By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent
The father of a 34-year-old stabbing victim asked the community for help today in paying for his son’s recovery.
The son Chang Lim had hoped to attend the news conference held in Flushing, but organizers at the MinKwon Center said his condition took a turn for the worse and he was unable to make it.
According do a tweet from ABC7 News reporter Cefaan Kim, an unidentified suspect slashed Lim twice across the face while he stood in front of the Flushing Hotel the night of February 27.
“I’m in shock,” said the victim’s father Jae Sup Lim at a news conference this morning.
Hailey Kim, an organizer at MinKwon, said Mr. Lim reached out to the Center for help after the attack.
“What struck me was the pain in his voice as he told me what happened to his son,” said Kim. “They didn’t know it, but I cried hearing Mr. Lim on the phone. Today we have to give voices and words to that pain. Rather than simply lament these attacks after they happen, we must take concrete action.”
Mr. Lim said the attacker cut the left side of his son’s face all the way down to the neck.
He will be requiring plastic surgery and before that, it will be difficult for his son to go back and live his life.”
The MinKwon Center just a month ago had declared Flushing a Hate Free Zone. More than 120 businesses took part, agreeing to post signs declaring the neighborhood as hate-free.
“I”m proud to stand with you to call for an end of violence and almost daily attacks. Our entire community is exhausted, but it is so important that our entire community does not lose its spirit and resolve,” said John Park, executive director at the Center.
Park expressed frustration at the continuing attacks saying it is not just a White supremacy problem, that it is not just a mental health problem, that it is not just a problem of the “China virus,” a derisive term used to blame the Chinese for the pandemic despite evidence that that had lead to a spike in hate crimes against Asian Americans.
“The faces that we see, these are real people. These are not numbers. This is our community attacked. You can’t legislate hate away. You can’t police it away. Something much bigger has to happen. This is unacceptable that a community in NY is being terrorized, said Park.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched by the Center in support of Lim to pay for medical expenses.
“We hope these attacks never happen again. That is my dearest wish,” said Mr. Lim.
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