A woman who was attacked in the Boston subway is speaking out after a group of teens were recorded harassing her with racist language and attempting to block her from leaving the train.
Vivian Dang, 25, told NBC News that she was on the red line at around 10 p.m. last Thursday when the unidentified teens followed her into a train car. A video she took of the incident shows them hurling racial slurs, mocking her in an accent and physically cornering her.
“Can I get some dumplings?” one of the teens can be heard saying with a fake accent. “Can I get some ramen with the egg?”
Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority Transit Police confirmed to NBC News that the investigation is active and declined to comment any further on the incident. But the morning after the attack, police said on social media that they were looking for the teens, who had not only taunted, harassed and threatened passengers, but had also smashed a train window before fleeing.
Video of the incident has since gone viral on TikTok, prompting discussions over public transit safety.
While the train was crowded, Dang said that three women helped her throughout the ordeal. Two of them had encouraged her to sit next to them, while another spoke up for her.
“We did have a moment when I was thanking them for sticking up for me and one of them even gave me a pepper spray because she had extra,” Dang said. “We just had a casual conversation about how she always has these things prepared.”
One of the women also assured her of the severity of the situation and brought the police over to Dang, she said, helping her report the incident.
Since, Dang said she’s been reflecting on their support, emphasizing that she thinks it’s no coincidence that women came to her defense. She said she thinks there’s been a showing of solidarity among women over the public safety threats and harassment that they deal with.
“We’re kind of looking out for each other. It’s always the women,”…
Read the full article here