Source: China Overseas Chinese Network WeChat public account
China Overseas Chinese Network On January 22, 2016 Title: The death of a Chinese woman in New York at a subway station has aroused concern, how to avoid tragedy?
According to the US Chinese Network, Simon Martial, suspect in the New York subway push case, was ordered to be detained on Wednesday (January 19) without bail.
On January 15, local time, a 40-year-old Chinese woman, Michelle Aylssa Go, was violently pushed off the tracks by 61-year-old man Simon Martial while waiting for a train at the Times Square subway platform in New York, causing her to be hit by a train and rolled to death. It is understood that Martial does not have any occupation, has been wandering near the subway station all year round, and has many criminal records.
New York Police Deputy Commissioner Wilcox noted that Martial had also targeted another female passenger on the platform during his nine minutes at the station. However, the woman escaped from him, but a few seconds later Martial attacked the second passenger. New York Police Chief Hughell called it an unprovoked attack and a "senseless act of violence."
The New York Subway Push Case Is Not Unique The security problem is a cause for concern
It is understood that this is the second pushing incident that has occurred on the same platform of the Times Square subway station in more than two months. On November 12, 2021, a woman was pushed onto the tracks, and thankfully she was rescued by well-wishers before the train arrived.
According to the New York City Police Department, in 2021, there were 27 subway push cases in New York. In addition, the number of subway crimes in the first week of January this year increased by 81.5% compared to last year. What was originally a public transportation vehicle for the masses has now become a place where crime rates have soared.
According to the New York Times, after the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, a large number of homeless people, including many mentally ill and addicts, have been flooded into New York City subway stations, causing a series of social problems.
In the wake of the accident, New York Mayor Eric Adams said: "A New York resident dying in this way only makes those who don't take the subway more terrified." ”
The derailed woman once helped the homeless defend their rights
Gao Huimin, a Chinese woman who was killed by the nomads pushed off the subway tracks, had spoken out for the rights and interests of the homeless people and served as a volunteer before her death, and when she learned of her unfortunate news, neighbors and colleagues mourned her, saying that she was a smart and excellent woman.
According to the Us "World Journal", new York City's homeless problem has been a long-standing problem, in the former Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio (eight years in power, although the number of homeless people in the shelter decreased by 11%, but nearly 4,000 homeless people sleep on the streets every night, of which more than 1,600 are also accompanied by serious mental illness, bringing hidden dangers to the local social security.
Chen Kaiming, a Chinese, said that his old father had been attacked by homeless people on East Broadway in New York for no reason, when the old man was sitting on a bench on the side of the street to rest, but the homeless people on the side suddenly swung fists at his father, hitting the old man with blood all over his face and a fracture under his left eye.
Zhao Sharon, a Chinese in Brooklyn, said that in normal times, commuting to work by subway will be pushed by homeless people and even attacked. At one point, a nomad yelled at her in the carriage, "But I'm very lucky because he only attacked verbally, not with a knife or a broken bottle." ”
The New York Post called on the mayor to cooperate with the state on the 16th to expand the provisions for involuntary treatment for mentally ill patients, the ministry of traffic police to pay close attention to the "emotionally out of control" homeless people in the subway station, and the creation of a social work task force to pay attention to the mental health problems of the homeless.
Advocacy groups call for concern for the safety of Asian-American women
Against the backdrop of rising anti-Asian hate crimes across New York and the United States, the 15-day attack raised concerns about more people. Some Asian-American rights groups said that although it was not investigated as a hate crime, the incident shocked, grieved and panicked the local Asian-American community.
Recently, Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum, said in an interview with the media: "Regardless of whether this case is a hate crime or not, the reality is that whenever you see such an incident, the anxiety of Asian Americans, especially Asian women, will rise." Whatever the relevance, we seem to see ourselves in such a picture. ”
Ms. Song said Asian-American women are particularly vulnerable to such harassment because they are perceived as timid, docile and easier to be "targeted." She said the matter should not be treated as an anomaly, but as a systemic event.
People in New York and San Francisco held memorial ceremonies for Asian victims of the subway
On January 18, local time, hundreds of people of all ethnic groups gathered in Times Square in New York to mourn Michelle Aylssa Go. New York Mayor Adams, Congressman Rep. Meng Zhaowen and many other elected officials delivered speeches to express their condolences and call on New Yorkers to abandon racial prejudice and work together to deal with the dual crises of public security and mental health.
In his eulogy at the scene, Mayor Adams stressed that to solve the current security problems, it is necessary to attach equal importance to law enforcement and mental health services, and at the same time, the estrangement between all classes and ethnic groups in New York City has a long history, and people must strengthen communication and dialogue to eliminate stereotypes and misunderstandings among each other.
In his speech, Congressman Meng Zhaowen said that people gather here today not only to remember her, but more importantly, to seek fairness, justice and answers to many questions with actions. "Over the past year or two, the Asian Pacific-American community has experienced a huge shock, with many people afraid to go out on the streets, to take the subway, or even to go out. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice in all places. ”
Chinese lawmakers in New York have called for the addition of railings on subway platforms to improve commuting safety
In order to improve the safety of subway commuting, Flushing City Councilor Wong Min-yee issued a january 17 article calling for strengthening common-sense infrastructure to upgrade the safety of the subway system, suggesting that the New York City subway could follow the example of Asian countries in adding guardrails to subway platforms.
"We have experienced so much grief this year that it is clear that we have more to do than mourn. Maintaining the status quo does not help New Yorkers, the population is frightened, and the government must take immediate action to alleviate the people's sense of unease. Ms. Wong said they must invest more wisely in a mental health system that often wastes money. They must ensure that the municipal police have sufficient resources to keep the city safe, and they must ensure that the subway stations are staffed.
Ms Wong said there were six police officers inside the subway station when the Asian woman was pushed onto the subway tracks. That's why they're talking about improving security through infrastructure. Many Asian countries have guardrails on their platforms to prevent passengers from accidentally falling off the rail, being pushed into the track or jumping into the track themselves. She believes that this is the time for New York City's subway infrastructure to catch up with the development of the 21st century, and the safety of the people should be a priority.
(Source: China Overseas Chinese Network WeChat public account; ID: qiaowangzhongguo; China News Network, Overseas Network, American Overseas Chinese Newspaper Network, American "World Journal", American Chinese Network, etc.; Author: Wang Chao)