MANY ATTACKS GO UNREPORTED
Research by the foundation showed that three out of four of those surveyed in New York changed their behaviour last year, out of fear of being targeted in an anti-Asian attack. Almost half of women respondents avoided taking public transport.
The foundation also found that half of the Asian-Americans living in New York City experienced hate crime because of their race or ethnicity in 2023.
These crimes included threats, harassment, verbal abuse or physical attacks, with many incidents going unreported.
These hate crimes prompted some in the city’s Chinatown community to install security cameras to ease safety concerns.
Campaigners said official statistics fail to capture the full range of anti-Asian incidents – either because they’re misclassified, or victims don’t come forward.
In early 2021, several violent attacks on older Asians rocked the state of California. An 84-year-old Thai man died after being shoved to the ground in San Francisco, while another 91-year-old was assaulted and fell face-first onto a pavement.
These unprovoked attacks were caught on video within a span of days and spread widely online.
Later that year, an anti-hate law aiming to prevent violence against Asian-Americans amid the pandemic was passed in the US.
MORE MUST BE DONE
With several high-profile attacks on Asian-American communities in recent years, including the one on Ms Lee, many believe much more must be done to stop Asian hate.
Bystander intervention techniques and better cultural competence among authorities are crucial going forward, said Mr Dax Valdes, a training and facilitation specialist at Right to Be, a global movement to stop harassment.
“Law enforcement is something we think about when we’re asking for help, especially when we’re out in public, but many communities may not feel safer with the presence of law enforcement around, especially with the history of harassment that they have,” Mr Valdes added.
“It could range from someone not feeling comfortable with their level of English proficiency, or perhaps their immigration status or any other number of reasons.”
