In light of the recent subway attacks on Asian Americans, a group of protestors used a subway ride to educate their fellow New Yorkers about anti-Asian hate.
Concerned AsAm Citizens of NYC (CAACNYC) held its first NYC Subway Ride Protest on Wednesday, April 14th. The protest began around 6 p.m. EST at the Brooklyn Bridge subway station. Approximately 50 protesters were accompanied by the Guardian Angels throughout the event. The protest was also joined by an NYPD escort.
The protest was held in light of recent attacks on Asian Americans at New York City subway stations. Just over a week ago, bystanders stopped a drunk man from pushing an Asian woman onto the subway tracks in Brooklyn.
CAACNYC wants to encourage more bystanders to intervene if they see an Asian person being attacked.
“We are outraged that Asian Americans are being attacked both above and below ground. And to make matters worse, bystanders are watching us get attacked with complete indifference. This is absolutely unacceptable! Asian American are human beings, and we should be treated as such. That is why we are protesting and why we are giving our fellow New Yorkers the push — and the tools — they need to become better upstanders for everyone in our city,” Barbara Yau, who co-founded the group with Shirley L. Ng. and Judy Ng in April 2020, said in a news release.
After a few short speeches from the co-founders, protestors rode the Uptown 6 train to Grand Central Station, carrying signs that read “say something and do something.”
When the train reached Grand Central Station, protestors exited and marched in the streets. They chanted “Stop the violence, stop the hate!” and “See something? Do something!” for several blocks.
Protesters also distributed 200 Upstander Bags containing #StopAsianHate SKYE buttons, stickers and bystander information flyers to commuters and passersby in the street.
The march concluded at the Grand Central Clock Tower. Protestors stopped and loudly “Stop the hate” before returning home.
Yay! Silent no more. Invisible no more. Join me for my story in response to anti-Asian hate April 17th 7:30pm EST online ‘Strong, Sassy, Silent No More: Untold Stories’. Register here or Google above title:
https://www.eventcombo.com/e/untold-stories-the-final-act-42461?fbclid=IwAR2Sp7Eq0Z6BzFYDweA3wRSC1NgtFlu8kOzLcQ_IJTUCj5iyWqrGbROLp7I