Queens leaders stand united at Borough Hall to rally
against anti-Asian hate after attack of Lyft driver
Elected officials and community leaders join a press conference outside Queens Borough Hall addressing anti-Asian hate crimes.
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 2-APRIL 8, 2021 15
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
Several Queens elected officials
and community leaders
rallied outside of Queens
Borough Hall on Friday,
March 26, to condemn the
alarming rise in anti-Asian
hate crimes in New York
City and across the United
States following the vicious
attack of a Lyft driver on the
Van Wyck Expressway on
March 16.
Assemblyman David
Weprin opened the press
conference, speaking about
how Queens is the most diverse
borough in New York
City, with over 200 countries
represented in his district
alone. He then spoke about
how Lyft driver Ashish Sapkota
was assaulted by two
passengers in the back of his
vehicle.
Sapkota, who immigrated
to the U.S. from Nepal five
years ago, had only been driving
for the rideshare company
for a month when he picked
up a couple at 59th Avenue
around 7:30 p.m. on March
16, with a final destination of
Jamaica.
Speaking during the
March 26 rally, Sapkota recounted
that the couple began
fighting shortly after entering
his cab. When the male
passenger began beating his
female companion, Sapkota
pulled over on the side of the
Van Wyck Expressway, trying
to call 911 because he was
afraid for the woman’s life.
The male passenger punched
Sapkota several times and
snatched Sapkota’s phone.
Stunned, he drove the couple
to their final destination in
Jamaica.
“If that guy had a gun, my
life would have been gone,
you know,” Sapkota said,
who added that he has been
suffering from nightmares
since the incidents and still
can’t hear in his right ear.
So far, the NYPD is not
treating the case as a hate
crime but said that the motive
was a robbery because
of the cellphone the perpetrator
snatched from the victim
when he tried to call 911.
Weprin noted that he personally
would look into this and
contact the NYPD.
“We are highlighting a
particular hate incident that
occurred not too long ago in
my assembly district,” Weprin
said. “Lyft driver Ashish
Sapkota was the victim
of a cruel crime, which sent
him to Jamaica Hospital.
Mr. Sapkota is a hard-working
member of our community.
No Taxi and Limousine
Commission driver should
have to live in fear that the
next person who enters their
car might attack them. What
happened to Mr. Sapkota is
not an isolated incident.”
“You know, there are
so many incidents that are
clearly hate crimes,” Weprin
added. “People that look different
than other people, especially
here in Queens, are
often targets, so we’d like
them to fully investigate it
as potential hate,” Weprin
said.
Councilman Peter Koo
condemned the heinous attack
on another member of
their community.
“New York City is a city
of immigrants where everyone
of every race, color and
creed should feel welcome
and unafraid to do their job,”
Koo said.
Deputy Borough President
Rhonda Binda shared
that she was heartbroken
and expressed that everyone
was “sick and tired” of getting
together having to condemn
hate crimes against
the AAPI community. Referring
to the attack on Sapkota,
she said, the incident is
“an alarming reminder that
our Asian communities remain
under attack.”
Binda also announced
that the Queens borough
president’s office would
introduce several initiatives
in the coming weeks to
equip communities against
acts of hate and educate
individuals.
“But what I’m asking of
everyone here is to please
record. When you see something,
say something, use
your voice,” Binda urged.
Assemblywoman Jenifer
Rajkumar, the first South
Asian woman elected to a government
office in New York
state, said she is appalled
by the rise in hate crimes
against the AAPI community
across the country and
demanded an end to the violence
by investing in mental
health and education.
“All kids must understand
the history of discrimination
in this country.
We have to understand — in
the late 1800s, United States
Congress had actually
passed a Chinese Exclusion
Act. And there were great
people that stood up against
it,” Rajkumar said. “In 1923,
the Supreme Court ruled
that Indians were not white
and cannot be U.S. citizens.
We have overcome this discrimination.
But we must
learn about it, so you know
where we’ve been and where
we have to go.”
A GoFundMe page has
been set up on Sapkota, who
supports his wife and 5-yearold
son who still live in
Nepal.
Councilman Peter Koo and Assemblyman David Weprin speak
outside Queens Borough Hall on March 26.
Deputy Borough President Rhonda Binda speaks during the rally.
/QNS.COM
