NYPD boosts presence in Asian nabes
The NYPD is beefing up its presence in Asian-American communities in the wake of a deadly Atlanta shooting spree that targeted Asian massage parlors.
Mayor de Blasio labeled the attacks an act of “domestic terrorism” on Wednesday and said the victims were murdered “simply because of their ethnicity.” “Beyond education and beyond speaking out, we also need to use the strength of the NYPD to protect our Asian-American communities,” de Blasio said. “There is today a major deployment of NYPD counterterrorism forces in communities around the city.”
The suspect in the shootings, Robert Long, has denied having a racial motive for the attacks and blamed an “addiction to sex.”
The 21-year-old son of a youth pastor is accused of shooting and killing eight people at three Atlanta-area massage parlors on Tuesday and told police that the massage parlors were a “temptation he wanted to eliminate.”
De Blasio said the NYPD is now assessing what happened in Atlanta to determine if there’s any indication of an elevated threat in the city.
“I want to assure all New Yorkers — and particularly Asian-American New Yorkers — that we are here for you,” he said.
“The NYPD and all New Yorkers will stand by you in this incredibly difficult moment.” Over the past year, there has been a spike in hate crimes against Asians in the Big Apple, fueled in part by former President Donald Trump’s rhetoric surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Trump on numerous occasions referred to COVID as the “China virus” and “kung flu.” In response to the uptick, the NYPD launched its Asian Hate Crimes Task Force in August as bias attacks spiked during the pandemic.
De Blasio said Wednesday that city officials are “listening to community leaders and community organizations” to gauge additional responses to bias crimes against Asians and that part of that response includes speaking out and educating people. “Some of this is public support for the community,” he said. “Some of this is education, which means putting out the right messages publicly.”