Asian Americans have been verbally, physically attacked during pandemic, study shows
Since coronavirus shutdowns began last March, thousands of Asian Americans have faced racist verbal and physical attacks or have been shunned by others, according to a study released Tuesday.
The study by Stop AAPI Hate documents 3,795 racially motivated attacks against Asian Americans from last March to February, noting that the number is likely a fraction of the attacks that occurred because many were not reported to the group.
Stop AAPI Hate formed last March in response to attacks related to the perception that Asians were responsible for the coronavirus because of its origins in Wuhan, China. The group did not collect data in previous years to show whether attacks against Asians have increased during the pandemic.
About 68% of the anti-Asian attacks documented in the study were verbal harassment, 21% were shunning and 11% were physical assaults.
Another 9% were civil rights violations such as workplace discrimination or being refused service at a business. About 7% of the attacks were online harassment.
Most of the incidents occurred at businesses or on public streets.
"We ask policymakers at the local, state and national level to partner with us on implementing community-based solutions that will help ensure Asian Americans have equal rights and access to opportunities," said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council.
The report includes descriptions of the incidents provided by the victims.
—Los Angeles Times
Impaired driving remains hurdle for legal marijuana in NY as lawmakers near deal
ALBANY, N.Y. — The Legislature is on the precipice of passing a measure legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana in the Empire State, New York State Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said Tuesday.
Lawmakers are likely to reach a consensus and act on a stand-alone bill as soon they address lingering concerns about traffic stops and safety, Stewart-Cousins acknowledged.
“We are extremely close. We have reached a little bit of an impasse right now and it has to do with impaired driving,” the Yonkers Democrat said during a video news conference. “We’re trying to figure a way forward so there can be some understanding of safety.”
At issue is whether to continue to treat driving while impaired by marijuana as a misdemeanor or a traffic infraction.
Earlier in the day, Sandra Doorley, Monroe County District Attorney and president of the state’s district attorneys association, outlined some of the qualms coming from law enforcement.
“The classification of driving under the influence of cannabis as a traffic infraction would send the message to the driving public that driving while impaired is no big deal and will be treated the same as a speeding ticket,” Doorley said. “Further, driving while impaired by marijuana obviously endangers all of our residents and visitors.”
Democrats in both the Senate and Assembly dropped marijuana from their budget proposals this week, an indication that lawmakers are nearing a deal on long-stalled efforts to allow New Yorkers to legally spark up.
—New York Daily News
Guzman receives Senate confirmation to lead SBA
WASHINGTON — The Senate voted 81-17 Tuesday to confirm Isabel Guzman, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Small Business Administration.
As SBA administrator, Guzman will oversee the remaining disbursements from the Paycheck Protection Program, a forgivable loan program that was a lifeline to small businesses hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The Small Business Administration has overseen two pandemic-related programs that will dole out more than $1 trillion to our nation’s small businesses, nonprofits and religious institutions,” Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the floor. The agency will also play a major role as the economy recovers, he said.
“Ms. Guzman could not be more ready. She comes from a family of small-business owners herself. Her dad ran his own veterinary clinic,” he said. “She has just finished a stint as a top official at California’s Office of Business and Economic Development, helping support the fifth largest economy in the world.”
Guzman won support from both Democrats and Republicans throughout the confirmation process, as well as the endorsement of small business groups.
Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer, the highest ranking Republican on the House Small Business Committee, said he looks forward to working with Guzman.
—CQ-Roll Call
Serial stowaway who has sneaked aboard 20 flights arrested again in Chicago
A woman who has sneaked aboard an estimated 20 to 30 flights without a ticket since 2002 was arrested again Tuesday at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
Marilyn Hartman, 69, was detained on the nonsecure side of the airport and did not make it past any checkpoints, WGN-TV reported. Per terms of her release from a previous bust, she was not allowed in the complex.
Hartman, who is so famous for her plane-hopping exploits that she has her own Wikipedia page, was most recently caught in October 2019 after sneaking past checkpoints at O’Hare. At the time, she was on probation from a 2018 conviction.
While Hartman has been busted several times, she’s also avoided detection on many occasions, including on multiple international flights.
Just a day before Tuesday’s arrest, Chicago CBS affiliate WBBM-TV published an interview with Hartman, in which she detailed some of her escapades.
Hartman told WBBM she’s been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but has consistently resisted attempts in court to question her mental health. She’s well known to the security officers at O’Hare and Chicago’s Midway Airport.
Safe to say she’s a flight risk.
—New York Daily News
