What to Know
- In a sign of solidarity with the #StopAsianHate day of action campaign, the Empire State Building will shine its tower lights in gold and black Friday
- According to a new report by Stop AAPI Hate, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150% in 2020. Nearly 4,000 incidents reported in all 50 states, from slurs to physical attacks.
- The virtual day of action comes on the heels of the announcement that the New York Police Department will increase outreach and patrols in Asian communities, including the use of undercover officers, amid a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes.
In a sign of solidarity with the #StopAsianHate day of action campaign, the Empire State Building will shine its tower lights in gold and black Friday
Friday marks a Virtual Day of Action to highlight prejudice and violence towards Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Organizations, companies and individuals are encouraged to post statements of support with the hashtag #StopAsianHate.
Anti-Asian hate crimes have skyrocketed in New York City and throughout the country since the start of the pandemic.
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According to a new report by Stop AAPI Hate, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150% in 2020. Nearly 4,000 incidents reported in all 50 states, from slurs to physical attacks.
The move to light up the world-famous landmark is also in connection with The Partnership for New York City and Congresswomen Grace Meng.
The Partnership for New York City is a nonprofit organization whose members are the city’s pre-eminent business leaders and employers of more than 1.5 million New Yorkers.
The virtual day of action comes on the heels of the announcement that the New York Police Department will increase outreach and patrols in Asian communities, including the use of undercover officers, amid a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes.
The department is sending undercover officers to the city’s Chinatowns and other areas with significant Asian populations in an attempt to prevent and disrupt attacks, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said Thursday at a news conference.
News
The undercover officers are being trained and will be on patrol by the end of the weekend, Chief of Department Rodney Harrison said. He described the complement as a “robust team” but declined to give a specific number of officers, all of whom are of Asian descent.
In a warning to would-be attackers, Shea said: “The next person you target, whether it’s through speech, menacing activity or anything else, walking along a sidewalk or on a train platform, may be a plainclothes New York City police officer. So think twice.”
The NYPD is also adding two detectives to its hate crimes task force, holding community forums in Asian neighborhoods, including Flushing, Queens, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and providing businesses and residents with posters and pamphlets printed in Mandarin, Korean and other languages.
