Rise in assaults, robberies rattle Asian Americans

Asian Americans are on edge after a recent wave of racist assaults and robberies targeting their communities. More than 3,000 incidents have been reported to a California-based reporting center, since the pandemic began in March 2020. (March 2)

Video Transcript

IONA CHENG: As they approached me, they pulled me to the ground. They punched me. You know, I was resisting with them. I was yelling. I was screaming help and stop. What I had learned the next day, later that evening, they had attacked another Asian-American woman that same night. Asian-American women and elders were being targeted, often for cultural reasons. They're reluctant to speak out, to press charges.

CARL CHAN: Since the pandemic, it got so much worse. And what we're seeing, you know, it's not only increasing of the numbers, but, I guess, the seriousness of the attacks are getting more and more violent. Even though they live inside Chinatown, they are telling me that they afraid to walk on their own streets. And this is very sad.

FRANNIE MOK: We have seen that we Asians are being targeted for robberies and assault. People feeling unsafe coming to Chinatown to shop. We want to make sure that the customers are being protected and they are encouraged to feel safe to come to Chinatown. That's why we started this volunteer group to patrol in [INAUDIBLE] Chinatown.

CYNTHIA CHOI: From first-hand accounts and witness accounts that we have over 3,000 incidents reported on our site. Asians have been scapegoated and blamed for the pandemic. And that's led to the attacks against our community.

IONA CHENG: I understand, as a victim, it is really hard to speak about these crimes. But I feel that it's very important to let others know that this is happening to our community, to speak out against it, to support one another, and to report these crimes from happening.

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