Asian Americans in Brooklyn say they are dismayed, but not surprised about the anti-Chinese flyers being plastered in South Brooklyn.
The flyers read “Chinese are destroying Bay Ridge…coronavirus spread by Chinese immigrants.” It blames the Chinese for ruining the housing stock, opening dirty Chinese restaurants and running prostitution from massage parlors.
The flyers read “Chinese are destroying Bay Ridge…coronavirus spread by Chinese immigrants.” It blames the Chinese for ruining the housing stock, opening dirty Chinese restaurants and running prostitution from massage parlors.
“It’s not enough to just remove these postings,” Jade Jiang, a local resident, said to the Brooklyn Reporter. “We can’t just sweep it under the rug and hope people eventually do better. I’ve reached out to the councilman and senator as well. I think it’s a shame that people are more and more brazen with their displays of racist attitudes. With so much going right now, this is the least productive thing someone can do.”
The NYPD Hate Crimes Task Force and the 68th Precinct are now investigating who printed and posted the flyers. The task force was formed in the midst of the pandemic because of the rash of attacks against Asian Americans.
The Council of American-Islamic Relations New York chapter also spoke out.
“Ever since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, CAIR-NY has been appalled by the rampant threats, attacks and racist abuse of Chinese and other East-Asian communities in New York City and nationally,” the group said on Facebook. “These hate incidents have now become commonplace, and we find this intensifying language extremely dangerous. CAIR-NY stands in solidarity with the Asian community and calls for an investigation into the origins of this poster.”
The Council of American-Islamic Relations New York chapter also spoke out.
“Ever since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, CAIR-NY has been appalled by the rampant threats, attacks and racist abuse of Chinese and other East-Asian communities in New York City and nationally,” the group said on Facebook. “These hate incidents have now become commonplace, and we find this intensifying language extremely dangerous. CAIR-NY stands in solidarity with the Asian community and calls for an investigation into the origins of this poster.”
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| New flyers proclaim the neighborhood "does not welcome racists." |
Residents of the neighborhood have torn down the offensive flyers. In response, someone has been posting up a new set of flyers to counter the racist flyers. The new flyers read in all capital letters, "Bay Ridge does not welcome racists" and declares, "We honor all of our community members & love each other. There is no place for hate in the community!"
Asian Americans make up 15 percent of the population of Bay Ridge, according to the 2014-2018 American Community Survey.
Jiang hopes some good comes out of the bad.
“I think it’s more important to have a conversation and learn through our differences,” she said. “More often than not, people learn that we actually have much more in common and find much common ground.”
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