Elderly Asian Woman Brutally Attacked In New York, NYPD Launches Hate Crime Investigation - Forbes

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Topline

A 65-year old Asian woman was attacked by a man in New York on Monday afternoon while several witnesses seemingly stood by and did not intervene, surveillance footage released by the New York City Police Department has revealed, marking the latest in a growing number of hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

Key Facts

The attack took place at around 11:40 a.m. on Monday on a sidewalk outside a luxury apartment building in Midtown Manhattan, the police said.

The violent incident is being investigated by the NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force, which has sought information from the public to help identify the attacker.

The attacker first kicked the woman in the stomach, knocking her to the ground, and then stomped on her head and upper body several times while yelling anti-Asian statements at her, the police added.

The CCTV video of the attack—taken from inside the apartment—showed one person standing in the lobby who did not intervene and two other men walked into frame and closed the building’s front door while the woman was lying on the ground.

The building’s developer and manager, Brodsky, has since issued a statement on Instagram that it has suspended its staff members who stood by and witnessed the attack and it is working to identify a third-party delivery vendor shown in the footage who also refused to intervene or help the woman.

After the incident, the victim was hospitalized at NYU’s Langone Medical Center with serious injuries and she is now in stable condition, ABC News reported.

Big Number

33. That’s the total number of hate crimes against Asian victims that have taken place in New York since the start of this year, the NYPD said. Last week, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea promised to expand outreach and begin undercover patrols in Asian communities. He warned potential attackers: “The next person you target, whether it’s through speech, menacing activity or anything else, walking along a sidewalk or on a train platform, may be a plainclothes New York City police officer. So think twice.”

Crucial Quote

Reacting to the video of the attack, Rep. Grace Meng (D-N.Y.)—who has been vocal about the growing number of hate incidents against Asian-Americans—tweeted: “We’ve gone from being invisible to being seen as sub-human. We just want to be seen as American like everyone else.”

Key Background

Asian-Americans have faced a growing wave of hate crime since the start of the pandemic last year. Earlier this month, Stop AAPI Hate, a non-profit group, which monitors hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI), said it had received nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents against people of Asian descent in the U.S. in the previous 12 months. President Joe Biden previously also condemned the rise in “vicious” hate crimes against Asian Americans during the pandemic, saying they are “attacked, harassed, blamed and scapegoated,” and adding “It's wrong, it's un-American and it must stop.”

Tangent

K-Pop megastars BTS issued a statement on Monday night, condemning racial violence against Asians saying:“We cannot put into words the pain of becoming the subject of hatred and violence for such a reason.” Highlighting previous instances of discrimination faced by them the group said, “Our own experiences are inconsequential compared to the events that have occurred over the past few weeks. But these experiences were enough to make us feel powerless and chip away our self-esteem.” The statement ended with a call for unity: “But what our voice must convey is clear. We stand against racial discrimination. We condemn violence. You, I and we all have the right to be respected. We will stand together.”