A saddening event is being investigated by New York's Hate Crimes Task Force. An elderly Asian woman was repeatedly assaulted outside a luxury building in what many believe to be a racially motivated hate crime.
What's worse is that the attack happened as people stood by watching.
The Asian American woman was first knocked to the ground. The 65-year-old was then kicked repeatedly.
This happened outside a luxury apartment building in New York City.
While this assault was happening, staff members at the apartment building seemed to stand by, watching. It is evident from the surveillance video that caught the crime that these witnesses did not come to the woman's aid.
Currently, the New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force is looking into the crime. Additionally, the staff members who witnessed the assault have been suspended, according to officials.
The attack happened at around midday in the 300 block of West 43rd Street. According to the police, this is the Hell's Kitchen Manhattan neighborhood.
Later, the police released the video that shows a man kicking the woman in the stomach, making her fall to the ground. After the crippling blow, the man stomped on the woman's head several times.
All the while, the man was making anti-Asian statements.
People Watched As The Assault Happened
Based on the video, at least three people stood by in the apartment lobby, watching as the assault happened. In fact, one of these staff members closed the door as the man walked away from the woman who was still lying on the ground.
In a statement, the police said that the woman suffered serious physical injuries. She was taken by EMS to NYU Langone Hospital and was discharged the following day.
Meanwhile, the man who attacked her is yet to be arrested. Police have released his photos hoping the public will help identify him.
After the vicious attack, Brodsky Organization, which manages the luxury apartments, posted a message on their Instagram account explaining their position on the issue. They said that they condemn "all forms of violence, racism, xenophobia, and violence against the Asian American community."
The company also revealed that the staff who witnessed the attack had been suspended as investigations took place. It was also trying to identify a "third-party delivery vendor present during the incident" to allow for appropriate action to be taken.
Officials were against the attack. Corey Johnson, City Council Speaker, described it on Twitter as "absolutely vile."
He tweeted that the attacks against Asian American New York residents need to end. Johnson also said that hate has no place in the city and that it must always be called out whenever it is witnessed.
Scott Stringer, a mayoral candidate and also the current City Comptroller, said that the assault was "absolutely disgusting."
He went on to say that Asian Americans belong in New York and that they form an important part of the city. Stringer urged everyone to continue speaking out against such incidents to protect Asian Americans and stop the hate against Asians.
According to representative Grace Meng, the video demonstrated a lack of empathy towards Asian Americans. She spearheaded legislation meant to combat hate crimes associated with the Covid-19 pandemic.
She said that Asians had gone from being invisible to being seen as sub-human. Grace continued to say that Asians just want to be seen as American like everyone else.
Unfortunately, this is the second violent attack caught on camera in New York recently. It also represents the latest assault in a wave of crimes against Asian Americans around the country.
According to police statistics, there was a notable increase in anti-Asian hate crimes around the country in 16 major cities across the United States last year.
Apparently, although there was an overall decrease of 7% in the number of hate crimes last year, crimes against Asians increased by almost 150% over the same period. This analysis was done by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at the California State University in San Bernardino.
However, New York had the greatest increase in anti-Asian hate crimes. In 2019, there were three such crimes, but in the year 2020, they increased to 28, which indicates an 833% increase in crimes against Asian Americans in the city.
