Spit On, Yelled At, Attacked: Chinese-Americans Fear for Their Safety
"As the coronavirus upends American life, Chinese-Americans face a double threat. Not only are they grappling like everyone else with how to avoid the virus itself, they are also contending with growing racism in the form of verbal and physical attacks. Other Asian-Americans — with families from Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines, Myanmar and other places -- are facing threats, too, lumped together with Chinese-Americans by a bigotry that does not know the difference."
'It's just too much': Asian Americans confront xenophobia, economic devastation and the coronavirus
"What we need to be talking about is how to protect people and neighborhoods from more economic and physical harm. This epidemic threatens and affects all of us in ways we are all still trying to understand, but what's increasingly clear is that the most permanent, drastic effects will be on the most vulnerable among us."
Man Arrested in Coronavirus-Related Attack on Asian Woman
In New York, a man was arrested for robbing an Asian woman inside a Brooklyn train station in a coronavirus-inspired attack. 60-year-old Oswald Jones reportedly yelled "Go back to China" and "You are dirty, get your temperature checked," before he tried to punch the 26-year-old victim, making off with her cellphone at the Fort Hamilton Parkway Station around 11:00pm Thursday. Jones was later apprehended and charged with grand larceny as a hate crime and aggravated harassment.
San Francisco Police say violent crime & property crime is down this month compared to the same time last year (thank the Coronavirus outbreak).
— Dion Lim (@DionLimTV) March 23, 2020
Even so-- this group called the SF Peace ☮️Collective formed to keep their neighborhood, Chinatown safe. #coronavirus #SafetyFirst pic.twitter.com/LJChHfi2Xi
Neighbors Form Peace Group to Keep Chinatown Safe from Crimes
In San Francisco, a group of concerned citizens calling themselves the SF Peace Collective have have joined together to keep Chinatown safe during the coronavirus outbreak. The group patrols the streets and watches for anything out of the ordinary, such as seniors who appear to be in poor health to looters.
#RacismIsAVirus
Celebrities, artists, and community advocates have united around a new social media campaign #RacismIsAVirus to help combat the rising xenophobia and attacks against Asians and Asian Americans amid the global COVID-10 pandemic. The campaign was started among prominent members of the Asian American Broadway community and has been shared by stars such as Hamilton's Marc Dela Cruz, Aladdin's Telly Leung, and Mulan's Tzi Ma.
