NYPD creates Asian Hate Crimes Task Force after spike in verbal, physical assaults amid pandemic
Category: News & Politics
Via: buzz-of-the-orient • 4 years ago • 10 commentsBy: N'dea Yancey-Bragg USA TODAY
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NYPD creates Asian Hate Crimes Task Force after spike in verbal, physical assaults amid pandemic
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Coronavirus: What's spreading faster than COVID-19?
As coronavirus spreads across the U.S., Asian Americans share how racism and microaggressions have, too. USA TODAY
The New York Police Department announced it has created a task force specifically to deal with a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.
There have been 21 reported anti-Asian hate crimes leading to 17 arrests since March around the time the pandemic intensified in the United States, which Chief of Detectives Rodney Harrison told reporters is higher than normal Tuesday.
"This increase was cultivated due to the anti-Asian rhetoric about the virus that was publicized and individuals began to attack Asian New Yorkers, either verbal attack or physical assault," Harrison said. "We saw a spike in every borough throughout the city."
Harrison said that although the city's Hate Crimes Task Force was investigating the crimes, the specialized team was necessary because victims were sometimes reluctant to follow up with investigators because of language barriers, cultural differences and fear of the police.
Harrison said the task force will be permanent, and similar task forces may be considered.
'We just want to be safe': Hate crimes, harassment of Asian Americans rise amid coronavirus pandemic
Deputy Inspector Stewart Loo proposed the task force be created in May amid the city's biggest spike in hate crimes. Loo said that because the team's 25 Asian American officers speak multiple languages, they will be able to develop a rapport with victims without using a translator.
Loo said police observed a "very disturbing trend" of videos being shared online that show verbal and physical assaults of Asian Americans and "actively searched" for victims who had not reported the crimes.
"This wasn't just a New York City phenomenon; it was worldwide," Loo said. "This hit home for me because I have friends, family who are legitimately afraid to go outside because they fear for their safety."
'They ... think I'm some kind of virus': What it's like to be Asian during the coronavirus pandemic
Hate crimes and discrimination against Asian Americans has been on the rise since COVID-19 began spreading across the country. “Stop AAPI Hate," a website launched on March 19 that includes a harassment, discrimination and violent attacks self-reporting tool , recorded nearly 1,900 incidents of anti-Asian discrimination across the U.S. in mid-May.
That number may be just a fraction of the true total given that fewer than half of the victims of a hate crime ever report it to the police, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
"I'm here to say without question with this task force that we do care, and the NYPD is doing everything they can for the Asian American community," Loo said.
Far more needs to be done to combat the attacks against Asian Americans, address the root causes of racism and mitigate the economic and health disparities in communities of color that have been exacerbated by the pandemic, Jennifer Sun and Thomas Yu, co-executive directors of Asian Americans for Equality, said in a statement.
"We applaud the NYPD for creating this task force and believe it can only help to have officers who speak the language and know our communities dedicated to investigating hate crimes against Asian Americans," the statement read. "At the same time, Asian Americans in New York City and nationwide have now been subjected to months of physical violence and racist tirades."
The Asian American Federation said in a statement to USA TODAY that it welcomed the use of the task force's expertise but also stressed the need to intervene before hate crimes happen.
"We also believe in restorative justice principles," the group said "Which include building community within neighborhoods, getting neighbors to look out for each other, and investing in social safety net programs that deal with the stresses in the community that propel people to lash out at each other."
More: Asian American lawmakers sound the alarm on coronavirus-related discrimination
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The harassment and attacks on Asian Americans are mostly caused by that disgusting piece of shit POTUS Donald Trump and his toady pompous Pompeo, from his xenophobic racist nomenclature "China virus", "Wuhan virus", "Kung Flu", "Chinese Plague". It is well known that using such language incites hatred and decent people with integrity would not use it.
Are you surprised, it's the American way.
Of all the POTUS' during my lifetime, I cannot think of any of them who exposed their racism and xenophobia as openly and obviously as Trump - and have you noticed that his pawns follow suit? Of course if it's so unimportant to them that they break international protocols and even American laws (the Hatch Act) they can be outright criminals and yet there are so many who support him. It DOES make me wonder about the "American Way".
Buzz, you're right, these asian hate crimes are mostly happening in the Trump strongholds of NYC and California where everyone listens closely and takes to heart everything he says.
I don't know where all this stuff about the virus starting in China came about, when all the reporting I've seen proves it started in Iceland./s
I guess if you're not Asian, it's just a big joke. Kavika's right, it's the American way, follow the Pied Piper Trump to hell. I wonder if any of the rats had a brain in their head, or a heart.
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Yes, those NYer's are ardent Trump supporters. They hang on every word he says.
Hate crimes against anyone, is not a joke, but to place it all happening because of Trump when the hot spots for the hate crimes against Asians are areas that would typically vote for Biden. Case in point NYC, the subject of this seed, needing to create a task force in a city that is supposed to be tolerant of everyone, but now looks like they aren't.
We should create a task force in say East Tawas City, MI to to investigate why the only restaurant in the city to be closed is the China Buffet, now it seems permanently, who chased the Chinese family and workers out? That was rhetorical it was the Governor and her mandates.
It is only logical that the most hate crimes against Asians will occur where the most Asians live and work. Although there are bound to be Asians all over the USA, New York City and California are where there are substantial Chinatowns, and most likely where most Asians live. Of course it figures that the most hate crimes against them will be where most Asians are. Not everybody in NYC and California are Democrats.