A video showing an Asian man in a wheelchair getting verbally harassed and spat on has sparked outrage on social media, with many calling to bring the unseen offender to justice.
The incident, which went viral on Instagram this week, reportedly occurred at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, a short-term rehabilitation and long-term nursing facility in Roosevelt Island, New York.
In the video, the Asian man is seen sitting in his wheelchair in front of an occupied reception desk, while the person behind the camera is heard launching a series of expletives.
“F*ck you, f*ck you too motherf*cker! You p*ssy, Imma knock your a** out,” the unseen man says. “Imma knock you out, p*ssy!”
The Asian man responds angrily and the situation escalates as the unseen man spits on the victim’s face.
The Asian man retaliates by spitting back. The video ends with the unseen man saying “p*ssy.”
It is unclear whether the staff occupying the reception desk intervened.
Social media activist account @jackfroot reported the incident’s location and noted that video was previously shared by another page called @innocuousactivist.
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According to @innocuousactivist, the video was posted by @the.panic.room.
NextShark reviewed the account and was unable to locate the video in its feed.
However, we found alleged reposts from the account that show Asian restaurant staff being asked whether they serve “baby back rats.”
AsAm News reportedly contacted the Coler Specialty Hospital for comment multiple times, but the facility only responded after the news outlet had published an article regarding the incident.
“At NYC Health + Hospitals there is zero tolerance for any bias at any of our facilities. We are looking into this incident,” said Christopher Miller of Coler’s press office, according to AsAm News.
NextShark has reached out to the press office today.
Needless to say, the video has upset many people on Instagram. Some expressed that the offender should be exposed, while others criticized the staff for appearing to ignore the situation.
