SAN FRANCISCO (April 28) — Pandemic-driven and racially-motivated crimes against people of Asian descent in New York City are a thing of the past, Philippine Consul General Senen Mangalile stated, but vigilance has to remain since “hate crimes” still exist.
Mangalile observed that unlike during the pandemic, when Asians, including Filipinos, faced aggression due to the misconception that they were responsible for spreading COVID-19, such incidents are now nonexistent.
He explained on April 26 to journalists participating in the Friends, Partners, Allies Program in a meeting at the Philippine Consulate in New York that economic hardships, compounded by blaming Asians for the virus, likely fueled the initial rise in hate crimes.
“I will say that there is no Asian hate crime prevalence in New York, just hate crimes, and that’s driven by the mental health issues of the perpetrators,” he said. “But everybody has to be aware of their surroundings and take personal precautions as always.”
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, New York City witnessed a significant surge in harassment and violence targeting Asian individuals and communities.
Following Chinese and Koreans, Filipinos were the third most affected group among Asians who experienced hate incidents and crimes in 2021, according to a study by Stop Asian American Pacific Islanders (AAPI).
The 2023 U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report further spotlighted this trend by noting that assaults formally labeled as “Asian hate crimes” in New York increased from 31 in 2020 to 140 in 2021, with 131 of these incidents occurring in New York City.
One notable incident involved a man assaulting a 67-year-old Filipina in broad daylight. Without warning, he kicked her in the stomach, causing her to collapse on the sidewalk.
He proceeded to kick her repeatedly in the head, while shouting obscenities and declaring, “You don’t belong here!”
Although they feel sympathy for the elderly woman, Belinda Thomas and Agnes…
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