The vigilante group the Guardian Angels is taking to the streets of Chinatown to protect Asian Americans from hate crimes related to the coronavirus.
“Some are reacting from taking it out on their fellow neighbors who happen to be Asian American,” Curtis Silwa, founder of the Guardian Angels, said to Current News.
“If anybody’s harassing you, if anybody’s targeting you, anyone’s thinking that you’re wearing a mask, anyone’s thinking that you’re a carrier because you’re wearing a mask, they’ll have to deal with us. We’ll physically intervene” Silwa said to Discovering Eyes.
Reports of hate crimes against Asian Americans in New York began even before the first confirmed case of coronavirus in the state. Last month, a man attacked a woman on a New York subway wearing a facemask. Last week, someone sprayed Febreze on an Asian man on a New York subway. The same week an Assemblywoman fired a staffer after suggesting people stay away from Chinese restaurants and supermarkets.
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