“I didn’t like the way he looked at me. . . . If he dies, he dies.”
A 36-year-old man was stabbed with an 8-inch knife while walking in New York City’s Chinatown. The victim remains in critical condition. Between March and December last year, the organization Stop Asian American and Pacific Islander Hate recorded nearly 3,000 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide. The NYPD also reported a 1,900% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes last year. The rise in hate crimes targeting Asians has had a profound and chilling impact on Asian communities across the nation. We must come together to stand up to these
hateful acts and fight for the rights of Asian communities in America. In the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

Being Asian in America has long been about belonging to a society that has had a precarious relationship with the faces and names and culture of Asian origin. Asians have historically been dismissed, deprioritized, and excluded from meaningful civil rights discourse in America. From the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II was constitutional to the former President referring to COVID-19 as the “Chinese Virus,” there is a long American history of shaping the perception of Asian Americans as “perpetual foreigners.”  

We will no longer be silent, nor will be succumb to the oppression that is embedded in the “model minority myth.” Join our communities to stand united against racism.

1. We Demand Manhattan DA to pursue investigations with the possibility of bringing
   additional charges of a hate crime: When the motive involves targeting someone because of race, it becomes a hate crime. As such, we call for an immediate and committed investigation. The accused defendant admitted, “I did not like the way [the victim] looked at me.” Failure to diligently investigate evidence of a hate crime charge demonstrates abject apathy and indifference.
2. We Demand Local and State Government to Commit Funds to Asian Community Groups to Combat Anti-Asian Racism: In California, the state government committed $1.4 million to help Asian Americans report hate incidents and track attacks against Asians. The Asian Community, grass roots movements, and community level Institutions should be financially backed to detect, report, and support the needs of individual members. (e.g., Rise Justice Labs ; Stop AAPI Hate ; Minkwon). Increasing policing is not a long term solution.
3. The Public Should Not be Misled by Rhetoric Pitting Minority Communities Against One Another: The battle we must fight is not between victim’s community versus the accused suspect’s community. It is a battle between everyone versus racism. Throughout American history, the foundations of civil rights were solidified and advanced by movements led by many Black community members. We should be aware that framing the issue in a way that pits one minority community against another is counterproductive to our common goal of fighting racism. We should march and protest together in solidarity.
4. Stop the Gaslighting: The model minority myth is a form of unwelcome gaslighting
   rooted in stereotypes. It perpetuates a characterization of Asian Americans as a polite, law-abiding group who should be content with pull-yourselves-up-by-your-bootstraps immigrant striving. Thus, this mentality deters Asians from speaking up, engaging in public discourse, and fighting for Asian rights. The model minority myth is a falsehood conjured for the purpose of oppressing and subduing Asian voices.
5. Eliminate Racism Targeting Asians in our Schools, Cyberspace, Workplace, and Public Places: We demand that the Governor, Mayor, Human Rights Commission/Task Force, Public Advocate, Department of Education, EEOC, Attorney General regularly meet with local community organizations, PTAs, School boards, Workers’ Unions, and advocacy groups. We demand that there be public forums, education and training across sectors to detect instances of harassment, cyberbullying, and bias experienced by Asian Community members, and find ways to support those impacted through economic, legal, and political means.