On Saturday afternoon, several hundred people joined New York’s top elected officials and community leaders to speak out against the increase in anti-Asian violence in the city and nationwide. The rally “Rise Up Against Asian Hate” was organized by the AAF (Asian American Federation). The demonstration took place at Foley Square in downtown Manhattan. A 61-year-old Filipino-American Noel Quintana was among the speakers. She was a recent victim whose face was slashed on the subway earlier this month. Quintana said, “I called for help, but nobody came to help. If they took a video of this, the perpetrator would be identified easily”. She urged people to be safe and aware and to record and report incidents. A Democratic Congresswoman Grace Meng (who represents New York’s 6th District) authored a resolution in the House last September to denounce hatred against Asian-Americans.
Meng said, “We need to make sure that we are not fighting racism with more racism. That we are fighting racism with solidarity. That we are not ever, ever pitting one group against the other. It is everyone against racism. We are American, too”. US Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer also criticized former President Donald Trump. He said, “Bigotry against any of us is bigotry against all of us”. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio promised and said, “Anyone who commits an act of hate against the Asian-American community will be found, will be arrested, will be prosecuted”. Attorney General Letitia James urged the community to report incidents to authorities. She said, “Come to my office so that we can do something about it. Come to my office, so that we can go after those individuals who hate us, and shut them down”.
It is noteworthy that the AAF and a larger group of organizations have called for community-based solutions to combat bias incidents and hate crimes against Asian-Americans, including recovery programs, language services, mental health services, and more. A data released by AAF, Stop AAPI Hate, the NYPD, and the NYC Commission on Human Rights. It shows at least 500 Asians in New York were targeted for bias incidents or hate crimes in 2020, ranging from verbal to physical assaults, including acid attacks. The community has suffered a significant rise in unemployment since the pandemic started. Governor Gavin Newsom signed a bill that will devote nearly $1.5 million to tracking anti-Asian hate crimes. At least half of Asian Americans continued to experience cases of direct racism nationwide. Governments have made an effort to stand with the community, passing resolutions at the state, and federal levels.