Five Asian American elderly women have been violently abused and robbed in the Lower East Side for the past few months. Their age ranges from 50 to 71 years old. The issue of hate crimes has been an ongoing issue in this diverse melting pot of culture in the United States. Some minorities even the white majority has been attacked due to their race, color, gender, and or their sexual orientation.
Some residents in the Lower East Side were shocked. Some had no idea that the Lower East side contained this sort of hate crimes violence. Some were never exposed to the violent hate crimes that occurred to the five Asian Americans that were attacked in Baruch Houses.
The Asian American community has been silent till a month ago when one of the Asian American elderly came forth sparking other confronts. This showed how one voice and one push would uncover hidden cases of civil rights violation.
Community activist and City Councilwoman Margret Chin has been urging the community to speak up more. With more cases and vivid descriptions, the Asian American community would break the silent stereotype that was imposed on them. Some Asians dislike getting themselves into police affairs and would do little when faced with attacks and threats. We will not be silent anymore! We will not fight with fists but with words and education.
Some hate crimes happen because of peer pressure, lack of materials and services, economic barrier, but most importantly, the lack of strong leadership to attack the issue of hate crimes correctly. It is easy to say âÂÂdonâÂÂt do thisâ âÂÂdonâÂÂt do thatâ âÂÂitâÂÂs not rightâ or âÂÂleave them, they are a bad influence,â but it is hard for leaders to resolve the issue without understanding their reasons. The questions, why people do certain things, and why do people join certain groups and demand certain things are all questions that gets a strong leader to think about what they have to offer to those individuals to substitute what other âÂÂbadâ sources offer-support system, protection, materials, etc.