FLUSHING, NY: Before Monday’s sunset, a few dozen Asian Americans dressed in neon vests and jackets combed the streets of this New York City neighborhood.
They were not police officers. They were students, retail workers, and retirees equipped with little more than a cell phone in case they encountered someone harassed or attacked. Its mission: to prevent potential attackers from harming other Asians, either by calling the police for help or intervening.
“It has made me feel sick,” volunteer Wan Chen, 37, said of the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes across the country. “So this is the time we need to talk and do our best to help. If someone tries to do something, maybe they will think twice ”.
Volunteer groups like this have sprung up in the United States and patrol the streets of Asian communities from New York to Oakland, California. They have multiple goals: to escort people concerned about their safety wherever they need to go, check community members, and if necessary, intervene if they see someone harassed.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, cities across the country have seen an increase in hate crimes against Asians. An analysis by researchers at California State University in San Bernardino found that hate crimes targeting Asians in 16 of the largest cities in the United States increased by 149% between 2019 and 2020. During the same period, global reports of hate crimes decreased by 7%, according to researchers. Found.