Anti-Asian Assault, Harassment In Forest Hills Area: Cops, CBS2

FOREST HILLS/REGO PARK, QUEENS — Two instances of anti-Asian hate — including harassment and assault — happened in Forest Hills and Rego Park last Friday and Saturday, according to the police and news sources.

A woman told CBS2 that an employee at a Forest Hills boutique spoke to her in a racist way on Friday, April 30, and on Saturday, May 1, a group of teens beat up a 15-year-old and called him anti-Asian slurs, said the NYPD.

In the first instance, which was caught on camera, an AAPI woman named Bea Cruz said that an employee at Maiko, a Forest Hills boutique at 7111 Austin Street “blew up at me” when she started asking questions about the store’s pricing and return policies.

“You talk too much. This is not China; this is America,” is what the employee said to her, she told CBS2, adding that he ripped clothing from her hands and “whipped me with the romper he had in his hand.”

The second instance, which occurred the day after, happened near 99th Street and 62nd Drive in Rego Park. Police said that a group of three teens assaulted a teenager, calling him anti-Asian names, and physically assaulting him to the point where EMS took him to the hospital with minor injuries.

As of Monday, all three teens were charged with assault and harassment charges, according to a statement from the NYPD. A police spokesperson also told PIX11 that hate crime charges could be added.

Both of these instances happened just days before hundreds of New Yorkers gathered in the Worlds Borough to rally against anti-Asian hate crimes.

The rally, organized by Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. on Sunday, May 2 at Flushing Town Hall, drew a large crowd, and many local politicians — including U.S. Rep. Grace Meng, who represents Queens' 6th Congressional District of central and northeast Queens, and has been consistently advocating for ways to address the rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans amid the pandemic.

Mayor Bill de Blasio, who was also in attendance, spoke at the rally, saying “if you hate, get the hell out of here because you don’t belong in New York City,” reported CBS2.

When asked about the rally, Cruz told the outlet that seeing the support from elected officials is one reason why she was empowered to speak out about what happened to her in Forest Hills, and she hopes that other AAPI people do too.

“I want our voices to be heard,” she said.