MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Consulate General in New York is calling on authorities “to do more” to ensure safety in the Big Apple after more members of the Filipino community were assaulted in the city.
In a Facebook post on Wednesday, Philippine Consul General Elmer Cato said two more Filipinos “have been added to the growing list of victims of the senseless violence that has left many Filipinos in fear.”
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“The incidents in Manhattan bring to seven the number of cases involving members [of] the Filipino Community reported to or monitored by the Philippine Consulate General in New York this year,” Cato said.
A Filipino who was on his way to church on Sunday was assaulted by a homeless man between 8th Avenue and 40th Street. Cato quoted a Twitter post by ABC News correspondent CeFaan Kim, which showed a video of the 73-year-old being pushed to the ground by a man identified as Dominic Staton.
We condemn in the strongest terms the latest attacks against members of the Filipino Community after two more kababayan have been added to the growing list of victims of the senseless violence that has left many Filipinos in fear. @PHinNewYork @AAFederation https://t.co/yFqTOTZDiL
— Elmer G Cato (@elmer_cato) March 30, 2022
Meanwhile, a 53-year-old Filipino was beaten by another homeless individual at a McDonald’s along 7th Avenue near 34th Street on Monday. The man was beaten unconscious and he was robbed of his wallet, a report by the New York Daily News said.
????WANTED????for A ROBBERY at McDonald’s 429 7th ave, #Manhattan @NYPDMTS on 2/28/22 @ 7:42 A.M. The individual punched victim multiple times and forcibly removed the victims property.????Reward up to $3500 Know who he is?????Call 1-800-577-TIPS Calls are CONFIDENTIAL! pic.twitter.com/7cGGM8DQXA
— NYPD Crime Stoppers (@NYPDTips) March 29, 2022
“The assaults, which follow the brutal attack against a 67-year-old Filipino woman in Yonkers, New York, two weeks ago, bring to 34 the number of anti-Asian hate incidents and criminal violence involving Filipinos since last year,” Cato said. The New York City Police Department’s hate crimes dashboard showed that there were a total of 131 incidents with 58 arrests related to anti-Asian confrontations in 2021.
According to a report by the Asian American Federation, the Asian-American population in New York State stood at over 2.17 million in 2020. Asian-Americans were found to account for 10.8% of the state’s total population. Most were residing in New York City, making up for over 1.52 million or 17.3% of the city’s people.
Its 2019 profile of Filipinos in New York City, which was based on the 2011-2015 American Community Survey Selected Population Tables, reveal the city's Filipino alone or in combination population was at 85,065. The city housed 60% of New York State’s Filipino residents.
Filipinos in New York were called on to “be vigilant at all times and to take the necessary precautions, especially when in public.”
“The Consulate again calls on authorities to do more to make sure that New York City is safe again for everyone by removing dangerous individuals, especially those with criminal records, from the streets and addressing concerns related to homelessness and mental health,” Cato said. — Kaycee Valmonte