Asian-American Hate Crimes Increase During Global Pandemic

Asian-American hate crimes have risen since the beginning of the global pandemic, causing fewer customers for Asian-run businesses. Hate crimes targeting Asian-Americans have risen 150% over the past year.

According to Stop Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Hate, approximately 2,800 anti-Asian American hate crimes have been committed since the beginning of the Coronavirus.

Reported discrimination incidents include verbal harassment, shunning, physical assault, being coughed and spat on, and workplace discrimination as well as refusal of service.

Bawi Cung and his two sons were nearly stabbed to death last year, 2020, in the beginning of the pandemic. Nearly a year later, their scars are still visible.

Cung was searching for rice in Sam’s Club in Texas when he felt a punch behind his head. Cung was stabbed by a man he did not know, who ended up being 19-year-old Jose Gomez.

Gomez left but later returned to stab Cung’s sons. He wounded Cung’s three year-old son in the back and slashed the six year-old from his right eye to nearly his right ear.

According to the FBI, Gomez’s motive was that he believed that the Myanmar man and his sons were Chinese and were spreading the virus.

Attacks against Asian-Americans were not targeted towards a specific ethnicity. A 91-year-old Chinese man was attacked in Oakland, CA. An 84-year-old Thai grandfather, Vicha Ratanapakdee, was fatally attacked while on his morning walk in San Francisco, CA. A 64-year-old Vietnamese man was assaulted in San Jose, CA.

On Feb. 12, businesses near The Mall in Columbia, MD, were vandalized and broken into. Many businesses are Asian-owned. Cash was taken from some stores, while some were left with damages.

Harassment and assault is targeted towards Asian-Americans nearly everywhere they go. Several Asian home owners say they have been abused with racial slurs and have had rocks thrown at their house.

Although there are many cases of hate crimes towards Asian-Americans, many news media are not spreading and raising awareness.

As time goes on, hate crimes against Asian-Americans are increasing everyday. To help spread awareness, you can support the victims of hate, encourage reporting hate crimes, and speak out against acts of hate and bias.