Asians slap Andy’s take on Atlanta

Gov. Cuomo’s recent remarks about the deadly rampage in the Atlanta area were callous and counterproductive, 50 Asian-American groups wrote in a scathing letter to the governor.

They were referencing Cuomo’s March 17 comments on the shooting claiming eight lives — six of them, Asian women — in which he said he hopes the killings weren’t a hate crime and repeatedly used the phrase “China virus,” albeit to illustrate the term is inappropriate.

“He missed an opportunity to really address a community that’s struggling and really afraid right now,” said Anita Gundanna, co-executive director of the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families (CACF), which organized the letter.

During his remarks, Cuomo said, “Words matter. ‘China virus, China virus, China virus’ — the number of hate crimes against the Asian community has gone up 150%.

“By the way, we were not attacked by the ‘China virus, China virus, China virus,’” he continued, referencing the hateful term coined by former President Donald Trump. “[In] New York, we were attacked by the European virus. It came from Italy.”

Gundanna said Wednesday leaders should avoid the phrase. “That the governor chose to use phrases that are actually inciting the hate toward Asian-American communities is absolutely disappointing,” she said.

CACF, the Chinese-American Planning Council and other groups called on the governor to take several steps — for one, reversing his opposition to 2019 legislation requiring state agencies to break down health data about Asian-Americans by ethnicity. Supporters say that would help health care providers zero in on specific health problems, noting Asian-Americans are not a monolith.

Also, the groups want millions of dollars to help spread the word on COVID testing, treatment and vaccines, among other steps.

“It should be clear in viewing the video that the governor was referencing Donald Trump’s racist language — as he has dozens of times before — and connecting its negative impact to the unacceptable rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, which he has condemned in the strongest possible terms,” Cuomo spokesman Jack Sterne said in a Wednesday email.

CACF and its allies also took exception with the Cuomo’s decision to refrain from calling the Georgia attacks a hate crime.

It’s “very clear” that the Atlanta slayings were a hate crime, said Gundanna, adding: “Stating that he’s waiting on the facts is really a disappointment and it’s also offensive to our communities.”