12 FEBRUARY 3, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
A time to celebrate, not hate
Flushing’s joyous Lunar New Year
parade is set to return on Saturday,
Feb. 5, for the fi rst time since
the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in
2020.
Since the last time this parade was
hosted, the Flushing community — and
Queens’ Asian community as a whole —
has faced diff erent kinds of adversities
during the ongoing pandemic, none
more so than the rash of hate crimes.
Right from the beginning of the
pandemic, the Asian population in
Queens and throughout New York City
were constantly harassed, with many
uninformed citizens blaming them for
bringing COVID-19 to town. Soon, the
fi nger-pointing led to much more.
We have published too many stories
centered around racism and hatred
against our borough’s Asian population
as we try to bring attention to the
alarming increase of anti-Asian hate
crimes in Queens and around New
York City.
But words alone are not enough. We
hear residents and politicians alike
condemn these crimes, but actions
speak louder than words, and we need
EDITORIAL
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SUMMARY:
Police offi cers at JFK International
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from Ireland, aft er the soccer coach
allegedly “pulled down his pants
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Flushing’s Lunar New Year parade is set to return for the fi rst time since 2020 and we encourage Queens
residents to celebrate and support local Asian businesses. Photo by Dean Moses
to take action and work to put an end to
this bigotry.
How can we help put an end to these
types of crimes? By standing together,
supporting each other and condemning
these acts.
We have seen Queens offi cials host
rallies around the borough denouncing
the hate crimes. And those rallies
are necessary and important — but
they are not enough. We need to see
more action at the community level,
and that starts with local community
boards and the residents they serve.
Anyone who is the victim of a hate
crime should report it to authorities.
Far too oft en these crimes are
underreported, and if victims don’t go
to the police, they should feel comfortable
bringing it to the attention of their
local community boards or even their
neighbors, who can join forces and help
bring attention to these incidents, or
even solve a case. Aft er all, who knows
the people in their neighborhoods better
than the person who lives in your
building, or who lives next door?
Only by reporting these crimes
and making them public can we begin
to weed out the “bad eggs” and make
a diff erence. Saying change is necessary
doesn’t make it so; acting on those
words does.
And that brings us to the Lunar
New Year. Let us all work together
and move past this dark time in our
borough’s history. Let us celebrate
with our borough’s Asian population
and usher in an era of unity in the
“World’s Borough.”
According to the Flushing Chamber
of Commerce, the Lunar New Year is
traditionally the most important shopping
season in Flushing, with many
mom-and-pop stores, restaurants
and local businesses relying on the
celebration to boost sales and generate
revenue to survive another year.
So let’s all do our part this Lunar
New Year and show love and support
to a community that can use some.
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