By Shirley Ng, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Emotions ran high in New York Chinatown Sunday where some 2,000 protesters gathered to condemn anti-Asian hate.
The crowd was diverse, but mostly Asian Americans. There were seniors, parents and their children with signs. They came together in Columbus Park to mourn the eight victims that were killed in the massacre, and to end racism and violence.
Ben, a White man from Brooklyn joined his Asian wife and son at the rally. When I asked why he and his family were at the rally, Ben began to cry.
“We can’t have this anymore, we can’t have people picking on people because of the color of their skin and especially against the elderly. It’s got to stop. It’s Black people against Asian people, LatinX, anybody, just can’t have it no more.”
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Ben’s wife, Kathy says she tries to be cautious when she goes out and feels safer staying close to home now.
Jane, an Asian American woman from Manhattan felt the need to attend the rally. “I think it’s important to support our brothers and sisters who may be really terrified at this time.”
The Atlanta massacre has left Asian American women undermined and objectified. The suspect blamed the shooting on having a sex addiction, while Captain Jay Baker, the spokesperson of the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, explained that the suspect had a “bad day.” Baker’s insensitive comments angered the Asian American community and his social media post with anti-Asian sentiments in 2020 caused him to be removed from the case. Many have called for his firing.
Anita, an Asian American woman attended the rally to both show support and “feel support.” When asked about the Atlanta massacre not being labeled a hate crime, she said, “It was not a valid reason for what he did and for them to just dismiss it as not a race issue, it hurt.”
The constant attacks on Asian Americans in many cities has left communities shaken and the vulnerable fearful, leading to many rallies in several cities. In NYC’s Chinatown, a suspect punched an Asian man in an unprovoked attacked after parking his car on Friday. In the same week, an Asian woman had racist slurs hurled at her while walking her dog.
Stanley, a 4th grader attended the rally with his father and younger sister. He told me he came to the rally to stop Asian hate. It was his first rally.
When I asked if he was ever bullied for being Asian, he said, “not yet”.
However, Stanley is fully prepared and knows what to do if that ever happens. “My father told me to stand up for myself,” he told AsAmNews.
Aaron of Queens was at the rally because he wanted to set an example to today’s youth. “I believe our youth are going to step up and protect our senior generation. It’s important to set an example.”
Sabrina of Manhattan said she felt “sick” about the long history of anti-Asian rhetoric and wanted to show allyship as a White woman.
“I think we need to as a community in New York City, as one of the most diverse places in the world, we all need to together, and support one another,” she said.
Seniors have been most vulnerable in the rise of anti-Asian hate. A recent attack in Oakland made huge headlines when a Chinese grandmother fought back sending her assailant to the hospital, but she was left with injuries to her two black eyes. Her grandson, John Chen created a Gofundme page to help pay for his grandmother’s medical bills. The fundraiser has received over $870,000 in just three days with the largest donation of $5,000 as of Sunday night. On social media, Chen’s grandmother has become a heroine among the Asian American community.
This week, MSNBC reported that California topped the list with 1,691 reported anti-Asian crimes between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021, while New York had less than a third of that at 517. Although New York is reporting much less than California, the level of anger, frustration and fear is very much the same.
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During the rally, local politicians, community leaders and organizers denounced hate, violence and to stop scapegoating Asians. They called for more government funding to Chinatown’s social services and to put a stop of the world’s largest jail at the cost of $8 million dollars which is slated to be built just yards from the rally. Many feel the new jail would further threaten Chinatown’s livelihood as it is already suffering economically due to xenophobia.
For over a century, Asian Americans have been ignored and underrepresented. However, there is hope that a unified voice of the Asian and Black solidarity from the rallies across the cities will create pressure on the government to stop racism and violence through reform and proposed legislature to bring justice to all.
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