FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM MARCH 18, 2021 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
NYPD investigating Fresh Meadows spitting incident as hate crime
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e NYPD’s Asian Hate Crimes Task
Force has launched an investigation into a
possible hate crime incident that occurred
in Fresh Meadows on Tuesday, March 9,
aft er an Asian American mother said she
was spit at and called the “Chinese virus”
while holding her 2-year-old baby.
Th e 25-year-old woman told police that
an unidentifi ed man spit in her direction
three times before calling her the derogatory
term on the morning of Tuesday,
March 9, at 186th Street and Peck Avenue
near Kissena Corridor Park.
Police say there were no reported injuries
and that no arrests have been made at
this time. Authorities are currently investigating
the alleged confrontation as an
aggravated assault. Th e unidentifi ed suspect
is described as a man in his 30s who
weighs about 200 pounds and is approximately
5 feet, 5 inches tall.
Th e incident is the latest attack on Asian
Americans in New York City. For the past
year the Asian American Pacifi c Islander
(AAPI) community has felt fearful and
marginalized, according to Sandra Lee,
president and CEO of Korean American
Community Services (KCS) in Bayside.
“To be honest, this has been a problem
for a while that is only now getting attention,”
Lee said. “Th at idea that a young
mother and her baby could be targeted in
our city based on their race horrifi es me.
Th at could easily have been me, a loved
one or any of my community members.”
According to Lee, KCS will continue
to support the community by providing
counseling, senior services and physical
safe spaces, and they’re aware of discussions
about neighborhood watch and
senior accompaniment programs.
“We need to see real steps taken so
that AAPI New Yorkers, particularly our
seniors, feel safe in their own neighborhoods,”
Lee said.
One year ago, Councilman Peter Koo
had issued a statement decrying the use
of the term “Chinese virus” by former
President Donald Trump and other public
offi cials when referring to COVID-19.
According to Koo, the term has been normalized
and weaponized.
“Back then, too many people in positions
of power masked their own racism
and brushed aside the fears of the
Asian community, and yet here we are
one year later suff ering from almost daily
attacks that oft en contain those same racist
words: ‘Chinese virus,’” Koo said.“Our
community will continue to denounce
hate speech and attacks wherever they
arise, and we refuse to accept this as a new
normal. Continued crimes like this show
just how important it is that the Asian
Hate Crime Task Force is fully funded,
and that it remains an integral part of our
city’s police force.”
Congresswoman Grace Meng, who has
been bringing awareness to the issue,
said she was “appalled and furious” to
learn about the disturbing incident that
occurred in her district.
“Th is is the epitome of disgusting
and cowardice behavior,” Meng said.
“Unfortunately, there are no suspects. I’m
urging folks who may have seen what
happened to come forward and talk. We
can only stop such incidents from happening
in the future if we stand together
and condemn anti-Asian hate and sentiment.”
Th e investigation is ongoing.
Four Queens CB chairs take a stand against rise of anti-Asian hate crimes
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Th e chair members of four Queens
community boards are condemning the
violent string of anti-Asian attacks and
discrimination in New York City, especially
in Queens, aft er an elderly Asian
woman was assaulted last month outside
of a Flushing bakery. Th e suspect was
arrested aft er the incident.
Community board chairs Alexa
Weitzman of CB 6, Martha Taylor of CB
8, Betty Bratton of CB 10 and Michael
Budabin of CB 11 issued a joint statement
on Th ursday, March 11, taking a stand
against the rise of anti-Asian hate crimes
in New York City and around the country
since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We feel it is important that we at the
community board level, being the governmental
agency closest to the people,
stand up and say with one voice that we
have opposed this despicable behavior in
the past, we fi ght against it now, and we
will continue to do so as a community of
neighbors forever,” the board members
said in a letter.
Th e board members’ statement comes
following the latest incident that occurred
on Tuesday, March 9, in Fresh Meadows,
where an Asian American reported to
police that an unidentifi ed man spit at her
while she was holding her baby and was
called “Chinese virus.”
While the investigation is still ongoing,
local elected offi cials such as
Congresswoman Grace Meng,
Councilman Peter Koo and Borough
President Donovan Richards called for
unity in order to condemn anti-Asian
hate and sentiment.
In response to the attacks, the board
members said they will not rest until every
resident on each block feels safe in their
homes and on the streets. Th ey are asking
that the city not only be reactive, but proactive
in addressing the problem by allocating
resources and thoughtful coordination
across agencies to ensure that “hate
has no home in America, in New York
City or in the borough of Queens.”
“We look to our leadership at all levels
of government to do more to prevent
these kinds of attacks and discrimination,
and ourselves to do what we can to be the
change we wish to see,” the board members
File photo by Gabriele Holtermann
said. “In the ‘World’s Borough’ of
Queens, we celebrate that we are the most
diverse county on the planet, with over
200 languages spoken here. We want our
neighborhoods to be shining beacons of
diversity, inclusion, and what makes the
United States of America such an incredible
place. Th is is kind of discrimination is
totally unacceptable to us.”
Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Sunnyside residents hold a rally against anti-Asian hate crimes.
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