A 78-year old Asian American man robbed and beaten in New York while collecting cans Sunday is coming forward, reports ABC7 in New York.
The victim, who asked that his name not be used, reluctantly reported the crime to police several days later, only because of the intense pain he still feels days later.
He says he feels bad for the attacker and doesn’t want him to get in trouble. He believes the man only attacked him because he is homeless and needs money and not because the man is racist.
“This is mine, not yours,” the victim says his attacker said to him.
Speaking in Mandarin through a translator, the victim said he wished he could have communicated with his assailant.
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“He says that if you think about it now, if he knew or if he could speak English, he says, you know what if you need money, I’ll give you $5 so you can have something.”
The victim is a recognizable figure in the neighborhood. One business owner says she always sees him around, going about his business and out of his way not to be a bother to anyone.
“He’s always on the corner,” said restaurant owner Helen Nguyen . “We always save our cans for him, and what he does is he’ll grab the bag, he’ll go to the corner, he’ll separate it. Just so that he stays out of everyone’s way. Separate the cans and the garbage if he could, and he’ll just return the bags to you.”
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What an enlightened soul he is. It is what a monk would do.