On Jan. 15, Manhattan resident Michelle Go was pushed in front of an R train as it approached 42nd Street. That tragic Saturday morning she passed away, leaving the Asian American community in grief. 

New York police stated that the murder was committed by a man named Simon Martial. Martial has “a history of mental illness” and may have been homeless. The crime is not being investigated as a hate crime and instead is sparking debates on how to deal with homelessness in New York. Along with other serious topics involving an increase in crime in subway areas and how to properly train police officers to deal with altercations involving mental health victims. 

Given Martial’s mental health history, it is no surprise that the investigation headed in a different direction. But, Go was an Asian woman and it is important to not overlook the increasing amounts of hate crimes against the Asian community occurring in New York. More importantly, there are much-needed interventions to help prevent many other Asian individuals from facing the same fate Go underwent. 

The number of hate crimes against the Asian community has shockingly risen during the pandemic. Several reported cases have sparked fear in the Asian community. A 68-year-old Sri Lankan man was hit in the head and called a racial slur while riding the subway in Lower Manhattan. He was left in critical condition. The same thing occurred with a 66-year-old man who was punched in the face in the lower East Side. 

Several other incidents have been reported. One woman was thrown to the ground in Midtown. Another was hit with a metal pipe. A third woman was punched in the face attending a demonstration in support of Asian American victims, alongside her daughter. The list goes on and on. 

Many have spoken out already in regards to Go’s death. Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum stated, “The frustrating part for me is that people want it to be a single issue. It’s like, ‘Oh, it’s the person that’s broken, not our system.’”

It is clear to see that much-needed intervention against racism and xenophobia must be set in place by legislatures in order to protect the Asian community. Go is not the first victim and sadly will likely not be the last. This issue must be made aware across the country and people need to open their eyes to what is happening right in front of us. So far the police department in New York has created a task force specifically to deal with reported hate crimes. This is a step in the right direction but not enough. More surveillance is needed in subway stations. More laws against hate crimes must be set in place in order to properly prosecute offenders and prevent these crimes from happening. 

If you want to contribute to the cause and help the Asian community, you can do so by supporting the movement at Stop AAPI Hate or Stop Asian Hate.