It’s an ordinary February day in New York City. 61-year-old Noel Quintana boards a train in Brooklyn, heading to the first of his two jobs. Quintana stands in the crowded train car, a tote bag containing his belongings in his hand. A nearby man kicks the tote and Quintana moves it away, but when the man kicks his bag again, he asks, “What’s wrong with you?”
The man lunges at Quintana, who assumes he’s been punched until he puts his hand to his face and sees blood. He notices people’s shock and spots a box cutter in his assailant’s hand. His face slashed and bleeding, Quintana appeals to his fellow subway-goers for help. When nobody moves, he gets off the train and finds a station booth where he is interrogated by police and given medical attention. He ends up with a scar across his face, running from ear to ear. Quintana is from Manila and became an American citizen in 2013. Though he doesn’t want to believe it, Quintana told People magazine that it’s possible his race is the reason he was attacked.
Quintana’s attack reflects the experiences of thousands of Asian-Americans across the US. Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Asian-Americans—elders in particular—have been victims of racially-motivated hate crimes. The Bay Area of California has borne the brunt of these crimes, along with New York. California has the largest Asian-American population in the US, with nearly 6 million Asians living in the state, according to the US Census Bureau.
Though anti-Asian hate crimes have been happening before and throughout the pandemic, they mainly entered the public’s view in January with the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee. The 84-year-old Thai man was taking a walk in Oakland when a man raced across the street and pushed him to the ground, causing fatal injuries.
Days after Ratanapakdee’s attack, a 91-year-old, a 60-year-old, and a 55-year-old were all pushed in Oakland’s Chinatown. The neighborhood, and other Chinatowns across California and the US, have been overwhelmed by an onslaught of robberies and assaults, including an incident where an Asian woman was robbed in an herbal shop. Carl Chan, president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, has stated there have been at least 20 robberies since January 31. Furthermore, in Los Angeles, a 27-year-old Korean-American Air Force veteran was beaten in Koreatown in February. In an interview with NBC, he described being knocked to the ground, beaten, and hearing his attackers shout racial slurs at him.
Other countless incidents floating around news and social media include the verbal harassment of an Uber driver, a shoving that left a 75-year-old brain dead, and death threats shouted at people walking on the street.
Nearly three thousand miles away, Asian-Americans in New York City are facing the same violence. On February 16, a 52-year-old Asian woman was shoved into a metal news rack outside a bakery. As described by NBC, prosecutors say the assailant attacked her after she asked him about the line in front of the bakery. A little over a week later, a 36-year-old man was stabbed in NYC’s Chinatown, ending up with critical injuries. In both cases, the attackers were not charged with hate crimes, leading to a rally outside the District Attorney’s office on March 1. Protesters demanded that the man responsible for the stabbing be charged with a hate crime. However, because such charges require solid, irrefutable proof that the crime was racially motivated, most end up unprosecuted.
Crowds fed up with the violence had previously gathered in rallies at NYC’s Washington Square Park and Foley Square in late February. NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, New York Attorney General Letitia James, Congresswoman Grace Meng, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer were among those who spoke at the Rise Up Against Asian Hate rally in Foley Square, allying themselves with the Asian community.
Asian-American businesses are also facing extra duress and are struggling to keep workers safe. As Chan explained to NPR, the surge of violence in Oakland’s Chinatown has prompted many businesses to close early to protect both customers and employees. Jason Wang, CEO of a small chain of NYC-based restaurants, described having employees hurt on their way to or from work. “We used to be open later but we’re closing early because we want to get our employees home safely,” Wang told the New York Times. “We close at 8:30 now. Not many restaurants close that early in New York City.”
The New York Police Department (NYPD) reported that anti-Asian hate crimes rose 1900 percent in 2020. Before the pandemic, they had been on a steady decline, with 5 reported cases in 2018 and 1 in 2019. Stop AAPI Hate, an organization dedicated to ending hate crimes against Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, released a report entailing 2,808 incidents of harassment and abuse across America between March 19 and December 31.
Leaders in the Asian-American community attribute the pandemic’s dramatic rise in hate crimes to racist remarks made by politicians blaming COVID-19 wholly on China and East Asian people. Manju Kulkarni, the executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council, names former US President Donald Trump specifically, and calls out the hateful sentiment that stemmed from his frequent use of phrases like “kung flu,” “China virus,” and “Wuhan virus” to address COVID-19. “What President Trump did was to foment hate against Asian-American communities and really put people in harm’s way,” Kulkarni told NPR. “We need so much work to be done to undo some of the harm of the prior administration.”
In addition to physical harm, these hate crimes—especially those of verbal harassment—have taken an emotional toll on Asian-Americans. Many report feeling unsafe, saddened, and scared to go outside. A member of Ithaca’s Asian-American community told The Tattler, “I do not feel safe walking on streets even during the day.”
Steps have been taken to support Asian-Americans. In late January, the White House released a memorandum condemning anti-Asian sentiment, and in February, California passed a bill dedicating $1.4 million to tracking and prosecuting anti-Asian hate crimes. NYPD’s Asian Hate Crime Task Force is devoted to fighting hate crimes in the city. Regular citizens are also offering support in other ways, and many have taken to social media to share videos and raise awareness. Jacob Azevedo, an Oakland resident, has also started a volunteer service to accompany elderly residents outside, as well as a GoFundMe to buy personal alarms for elders.
However, activists say more needs to be done to combat the racist and stereotypical messages that are causing these crimes. “I feel disheartened, isolated, and excluded,” added the Ithaca resident. “I love Americans and I hope to be loved back. Now I feel I am too naive to believe that could even happen. … I start to worry about our next generation who has to face hostility because of where their parents come from.”