hate crime
New York now requires those convicted of hate crimes to undergo hate crime prevention training
- Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced the signing of two new bills, Assembly Bill A1202 and Assembly Bill A5913A, to address the “rising tide of hate” in New York City on Tuesday.
- The first bill will require New Yorkers convicted of hate crimes to undergo mandatory training and counseling on top of their additional penalties.
- The second bill aims to establish a statewide campaign to promote acceptance, inclusion, tolerance and understanding of diversity undertaken by New York’s Division of Human Rights.
- “No Asian woman of any age coming home from work should ever worry about where they stand on a subway platform,” Hochul said at a press conference. “No young Jewish boy should ever have to look over his shoulder as he is walking into a yeshiva. No trans man or woman should ever have to fear for their safety or their life.”
- Besides the two new bills, Hochul also announced a deadline extension for community-based organizations to apply for New York City’s $50 million Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes Program. The new deadline will be on Feb. 23, 2023.
Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) signed two new bills on Tuesday, including one that requires those convicted of hate crime charges in New York City to undergo hate crime prevention training and counseling.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Hochul’s office explained that the first bill, Assembly Bill A1202, would require New Yorkers convicted of hate crime charges to undergo mandatory training and counseling on top of their sentences.
2 Hawaiian men found guilty of hate crime for attacking white homeowner
- On Nov. 17, a federal jury found Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 32, and Levi Aki, Jr., 33, guilty of a hate crime for attacking Christopher Kunzelman, a white homeowner, in Maui in 2014.
- On Feb. 13, 2014, the defendants barged into Kunzelman’s property to demand he leave. They threatened to tie him up and make him “go missing” if he did not leave the Hawaiian village.
- Kunzelman was beaten in the head with a shovel and kicked in the ribs, causing him to lose consciousness and break two of his ribs.
- Both men have pleaded guilty to the charges in state court.
- They were ordered by the U.S. District Judge J. Michael Seabright to be detained in custody pending their sentencing on March 2, 2023.
Two Native Hawaiian men were found guilty of a hate crime for attacking a white homeowner in 2014 in Maui.
On Nov. 17, a federal jury found Kaulana Alo-Kaonohi, 32, and Levi Aki, Jr., 33, guilty for their “racially motivated attacks” on Christopher Kunzelman when he attempted to move into a home he had purchased in the neighborhood of Kahakuloa.
Manila journalists visiting US to interview hate crime victims become targets of anti-Asian hate
- Visiting journalists from Manila purportedly became the target of anti-Asian hate just days after they interviewed Filipino victims of similar experiences.
- According to one of the journalists, Bernadette E. Tamyo, they became the target of hate speech three times on Wednesday afternoon.
- The first incident occurred when a woman allegedly hurled racial slurs at their group while they were in a subway station.
- A few hours later, her companions reportedly heard a man shout “corona” at them as they passed by his stall on the Brooklyn bridge.
- The journalists then walked to the 9/11 Memorial, where another man allegedly tried approaching one of them before blurting out “F*ck you!”
A group of journalists from Manila visiting Washington, D.C. and New York City allegedly became the target of anti-Asian hate just days after interviewing Filipino victims of similar experiences.
Elmer Cato, the Consul General of the Republic of the Philippines in New York, shared news of the incidents on Twitter on Thursday.
Cincinnati man charged with hate crime for anti-Asian attack on student
- Darrin Johnson, 26, was charged with federal hate crime on Wednesday in connection with an anti-Asian attack against a University of Cincinnati (UC) student on Aug. 17, 2021.
- The incident, which occurred in the 200 block of Calhoun Street within the campus, allegedly saw Johnson punch the male victim on the side of his head, causing him to fall and hit the bumper of a parked car.
- Prior to physically attacking the student, Johnson allegedly threatened his life for “bringing the kung flu here” and told him to “go back to your country.”
- Johnson, who was arrested on Thursday, had just served a year-long sentence at county jail after pleading guilty to the attack in October 2021.
- If convicted of the federal hate crime charge, Johnson could face up to 10 years in jail.
A Cincinnati man has been charged with federal hate crime in connection with an anti-Asian attack against a University of Cincinnati (UC) student last year.
Darrin Johnson, 26, was indicted on Wednesday and arrested on Thursday for the incident that occurred in the 200 block of Calhoun Street — located within the UC campus — on Aug. 17, 2021.
Repeat New York offender who punched elderly Asian woman over 125 times pleads guilty to hate crime
- Tammel Esco, 42, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to first-degree assault as a hate crime in connection with a brutal attack on an elderly Filipino woman in Yonkers, New York, on March 11.
- Esco and the victim reportedly lived in the same apartment building where the incident took place.
- Surveillance video shows Esco punching the victim more than 125 times, stomping on her body seven times and spitting on her.
- Prior to the attack, Esco called the victim an “Asian b*tch.”
- Under his plea agreement, Esco is set to face 17.5 years in state prison, followed by five years of supervised release.
A man accused of violently attacking an elderly Asian woman in Yonkers, New York, in March has pleaded guilty to first-degree assault as a hate crime.
Tammel Esco, 42, was arrested shortly after the incident, which occurred just outside the lobby of the victim’s apartment building at around 6 p.m. on March 11.
Texas woman sued by Indian American over viral racist meltdown
- The incident, which was caught in a now-viral video, occurred in the parking lot of the restaurant Sixty Vines at around 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 24.
- Upton allegedly told the group to “Go back to India” and threatened to “blow your f*cking brains out.”
- Upton was arrested the following day on charges of assault and making terroristic threats. She was ordered to be held on a $10,000 bond.
- The plaintiff, Dr. Bidisha Rudra, is now suing Upton for compensatory and punitive damages over the “traumatic” experience.
- Plano police are investigating the incident as a hate crime.
A woman who was filmed hurling racist remarks at a group of Indian American women outside a restaurant in Plano, Texas, last month is now facing a lawsuit from one of the victims.
The incident, which was caught in a now-viral video, occurred in the parking lot of the restaurant Sixty Vines in the 3700 block of Dallas Parkway at around 8:15 p.m. on Aug. 24.
UC Berkeley assault being investigated as anti-Asian hate crime
- An aggravated assault that allegedly took place near the University of California, Berkeley campus on Monday is being investigated as a possible anti-Asian hate crime by the school’s police department.
- The incident involved an attempt by an unknown assailant to assault an Asian person with several rocks at around 8:45 a.m. at the intersection of Ellsworth Street and Durant Avenue.
- The suspect has not been arrested.
An aggravated assault that allegedly took place near the University of California, Berkeley campus on Monday morning is being investigated as a possible anti-Asian hate crime by the school’s police department.
The incident involved an attempt by an unknown assailant to assault an Asian person with several rocks at around 8:45 a.m. at the intersection of Ellsworth Street and Durant Avenue, according to police.
‘Hate has no place in America’: Biden meets hate crime survivors at White House summit
- President Joe Biden met several hate crime survivors and the relatives of mass shooting victims during the United We Stand Summit at the White House on Thursday.
- Among those invited was Vilma Kari, the 66-year-old victim of a violent attack in New York City on March 29, 2021.
- Kari's daughter, Elizabeth, founded AAP(I belong) following the incident. The nonprofit organization was established as a “place to share stories and words of encouragement from those who have encountered anti-Asian hatred.”
- “As President Biden and his administration are calling for an end to hate fueled violence in our country, they had asked my mom to join a panel to share her story as a survivor and her thoughts of how we can overcome hate,” Elizabeth wrote in AAP(I belong)’s recent Instagram post.
President Joe Biden recently met several hate crime survivors – including Vilma Kari, the 66-year-old victim of a violent incident in New York City – during the United We Stand Summit at the White House on Thursday.
The recent summit was hosted to “counter the corrosive effects of hate-fueled violence on our democracy and public safety” and honor “the resilience of communities who are healing from hateful attacks, including mass shootings, from Oak Creek to Orlando, Charleston, Pittsburgh, El Paso, Atlanta, Buffalo, and beyond,” the White House said.
NYC man charged with hate crimes for headbutting Asian victim because he’s ‘Chinese’
- A man accused of headbutting an Asian man in an unprovoked attack in Queens, New York City, in July has been charged with hate crimes.
- Rudy Coslopez, 41, allegedly approached the 22-year-old victim on Steinway Street near 34th Ave. in Astoria on July 12 at around 8:55 p.m. and headbutted him, chipping the victim’s tooth.
- The attack occurred less than 24 hours after another Asian victim was kicked in the hip and told to “get out of this country” in Chelsea.
- On Tuesday, police announced that he has been charged with assault as a hate crime, aggravated harassment as a hate crime and assault.
A man accused of headbutting an Asian man in an unprovoked attack in Queens, New York City, in July has been charged with hate crimes.
Rudy Coslopez, 41, allegedly approached the 22-year-old victim on Steinway Street near 34th Ave. in Astoria on July 12 at around 8:55 p.m.
Indian American charged with hate crime over racist attack on fellow Indian in California Taco Bell
- On Aug. 21, Krishnan Jayaraman recorded 37-year-old Singh Tejinder subjecting him to a racial tirade at a Taco Bell at Grimmer Boulevard in Fremont, California.
- Tejinder was caught on film spitting on the victim and calling him a “dirty Hindu” and a “disgusting dog.”
- The Fremont Police Department, which was alerted to the incident, conducted an investigation and presented the results to the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for review.
- On Monday, Tejinder was charged with a hate crime in violation of civil rights, assault and disturbing the peace by offensive language. Tejinder, who is currently not in custody, has been placed on probation.
An Indian American man has been charged with a hate crime after subjecting a fellow Indian American to racial abuse, calling him a “dirty Hindu” and a “disgusting dog.”
Krishnan Jayaraman was at a Taco Bell at Grimmer Boulevard in Fremont, California, on Aug. 21 when a 37-year-old man named Singh Tejinder began verbally abusing him.
Elderly Filipino woman ‘punched without provocation’ by female attacker in New York City
- A 74-year-old Filipino woman was “punched without provocation” by an unidentified woman while walking along Madison Avenue near East 52nd Street in New York City at around 11 a.m. on Wednesday.
- Elmer Cato, the Philippine Consulate General in New York, retweeted a video clip of the unprovoked attack which shows the old woman falling to the ground after being hit by the female attacker.
- “Most of the high profile cases of unprovoked assaults against Filipinos in New York City that have been reported or monitored involve elderly women like this,” Cato wrote in his tweet.
- On July 16, a 51-year-old Filipino woman was harassed and verbally assaulted by a homeless woman as she was boarding a train in Queens.
- DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza told reporters that the number of hate crimes against Filipinos has reached 43, most of which occurred in New York City, Manhattan and Queens.
- The Consulate urged the Filipino community in the U.S. to take extra precautions while walking the streets or riding the subways, particularly those visiting New York.
An elderly Filipino woman was assaulted by an unidentified woman in New York City in broad daylight last week in the latest of a number of recent attacks on Filipinos in the United States.
The 74-year-old victim was reportedly walking along Madison Avenue near East 52nd Street at around 11 a.m. when she was “punched without provocation” by the suspect, the Philippine Consulate General in New York said in an advisory.
‘This ain’t India’: Man recorded verbally attacking, spitting on Indian man in a California Taco Bell
- Krishnan Jayaraman was at a Fremont, California, Taco Bell on Grimmer Boulevard when another customer began to verbally attack him on Aug. 21.
- In an 8-minute video recorded by Jayaraman, the man can be heard spewing anti-Hindu speech.
- Jayaraman believes that the attacker is also of Indian descent but aligns with an independence movement in northern India.
- The Fremont Police Department is actively investigating the incident. There are currently no reports if the attacker will face charges.
A Hindu man was verbally attacked in a hate incident by another man at a Taco Bell in Fremont, California.
Krishnan Jayaraman was waiting to pick up his order at a Fremont Taco Bell on Grimmer Boulevard when another customer began to verbally attack him on Aug. 21.
