By Shrina Dong '24 and Karen Zheng '24
March 7th, 2020: New York, NY: a 13-year-old boy spat at a 59-year-old Asian man and attacked the man again 3 days later, telling him “to go back to his own country.”
April 3rd, 2020: Seymour, CT: a Chinese food restaurant received racist calls from callers who blamed the owners for Covid and threatened to shoot them.
May 22nd, 2020: San Leandro, CA: a woman posted handwritten fliers on many homes. The fliers read, “In this place, no Asians allowed” on ma
June 17th, 2020- Wyckoff, NJ: a Chinese restaurant was vandalized with graffiti that read, “coronavirus” and “Covid-19.”
Unfortunately, the list of anti-Asian hate crimes seems to be endless; ever since the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown about a year ago, Asians have been attacked left and right, whether through verbal or physical harassment. Anti-Asian American hate crimes, fueled by COVID-19 and racism, are on the rise. Data compiled by California State University’s Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism shows that hate crimes targeting Asian Americans across major cities have spiked by 150% over the previous year. If that triple-digit number didn’t alarm you before, it should now.
In particular, a 36-year-old Asian man was stabbed in an unprovoked attack on the streets of New York City’s Chinatown. The perpetrator, Salman Muflihi, 23, allegedly said, “I didn’t like the way he looked at me” and “I stabbed that guy. If he dies, he dies. I don't give a f--k.” Police say the 36-year-old victim is fighting for his life in critical condition. The victim was last reported to be in a medically induced coma. Police initially indicated that the attack may have been racially motivated after it was revealed that one of Muflihi's previous arrests was for allegedly punching another Asian man, but the Manhattan District Attorney's Office still declined to prosecute the stabbing as a hate crime. When it was declared that Maflihi would not be charged with a hate crime, frustrated Asian Americans rallied outside the Manhattan District Attorney's Office on March 1st to demand that Muflihi’s case be prosecuted as a hate crime.
In another recent case of Asian attacks, eight people were killed at three Atlanta spas, six of whom were Asian women. The suspect, Robert Aaron Long, was arrested on March 16th and told investigators it was not racially motivated. Whether or not the shootings were racially motivated, the Asian community has experienced much trauma and fear. Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum, said, “This is what we feared… If you step back a little bit, pull back the curtains a bit, and really understand the history of how this country has perceived and treated Asian American women, it won’t be a surprise to conclude that there was some racialized motivation behind what happened yesterday.”
It's not a surprise that COVID-19 has led to a rise in hate crimes against Asians, but the ignorant terms that Trump has used in his public speeches to millions of people quickly elevated the number and severity of these cases. He has used terms like “Kung Flu” and “Chinese virus” when addressing Covid-19, publicly declaring it the “Chinese virus” on March 18th, 2020. He later defended his words after many have called it out to be racist, saying, “It comes from China that’s why.” Stop AAPI Hate, an organization that’s been tracking self-reported hostile anti-Asian incidents since late March, noticed that there was a surge in reports after Trump’s racist remarks. Although racial microaggressions like Trump’s may seem subtle and unintentional, they build up and can be extremely harmful to those affected. For example, assigning intelligence to a person based on their race: many Asians have experienced the awkward moments of people asking them for help with math or science homework because of their race. The model minority myth implies that Asians are smarter, wealthier, and more hard-working. Some say, “It’s a ‘positive’ stereotype, I would be proud of it.” However, remarks like these are ignorant. These so-called “positive” stereotypes can be damaging, as they perpetrate limited points of view and make those who don’t “fit into these stereotypes” feel alienated or even inhibit their ability to perform. Studies have shown that the model minority myth affects the mental health of Asian victims as they feel pressured to meet the high expectations that are put on them. It is unfair to invalidate one’s identity based on predetermined biases, and thus, there is no such thing as a “good” stereotype.
We must stand up against the xenophobia and racism towards the Asian community. If you witnessed or experienced any form of a hate crime, verbal or physical, don’t hesitate to report it to authorities. Reporting hate crimes draws attention to flawed hate crime laws. Some other ways you can help the cause include educating yourself and others, spreading awareness on social media platforms, and supporting local Asian businesses. Below is a helpful resource: https://asianresource.indiana.edu/resources/covid--19-ways-to-fight-racism.html
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