Tag: anti-asian hate

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Senate Passes Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Bill 94-1

An 18-year-old man in Jamaica is in critical condition after being ambushed in a fake dating app hookup where he was robbed, had his penis partially severed and set on fire.

Stock photo of a crime scene The U.S. Senate approved today, by a vote of 94-1, a bill that will hopefully help law enforcement address anti-Asian hate crimes which have risen sharply during the COVID pandemic. From Axios:

It’s a rare bipartisan endorsement of a bill by the 50-50 Senate, and comes in the wake of a spike of anti-Asian hate crimes over the last year. Sen. Josh Hawley (Mo.) was lone Republican to vote against the bill.

The bill will train law enforcement to better identify anti-Asian racism and appoint an official in the Justice Department to review and expedite COVID-19-related hate crime reports, among other measures.

Republicans originally balked at the bill when language initially referred to the legislation as “COVID-19 hate crimes.” But an amendment to just “hate crimes” assuaged those conerns.

The bill heads to the House now where it’s expected to pass before heading to President Biden’s desk.

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NYC: Attacker In Anti-Asian Assault Was On Parole For Killing His Mother

Brandon Elliott has been arrested for the violent anti-Asian attack on a 65-year-old woman in Manhattan

Brandon Elliott has been arrested for the violent anti-Asian attack on a 65-year-old woman in Manhattan
Screen capture of Brandon Elliott via surveillance footage
Police have arrested the man seen in a viral video viciously attacking a 65-year-old Asian woman in Manhattan. It turns out he’s on parole after serving 16 years in prison for killing his own mother. From the New York Times:

The man, Brandon Elliot, 38, was living at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan that has been serving as a homeless shelter, the police said. He was charged with felony assault as a hate crime, attempted assault as a hate crime and separate assault and attempted assault charges.

The police said that Mr. Elliot was the man seen on security footage brutally assaulting Vilma Kari, 65, who was walking down a city street on Monday morning.

The video shows the man kicking Ms. Kari in the chest outside a luxury apartment building. After she staggers back and collapses onto the sidewalk, he then kicks her repeatedly in the head. A police official said that he then shouted an obscenity at her and said “You don’t belong here.”

The brutal attack left the woman with a fractured pelvis and several head injuries. According to the Times, Elliott pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2002 for stabbing his mother to death in front of his 5-year-old sister. He was 19-years-old at the time. Anti-Asian violence has risen sharply during the pandemic as some people falsely blame Asian-Americans for spreading the coronavirus.

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Brutal Attack Leaves Asian Woman With Fractured Pelvis

Alleged assailant in anti-Asian hate crime

Alleged assailant in anti-Asian hate crime
Alleged assailant in anti-Asian assault in NYC (via Crimestoppers)
An Asian American woman was violently assaulted on the sidewalks of Manhattan on Monday afternoon as nearby witnesses did nothing to intervene. Surveillance cameras captured the attack on video as a man approached the 65-year-old woman just a few blocks from Times Square as she was making her way to church. In the clip, the man can be seen kicking her in the stomach knocking her to the ground while shouting anti-Asian slurs. According to police reports, he continued punching and stomping her face while saying “(Expletive) you, you don’t belong here.” Witnesses say one man did chase the perpetrator down the street, but the assailant reportedly pulled a knife and he got away.

In the foreground of the video clip, two men who appear to be doormen or security guards inside the lobby of a building clearly see the attack as it’s happening. Only one man moved towards the woman, but it was to close the door and remain uninvolved. Local ABC News affiliate ABC7 reports “the NYPD Asian Hate Crime Task Force said the security guard captured on video closing the door failed to render aid, and the staff in question has been suspended pending further investigation.” New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio also called the security guard’s inaction “absolutely unacceptable.” “I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do, you got to help your fellow New Yorker,” de Blasio said. A spokesman for the security guard’s service union said in a statement the building’s door staff “called for help immediately” and asked the public “to avoid a rush to judgment while the facts are determined.” The victim was taken to a nearby hospital where she was treated for a fractured pelvis and several head injuries, according to ABC7. During an interview with NY1, NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea called the attack “very disturbing.” “It’s really disgusting when you see the video,” he continued. “We are calling on all New Yorkers, anyone with information. We put out a pretty good picture of the individual we want to talk to, that was seen walking away. You try to make sense of it, and you can’t. I don’t know who attacks a 65-year-old woman and leaves her on the street like that.” Anyone with information is asked to call the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477) or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782).
Screen capture of alleged assailant in anti-Asian hate crime
The Police Commissioner also announced that he is upping the number of uniformed officers in predominately Asian neighborhoods. “An attack on one group is an attack on all, and that’s the thing we have to keep enforcing here,” added Shea. “Whether it’s anti-Black, anti-Asian, anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQ, when New Yorkers come together and just say enough is enough, I think we are getting in the right direction.” This new assault occurs amid an increase in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, including the March 16 shootings at three Atlanta-area spas that killed eight people, six of whom were Asian women. A recent report from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, found that in America’s largest 16 cities anti-Asian hate crimes increased 150 percent in 2020.

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News Round-Up: March 25, 2021

Joe Jonas of the Jonas Brothers
Joe Jonas (image via Instagram)
Some news items you might have missed: • Socialite Life: Joe Jonas (above), of the Jonas Brothers, has NOT been a gym slug during the pandemic. All props to him and his many abs on display in this selfie from Instagram. • Edge Media: Police officers in the virulently anti-LGBTQ country of Chechnya arrested 20 relatives of two gay brothers who had fled persecution in the Russian province. • Laughing Squid: The Melodica Bros created this truly beguiling and compelling cover version of the traditionally upbeat anthem “Y.M.C.A” by the Village People. This version features a change from major to minor, a slower tempo, and a quiet performance that included an acoustic guitar and a double bass. I love reinvention when well-done.

• The Advocate: Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed a bill into law today that will bar transgender student athletes from competing under their gender identity. In a statement, Hutchinson said that female athletes “should not have to compete in a sport against a student of the male sex when the sport is designed for women’s competition.” • CNN: The Republican-controlled Georgia legislature quickly passed a sweeping elections law that substantially reduces voter access. The Georgia bill would limit drop boxes, make giving food or drinks to a voter a crime, & grant state officials broad rights, including the ability to replace local election officials. • Variety: Late-night host and comedian Jay Leno has issued an apology for decades of jokes told over his career targeting Asian communities.