we do not know what the underlying causes of these disturbing trends are. Nor do we necessarily know the solution. What we do ask, however, is that the NYPD prioritize combating the growing trend of Asian American victims of crime, and that you keep us informed of the steps you are taking to counter these trends. Increasing the number of Asian Americans who are uniformed NYPD officers, currently only 6.2% of the force, to align more closely with the city’s 13% Asian American population may be a good first step.”
