Oriental Network Longitudinal News Reporter Shea River
According to the New York Times, on April 27, local time, New York police charged Powell, a 49-year-old man, with two felonies, one of which was attempted murder, which the police classified as a hate crime against a Chinese immigrant.
The victimized Chinese migrant, Yao Pan Ma, is 61 years old.
(Pictured: Screenshot of the attacker Powell's surveillance video on the left, and photo of Ma Yaopan's injuries after the attack on the right.) Figure/AFP)
At about 8 p.m. local time on April 23, Ma Yaopan was collecting cans at the corner of 125th Street and Third Avenue in Manhattan's East Harlem district of Manhattan, New York, when he was seriously injured by a man dressed in black. A passing bus driver then found Ma Yaopan lying unconscious on the ground and called an ambulance. At present, Ma Yaopan is seriously injured and in critical condition.
According to a video released by the police, Ma Yaopan fell to the ground after being attacked from behind, and the attacker escaped after repeatedly kicking and stomping on his head. Police said Mr. Ma was targeted only because he was Asian.
After a spate of unprovoked attacks on Asians in the United States in recent months, the video sparked a new wave of anger and panic on social media. Last month, shootings at three bathing centers in the Atlanta area killed eight people, six of them Asian women.
New York Mayor Blasio Said Ma's attack was "vicious and heinous." Gov. Cuomo said the news made him "sick", calling the attack "an act of violence stemming from strong prejudices."]
(Photo: Reuters)
Since the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States last year, hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased dramatically. As of Last Sunday, the NYPD had received 66 reports of anti-Asian hate crimes this year, more than double the 28 reported in the whole of last year.
Police said anti-Asian crimes have long been underestimated because of language barriers and distrust of police.
Last month, experts at a congressional hearing on anti-Asian discrimination said overall hate crimes in the U.S. have declined slightly over the past year, but hate crimes against Asians have increased by nearly 150 percent across the united States.
Many Americans blame Asians for the source of COVID-19. Former US President Trump has repeatedly publicly called the new crown a "Chinese virus" in an attempt to incite anti-Asian sentiment among the people.
The sharp increase in attacks is particularly troubling in New York City, where Asians are estimated to make up about 14 percent of the population. New York has long been a hub for Asian immigrants looking for a new life in the United States.
Mr. and Mrs. Ma Yaopan, who moved to New York from Guangdong, China, in 2019, have two adult children.
Mrs. Chen Baozhen, a home care assistant, said her husband, who previously worked as a pastry chef in China, came to the United States and found work at a restaurant in Chinatown. He lost his job due to covid-19. At the time, their apartment in Chinatown was also burned down and the family moved to East Harlem. Ineligible for relief, the husband went out every day to collect bottles and cans of waste to subsidize the family.
"He just wants to help his family," Mr. Chen said in Cantonese, "he has no malice and will not cause trouble for those around him." I was very worried that he wouldn't be able to survive this time. ”