Sunnysiders stand up against anti-Asian hated

Young people demand an end to anti-Asian violence. Photo by Jeff Simmons

By David Brand

Queens residents took a stand against anti-Asian hate crimes and abuse during a rally at Bliss Plaza in Sunnyside Saturday.

Dozens of people attended the event to speak out against the spike in hate crimes against Asians in New York City and nationwide. The rally was organized by city council candidates Julie Won and Steven Ragga, who are both running to replace Jimmy Van Bramer in Council District 26.

“Are we going to allow our Asian brothers and sisters to be afraid and not protected? Van Bramer asked. 

“We have so much power, so much organizing going on, we must respond forcefully to these acts of hatred and violence which are meant to silence, and intimidate and cause fear,” he continued. 

A boy holds a sign condemning anti-Asian hatred. Photo by Walter Karling

Anti-Asian hate crimes surged last year, accounting for 10 percent of all bias crimes in New York City, THE CITY reported last month. The NYPD recorded nine times as many anti-Asian bias crimes in 2020 than in the previous year — 27 last year compared to three in 2019. 

Several recent attacks on Asian residents of Queens, including the brutal shoving of an elderly woman in Flushing in February, have galvanized a movement against anti-Asian hate.