8 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 25, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Queens leaders unite after string of hate crimes
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
A score of elected offi cials gathered on
the steps of Queens Borough Hall condemning
the rise in bias crimes, particularly
against the Asian American and
Jewish communities in Queens in recent
weeks and the past year on Monday, Feb.
22.
“To those who look at their neighbors
with anger and resentment and act
on hate: Queens welcomes individuals
of all racial backgrounds, ages, faiths and
gender identities,” said Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards. “If you do
not share our values or our shared future,
you can gladly leave.”
He described hate crimes as a virus that
had been present long before COVID-19.
In 2020, New York City saw 27 reported
hate attacks against members of the Asian
American community. In response, the
NYPD created the Asian Hate Crime Task
Force to investigate.
In the past two weeks alone, a woman
in Astoria was accosted by an individual
spewing anti-Asian slurs. In Flushing,
52-year-old victim Lee-Lee Chin-Yeung
was allegedly shoved to the ground by
47-year-old Patrick Mateo, who allegedly
yelled racial slurs. Chin-Yeung suff ered
a laceration on her forehead and required
stitches.
And in Rego Park, a swastika was painted
outside the Rego Park Jewish Center.
“For even just one of these incidents to
occur here in Queens, the most diverse
county in America is an aff ront to everything
we represent,” Richards said. “But
for three to happen in one week, on top of
everything our borough has been through
over the past year? It’s time to stand and
say enough!”
Jo-Ann Yoo, executive director of the
Asian American Federation, reported that
her organization had received 500 reported
cases of hate incidents
in New York City but
said that the number
is much higher.
“People don’t want to go public; they
don’t want to report. I’ve so many New
Yorkers cry because they are afraid,” she
explained.
Michael Miller, vice president of the
Jewish Community Relations Council of
New York, agreed with the borough president,
comparing hate to a virus. A virus
that is going to continue to destroy and
result in the unspeakable if not addressed.
While he has faith in law enforcement, he
also emphasized that the root causes need
to be addressed.
“We, as civic and community leaders,
need to do more. Children are not born
as haters. If they can be taught to hate,
we need to be there fi rst, to educate, to
model, to accept, to love. We need to tear
down the silos and robustly engage in
coalition building,” Miller said.
NYPD Chief of Detectives Rodney
Harrison made it clear that the NYPD
is committed to investigating every single
hate crime early and identifying the
perpetrators and bringing them to justice.
“Th at’s why we created our hate crimes
task force. We have 25 investigators that
speak 11 diff erent dialects that are willing
to work with all New Yorkers. But we cannot
do it by ourselves,” he said before urging
New Yorkers to come forward if they
have any information.
Queens District
Attorney Melinda
Katz speaks on the
steps of Queens
Borough Hall.
Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards speaks out against hate crimes in Queens on Monday, Feb. 22, 2021.
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