Random attacks on ethnic Asians have surged in New York over the past few weeks, raising concerns that racist false flags on social media on the COVID-19 pandemic are fueling some of the violence.
Teen Assaulted in Latest NYC Attack
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is seeking help to identify a man believed to be aged between 30 and 40 years old, who struck an 18-year-old woman with a hard object while she was walking along a street in lower Manhattan.
The NYPD said that there was no exchange of words before the suspect attacked the teenager and grabbed her by the throat. When medics arrived to the scene, the victim reportedly refused medical attention.
Local authorities have since released a surveillance camera screen grabs of the suspect who fled the scene after the attack that took place on March 1.
This is not the first time this month that attacks on Asians took place in New York City.
NYC Attempts to Stop the Hate
Earlier this month, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said that advocacy groups have started discussing recent attacks on the Asian community as the spiking number of hate crimes raised concerns among community leaders and advocates.
The city government launched a social media campaign with the hashtag #StopAsianHate. A new webpage was also launched for reporting hate crimes against Asians.
Head of the NYPD Asian Hate Crime Task Force, deputy inspector Stewart Loo said that the increasing number of reported hate crimes can be attributed to a stronger willingness among younger Asians to report such attacks.
Couple Told to Return to China
Couple Maria Ha and Dan Lee have filed a hate crime report after an unidentified woman reportedly verbally harassed them in Kips Bay during the weekend.
Ha said that the unknown woman approached her closely, unprovoked, and said, "You're from China, aren't you? Go back to China." Ha and Lee are Korean-American.
Local authorities are now investigating the incident. The NYPD said that so far in the year, there have been 29 other anti-Asian crimes. The police also said that crimes against Asians are "underreported."
Malaysian Immigrant Attacked at Subway
Also earlier this month, 56-year-old Teoh Ming Soon was attacked by a yet-to-be-identified suspect whose photo has from surveillance cameras has been released by the NYPD.
In surveillance camera video, the suspect can be seen punching Soon and pushing him to the ground. A helpless Soon is then punched in the eye and elbowed in the mouth multiple times before the suspect fled.
Soon said the attack was quick, but he doesn't know why he was assaulted. "Maybe because I'm Asian," Soon, who migrated to the U.S. from Malaysia around 20 years ago, said.
There have been no arrests so far, but the NYPD is looking at the attack as a potential hate crime.
Grandmother Spit at in White Plains
Just last week, 83-year-old Nancy Toh was spit at and punched in the nose. The elderly woman was knocked unconscious by the attack.
Toh was found by someone lying outside of Nordstrom in White Plains. However, she waited for one day to tell the police, as is common among many Asians who were raised to not speak up.
Local police have since arrested Glenmore Nembherd, a homeless man who has had a history of violence. White Plains Police Department Capt. James Spencer said the attack is one "we won't tolerate."
