The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Video shows attack of Asian American woman in New York
Security, bystanders watch assault without stopping it in midtown.
A vicious attack on an Asian American woman near Times Square is drawing condemnation and raising alarms about the failure of bystanders to intervene amid a rash of anti-asian violence across the U.S.
What happened
A lone assailant was seen on surveillance video Monday kicking the 65-year-old woman in the stomach, knocking her to the ground and stomping on her face, all as police say he shouted anti-asian slurs at her.
The attack happened outside an apartment building two blocks from Times Square, a bustling, heavily policed section of midtown Manhattan.
Two workers inside the building who appeared to be security guards were seen on the surveillance video witnessing the attack but failing to help. Their union said they called for help immediately. The video showed the attacker casually walking away.
Reaction
New York Mayor Bill de Blasio called the video of the attack “absolutely disgusting and outrageous” and said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that witnesses did not intervene. “I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do, you’ve got to help your fellow New Yorker,” de Blasio said Tuesday at his daily news briefing.
Why it matters
The attack comes amid a national spike in anti-asian hate crimes and happened just weeks after a mass shooting in metro Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent. The surge in violence has been linked in part to misplaced blame for the coronavirus and use of terms like “Chinese virus.” The NYPD said there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim so far this year.
What’s next
The NYPD’S Hate Crime Task Force is investigating and has asked anyone with information to contact the department. No arrests have been made. The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries but listed in stable condition Tuesday.