Hundreds rally in Manhattan to condemn
COVID-19 related anti-Asian hate crimes
BY DEAN MOSES
Leading New York elected offi cials,
members of the Asian American
Federation, and a victim of a recent
anti-Asian, hate-fueled assault took a stand
with hundreds of New Yorkers on Saturday,
Feb. 27, against bigotry in the Big Apple.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many
Asian-American citizens and businesses
have been the victims of hate crimes created
by ignorant individuals — from the
defacement of Chinese-owned storefronts
to the physical attacks of Asian individuals.
However, these vindictive attacks have
grown into a rapid spate of violence in recent
weeks, everything from brutal assaults in
Flushing to stabbings in Lower Manhattan.
The Feb. 27 gathering at Foley Square,
only blocks from Chinatown, sought to pose
a united front among Asian New Yorkers,
their elected offi cials and the public against
hate. The participants — Senate Majority
Leader Chuck Schumer, Mayor Bill de Blasio
and Noel Quintana, an individual who
was a victim of a hate-fueled attack — condemned
the rash of crimes and called for
investment in community-based solutions to
put a stop to the xenophobic attacks.
Waving signs reading “I am not the
virus” and “We deserve to be safe,” spectators
raised fi sts and chanted for justice
as state Attorney General Letitia James
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES Noel Quintana is left with a gigantic scar across his face.
addressed the incidents, one occurring
mere blocks from Foley Square a few days
ago. She began her remarks by yelling, “No
hate, no fear, Asians are here to stay!”
James exclaimed that hate will not be
tolerated in a country of immigrants, sharing
that statistics of these hate crimes go
undocumented due to the fear of making
a report. She urged anyone who has been
attacked or faced any sort of racial bias to
come to her offi ce and fi le a report.
Other political speakers were deeply
disturbed and disappointed by the barrage
of hate-fueled crimes plaguing the city.
Queens Congresswoman Grace Meng
shared that hate crimes and openly discriminatory
behavior has been exacerbated
against the Asian/Pacifi c American (APA)
throughout the former presidency.
“The APA community has been fi ghting
two viruses over the last year. One
being the pandemic that people all of the
world are fi ghting, but one even before the
pandemic hit us here in New York. The
pandemic and the virus of discrimination
and bigotry,” Meng said, referring to the
many Asian businesses who suffered even
before the pandemic hit New York City.
She pointedly stated that the Trump
administration fostered bigotry, and that
she would not stop fi ghting against hate.
“We are here to say that we will be invisible
no more! We will speak up,” Meng said
tearfully, adding, “We are American too!”
Quintana recounted his experience from
three weeks prior when he was simply riding
the L train from Brooklyn to Manhattan on
his way to work. It was 8 a.m. that morning,
the usual morning rush hour on a weekday
and even during a pandemic the train was
jam-packed with stragglers. Quintana quietly
stood inside of the train, pressed against the
door with his bag on the fl oor.
A man entered the train at Bedford
Avenue, and stood beside him. After a
short time the man kicked Quintana’s bag
repeatedly.
“He moved toward me and slashed my
face. I thought I was punched on the face,
but when I saw the box cutter holding
on his hand, and the reaction of other
people on the train I knew I was slashed,”
Quintana said, bravely looking out into the
crowd. “I called for help, but nobody came
for help. There were a lot of New Yorkers
there and I never knew that nobody would
help me in this kind of instance. I hope that
there should be an awareness of ordinary
people especially riding the subway of how
to respond and how to help a victim like
me,” Quintana said.
Remains of New Yorkers found in Washington
Square Park reinterned on park grounds
BY EMILY DAVENPORT
The remains of early New
Yorkers that were buried
in and around what is now
Washington Square Park were
laid to rest in a new home.
The remains were found during
construction in and around
Washington Square Park between
2008 and 2017. The human remains
were placed in a wooden
box and reinterned in the park.
Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn
volunteered their services for
the excavation that was overseen
by NYC Landmarks Preservation
Commission’s Director of
Archaeology.
“Making sure that those who
have gone before us are remembered
with dignity and respect is
a critical part of Green-Wood’s
mission,” Richard J. Moylan,
President of The Green-Wood
Cemetery, said. “We are honored
to provide our expertise on such
an important historical project.”
“Today we honor these individuals
and acknowledge Washington
Square Park’s history as a
fi nal resting place for thousands
of early New Yorkers,” saidNYC
PHOTO BY DANIEL AVILA/NYC PARKS
Parks Commissioner Mitchell J.
Silver, FAICP. “We are so grateful
to our colleagues at Green-Wood
Cemetery and the Landmarks
Preservation Commission for
their expertise and guidance on
this important project.”
Washington Square Park was
constructed on the site of the
city’s former potters fi eld in the
1850s. Between 1797 and 1825,
thousands of New Yorkers,
including the unidentifi ed, the
indigent, and those who died of
yellow fever, were buried there
— several church burial grounds
were also located in the northeast
portion of the fi eld.
Remains that were found in
disturbed contexts were removed
for reinterment at a later date.
Because the remains were fragmentary,
a forensic analysis did
not yield extensive details about
the individuals.
“LPC was pleased to work
with NYC Parks to help with
the process of excavating and
reinterring the human remains,”
saidLandmarks Preservation
Commission Chair Sarah Carroll.
“We are grateful to NYC Parks
for ensuring that archaeology was
appropriately completed, and the
human remains were respectfully
treated throughout the process.”
“The land that we now call
Washington Square Park has served
thousands of New Yorkers in various
capacities over the generations,”
said Sheryl Woodruff, Washington
Square Park Conservancy Deputy
Director. “It is important to remember
and respect the history of this
space and the people that were laid
to rest here. We are heartened to
see these individuals returned to
their fi nal resting place. We are
grateful to our colleagues at NYC
Parks, Green-Wood Cemetery
and the Landmarks Preservation
Commission for their careful and
considerate work.”
The human remains were
placed in a wooden box and buried
fi ve feet below grade within a
planting bed in the park. The former
gravesite is marked with an
engraved paver near the Sullivan
Street and Washington Square
Park South entrance.
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