Anger boils over against New York’s  Mayor de Blasio at vigil against anti-Asian hate

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was surrounded and heckled on Friday night during a vigil held to mourn the victims of the Georgia massage parlor shootings and discourage anti-Asian violence.

The scene came a day after de Blasio had urged people who experienced racist events to report them to the police, even if they didn’t rise to the level of a crime that could be prosecuted.  

It wasn’t clear what people in attendance were demanding of de Blasio, who has spoken out against anti-Asian sentiment and did again at the vigil, which was held at New York’s Union Square Park – the site of large Black Lives Matter protests last summer.  

‘This is a horrifying moment for Asian Americans,’ de Blasio said at the vigil. ‘We need everyone to report everything they see so that we can evaluate it and act on it and stop the perpetrator.’ 

‘What are you going to do about it?’ people yelled at de Blasio on footage posted to social media as he spoke. 

Soon, the mayor was surrounded by around a dozen people and he ducked into a vehicle as his motorcade then sped away from the event. 

Protests, vigils and other events were held across the country Thursday and Friday in the wake of the lone gunman killing six Asian women and two others in Atlanta on Tuesday night.   

De Blasio was asked on Thursday why so few hate crimes charges were successfully prosecuted, and what could be done to protect the city’s ethnic minorities.  

The NYPD revealed that it had recorded has recorded a 1,300 percent increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The force has also stepped up patrols in Asian neighborhoods following the massage parlor murders.   

Last year there were 259 anti-Asian incidents in New York reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a group working with Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders – an eight-fold increase on 2019. 

‘If we get more reporting it will help us to find and stop this,’ said de Blasio. 

‘Even if something is not a criminal case, a perpetrator being confronted by the city, whether it’s NYPD or another agency, and being told that what they’ve done was very hurtful to another person and could, if ever repeated, lead to criminal charges — that’s another important piece of the puzzle. That’s why we need these reports.’

De Blasio emphasized that it was essential that victims come forward, because it could nip problems in the bud.

‘I think it’s a reality we have to overcome, that some people experience something horrible and don’t know where to turn, or aren’t sure if they should report it,’ he said.

‘My message to all New Yorkers is please report what you see.’

The NYPD has already established an Asian Hate Crimes Task Force, which is commanded by an Asian officer and with several officers in the unit speaking a combined nine different languages all in an effort to solve crimes against individuals of Asian descent in New York City. 

New York City’s population is currently 13.95 per cent Asian American

On Friday in the New York park, candles were lit and signs were held that read ‘Stop Killing Us’ and ‘Stop Asian Hate’.

Flowers were laid in front of makeshift memorials, but just as politicians and advocates including Sen. Chuck Schumer and mayoral candidate and former presidential candidate Andrew Yang began to address protesters, suddenly anger turned towards the mayor.      

‘This week has been so hard and upsetting,’ said Jayne Ng, 25, to the New York Post. ‘So I appreciate that there were leaders from the Muslim, Hispanic and Black communities here tonight to speak up and stand by the Asian American community. They came out to say they’re here for us.’ 

‘As an Asian woman I have experienced harassment on the subway. I have been followed on the street by strangers. I have had people shouting at me. I always feel unsafe. I experience harassment. It’s a sad part about being an Asian woman. Hopefully these tragic events can raise more awareness.’

Outside of New York, from Phoenix to Philadelphia, Asian American organizations have held events aimed at showing unity.

Asian Americans United, the Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance and several other partner groups held a vigil in Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood.

‘After the month and year we had, we knew our folks needed the time to come together safely just to grieve and heal and mourn and speak to what´s happening,’ said Mohan Seshadri, Asian Pacific Islander Political Alliance co-executive director.       

Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce CEO Vicente Reid is planning a vigil next week in the Phoenix suburb of Mesa, which has a high concentration of Asian American-owned shops and restaurants. He thinks the slayings have galvanized the local community to go beyond vigils.

‘I think there is this whole outlet of this younger generation who’s passionate and has the energy. They just need someone to step up and lead them,’ Reid said.

For the past several weeks, Asian Americans have questioned how to deal with a recent wave of assaults – many on the elderly – that have coincided with the pandemic. 

The virus was first identified in China, and former President Donald Trump and others have used racial terms to describe it.

Numerous Asian American organizations say Trump’s rhetoric has emboldened people to express anti-Asian or anti-immigrant views.

 Nearly 3,800 incidents have been reported to Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based reporting center for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and its partner groups, since March 2020. 

Nationally, women reported hate crimes 2.3 times more than men.

The anti-hate group said 10% of propaganda descriptions in its inventory contained negative references to immigration, multiculturalism or diversity. The 522 physical flyers, stickers or banners included the use of words such as ‘invasion, deport, disease, illegal, infection and virus,’ the ADL said.

There were also seven propaganda incidents with direct anti-China references to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Asian Americans are thankfully getting support from many non-Asian allies, Mahmood said.

‘The path forward for us is really just standing together and making sure we don´t let these types of tragedies divide our communities.’