>>> WELCOME TO METRO FOCUS I'M
JACK FORD.
WE'VE BEEN COVERING ALL ASPECTS
OF THE CORONAVIRUS HERE IN THE
CITY, IN THE KUCOUNTRY AND INDE
THE WORLD.
WE'VE LOOKED AT MEDICAL AND
ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE CRISIS
HOW IT CAN EFFECT US
INDIVIDUALLY, BUSINESSES,
GOVERNMENTAL AGENCIES, WHAT
ABOUT SOCIAL ASPECTS? THERE'S
BEEN VERY UPLIFTING STORIES
WE'VE SEEN ABOUT COMPASSION AND
COOPERATION BUT WE'RE ALSO
HEARING TROUBLING AND EVEN UGLY
STORY S ABOUT HARASSMENT.
INDEED, PHYSICAL ASSAULTS ON
ASIAN-AMERICANS.
WHY IS IT HAPPENING?
WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP IT?
AND WHEN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF US
AS A NATION AND HOW WE DEALT
WITH OUR IMMIGRANTS THAT
CONTRIBUTES TO ALL THIS.
A LOT TO TALK ABOUT.
WE'RE PLEASED TO HAVE JOINING US
NEW YORK ASSEMBLY MEMBER
DISTRICT OF LOWER MANHATTAN.
SHE JOINS US TO EXPLORE HATE ON
THE ONGOING PROJECT OF THE ROOTS
AND RISE OF EXTREMISM OF
ANTI-SEMATISM.
ASSEMBLY MEMBER THANK YOU FOR
HAVING US.
>> THANK YOU FOR COVERING THIS
IMPORTANT TOPIC RIGHT NOW.
>> I WANT TO START OFF, THERE'S
A LOT TO TALK ABOUT, CERTAINLY
WE'LL GET TO CAUSES AND WHAT WE
CAN DO BUT LET'S START FRAMING
THIS CONVERSATION WITH PERSONAL
EXPERIENCES, THINGS YOU HEARD
FROM YOUR OWN CONSTITUENTS AND
THINGS YOU'VE EXPERIENCED AND
BEEN SUBJECTED TO YOURSELF IN
TERMS OF BIAS AND DISCRIMINATION
A RISING FROM THE CORONAVIRUS.
>> SO I WANT TO SAY IT IS NOT
ACTUALLY A RISING FROM THE
CORONAVIRUS, I THINK THAT THERE
IS A LOT OF XENO PHOBIA AND
RACISM THAT WAS FUELED BY A LOT
OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE ARE
SAYING BECAUSE OF THE
CORONAVIRUS.
I WOULDN'T SAY THAT THE VIRUS
ITSELF MAKES PEOPLE RACIST.
WHAT IS HAPPENING IS ACTUALLY,
YOU KNOW, VERY HURTFUL AND VERY,
VERY OBVIOUS AND STARTING TO
BECOME MORE AND MORE VIOLENT
WHICH IS CONCERNING.
THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE
PUNCHED FOR WEARING MASKS,
PEOPLE WERE PUNCHED FOR NOT
WEARING MASKS, PEOPLE WERE
THROWN INTO SUBWAY STATIONS, AND
THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE
SPRAYED WITH CHEMICALS ON BUSSES
AND ON A SUBWAY CAR.
YOU KNOW.
IT'S JUST LIKE, IT'S RIDICULOUS
HOW CERTAIN THINGS HAVE BEEN
MESSAGED AND FRAMED A LOT OF THE
ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT.
I HAVE BEEN GETTING CALLS FROM
PEOPLE SAYING I EAT BATS.
THEY HAD TO LOOK UP IN THE, YOU
KNOW, ASSEMBLY DIRECTORY, TRY TO
FIGURE OUT WHO IS AN
ASIAN-AMERICAN TO MAKE A PHONE
CALL TO.
YOU KNOW.
THAT I FRY UP A DOG AND A CAT IN
MY WOK.
>> I SEEN YOU SAY SOMETHING
INTERESTING, IT ECHO WHAT'S YOU
SAID NOW.
WE HAVE COUPLE EPIDEMICS GOING
ON.
FOR CERTAIN A HEALTH AND MEDICAL
EPI
EPIDEMIC.
YOU CAN ALSO POINT TO THE
EPIDEMIC OF XENOPHOBIA.
TO YOUR POINT THIS HAS BEEN
CREATED BUT ADDED FUEL TO THE
ZEEXENOPHOBIC FIRE.
AS SOMEONE WHO COMES FROM
TAIWAN, AFTER ALL OF THE DECADES
BEING HERE, ASSIMULATED INTO
SUCH AN INTEGRAL PART OF OUR
SOCIETY, WHY DO YOU THINK THAT
STILL EXISTS?
>> I THINK BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE
STEREOTYPES THAT ARE STILL OUT
THERE.
I THINK THERE'S A STEREOTYPE OF
THE MODEL MINORITY MYTH AND SAME
TIME THERE'S A STEREOTYPE THAT
IS ALMOST THE SAME OF THE
PERPETUAL FOREIGNER.
IT'S A CONSTANT OTHERING THAT
HAPPENS, EVEN WITH SO MANY
GENERATIONS OF ASIAN-AMERICANS
HAVING BEEN HERE STARTING FROM
THE RAIL ROADS AND BEYOND THAT.
I THINK THAT IT'S BEEN A VERY
STRANGE PHENOMENON, CYCLE THAT
WE SEE THROUGHOUT HISTORY,
WHETHER IT'S THE CHINESE
EXCLUSION ACT OR JAPANESE
ENTURNMENT, ET CETERA, ET
CETERA.
WHEN I WAS A CHILD
I WENT TO SCHOOL IN EL PASO,
TEXAS, AND I REMEMBER WHEN MY
MOM CHECKED BI LINGUAL BOX, I
WAS PUT INTO SPANISH AND EEK --
ENGLISH BECAUSE THEY HAD NO
CONCEPT OF ANOTHER LANGUAGE
OUTSIDE OF SPANISH AND ENGLISH.
RIGHT.
I ALSO AS A KID I GOT MADE FUN
OF FOR MY FOOD.
I WAS STILL MADE FUN OF FOR JUST
HAVING NOODLES, BY THE WAY,
NOODLES.
I WAS TOLD I WAS EATING WORMS
AND IT WAS JUST BECAUSE I WAS
ASIAN-AMERICAN AND I REMEMBER I
USED TO GO HUNGRY EVERY DAY
BECAUSE I WOULD THROW MY LUNCH
AWAY BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED
BECAUSE I WAS SO SCARED OF MY
OTHER CLASS MATES AND THIS ISN'T
SOMETHING THAT'S NEW, IT'S JUST
THAT PEOPLE USE THIS PANDEMIC
AND USE THE CORONAVIRUS AS AN
EXCUSE AND A FUEL TO THE FLAME.
>> ONE OF THE VERY SAD AND
TRAGIC TRADITIONS, IF YOU WILL,
OF OUR IMMIGRATION
--
PLAYS INTO THAT OTHERNESS THAT
YOU TALKED ABOUT.
THE OTHERNESS THAT IS CERTAINLY
SUPER IMPOSED UPON ALL
IMMIGRANTS COMING IN.
SOME MORE THAN OTHERS GOING TO
THE 1840'S AND 50'S WITH THE
IRISH COMING IN WITH THE CLAIMS
THEY BROUGHT DISEASE AND PLAGUES
AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY,
1900'S THE EASTERN EUROPEANS
WITH THE SAME LABELLING,
BRINGING DISEASE.
YOU TACKED ABOUT THE JAPANESE
INTURMT.
LET'S LOOK AT COMMENTS TODAY
MADE BY THE PRESIDENT AND
MEMBERS OF HIS ADMINISTRATION
LABELLING THIS THE CHINESE
VIRUS.
NOW, THE PRESIDENT RESPONDS TO
THE QUESTION, HE SAID HE MEANS
THAT IN A GEOGRAPHICAL SENSE
BECAUSE IT EMNATED FROM THERE.
HOW DO YOU THINK THAT PLAYS INTO
THIS VERY SAD AND TROUBLING
TRADITION OF THE PAST WITH
ASSOCIATED DISEASE AND
IMMIGRANTS AND WHAT THE IMPACT
HAS BEEN ON WHAT BEER TALKING
ABOUT NOW ATTACKS ON
ASIAN-AMERICANS.
>> I THINK IT VERY MUCH DRIVES
IT, VERY MUCH PERMITS IT.
IT JUSTIFIES.
HE'S USING IT AS JUSTIFICATION.
HE HAS SINCE SENT ANOTHER TWEET
SAYING DOESN'T MEAN TO EFFECT
ASIAN AMERICANS HERE, ONE THING
THAT REALLY HURTS IS BECAUSE OF
THE PERPETUAL FOREIGNER
SYNDROME, WHEN I WALK ON THE
STREET PEOPLE DON'T GO
ASIAN-AMERICAN, IT'S ALWAYS, OH,
SHE'S CHINESE.
I THINK THAT IS WHERE SOME OF
THAT LANGUAGE COMES IN, RIGHT.
THERE'S A LOT OF THE LANGUAGE
THAT PEOPLE ARE NOT TALKING
ABOUT.
WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT
IMMIGRATION.
WHEN HE'S TALKING ABOUT
IMMIG
IMMIGRATION, WHEN HE'S TALKING
ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE ARE MOVING
TOWARDS THE BORDER.
WHATEVER, THE WAY HE'S USING THE
LANGUAGE, INVASION, THESE TERMS
HE USES, IT'S VERY MUCH TRYING
TO KIND OF MESH THOSE TWO THINGS
TOGETHER.
RIGHT.
VERY MUCH TRYING TO MESH THE
WHOLE IMMIGRATION DISCUSSION
WITH DISEASE DISCUSSION WITH
SOME KIND OF TAKE OVER.
SOME KIND OF, YOU KNOW,
CONTAGION, RIGHT.
I THINK IT MAKES IT SO THAT THE
LANGUAGE YOU IS VERY PURPOSEFUL
AND THE MESSAGE IS ALSO VERY
AGGRESSIVELY MESSAGED IN A WAY
THAT MAKES IT SO THAT THERE IS A
DIRECT MENTAL TIE, AND A DIRECT
LANGUAGE TIE TO THESE THINGS,
AND WE'VE SEEN HOW IT'S BEEN
THROUGHOUT HISTORY.
LIKE, WE SAW HITLER DOING IT TO
JEWISH FOLKS.
WE SAW FOLKS WERE DOING IT IN
THE EARLY, LATE 80'S AND EARLY
90'S WHEN IT WAS THE AIDS
EPIDEMIC, RIGHT.
AND WE SAW IT AGAIN WHEN WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT EBOLA ET CETERA.
THERE WAS A HISTORY OF IT.
RIGHT.
PEOPLE USED TO MAKE WAR BASED
OFF HOW THEY NAME ILLNESSES,
SPANISH INFLUENZA.
ET CETERA ET CETERA.
WE'VE SEEN IT.
WE KNOW WHERE IT'S COMING FROM
MENTALLY AND WE KNOW WHAT THE
MESSAGING IS THAT HE WANTS TO
DELIVER AND I THINK THAT SOME OF
THE SENATORS WHO HAVE DONE THE
SAME THING, SOME OF THE
CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS WHO HAVE
DONE THE SAME THING ARE TRYING
TO ACTUALLY JUSTIFY THE RACISM.
>> RIGHT.
LET ME ASK YOU THIS.
YOU MENTIONED SPANISH FLU.
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH IT DIDN'T
BEGIN IN SPAIN, THAT'S A MYTH
AND HAS BEEN PERPETUATED MORE
THAN 100 YEARS.
THAT ASIDE.
AS WE MENTIONED THE PRESIDENT
SAID HE CALLED IT THE CHINESE
FLU BECAUSE A GEOGRAPHICAL
NOMANCLATURE AND HE'S SAID WE
DON'T NEED TO BLAME OUR
ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES.
HE WERE TO ASK YOU FOR ADVICE,
AS TEDDY ROOSEVELT SAID IT IS A
BULLY PULPIT AND WORDS CARRY
ENORMOUS IMPACT.
HE SAID WHAT CAN I DO TO
DIMINISH THESE ASSAULTS ON
ASIAN-AMERICANS WHAT WOULD YOU
SUGGEST HE DO?
>> I WOULD SUGGEST HE NEVER USE
THAT TERMINOLOGY.
AND I WOULD SUGGEST HE STOP
USING THAT TERMINOLOGY.
AND I WOULD SUGGEST THAT HE
ACTUALLY ACTIVELY IS TRYING
TO -- I WOULD SUGGEST HE
APOLOGIZE.
BUT I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE ME.
BECAUSE I ALREADY KNOW WHAT THE
POLITICAL DOWN THE LINE THAT
HE'S THINKING ABOUT RIGHT.
HE WANTS SOMETHING TO BLAME JUST
LIKE MANY OTHER POLITICAL
LEADERS HAVE BEFORE FOR HIS OWN
INABILITY AND HIS NOT SOLVING OF
THIS ISSUE.
WE'VE SEEN, THERE HAS BEEN
MEDIA, JOURNALISM THAT HAS
ALREADY COVERED ALL OF THE
THINGS HE SAID, IT'S NOT AN
ISSUE, GOING TO BE FINE, IT'S
GOING TO BLOW OVER, BLAH BLAH
BLAH.
AND THEN IT JUST CAME OUT OF
NOWHERE.
I THINK THERE'S BEEN A
MISHANDLING ON THE FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT SIDE OF THINGS AND
HE'S AFRAID OF HIS OWN
REELECTION AND HE'S AFRAID
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BLAME HIM
FOR WHEN RIGHTFULLY SO FOR SOME
OF THE LACK OF RESPONSE THAT OUR
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT P HAS BEEN
MAKE AND I THINK HE WANTS TO
BLAME THINGS ON SOMETHING ELSE.
HE WANTS TO BLAME
ASIAN-AMERICANS.
HE WANTS TO BLAME CHINESE
PEOPLE.
HE WANTS TO BLAME CHINA AS AN
ENTIRE COUNTRY.
AND I THINK THAT IS A VERY
INTERESTING WAY OF DIVERTING
ATTENTION AND TRYING TO SHIFT
BLAME FOR SOMETHING THAT, YOU
KNOW, THAT I THINK PEOPLE ARE
NOW VERY VISIBLY SEEING, WHICH
IS THE INACTION OF OUR
GOVERNMENT IS KILLING PEOPLE.
>> MOVING FORWARD.
MAYBE IT'S A TWO-PART QUESTION.
IN TALKING TO YOUR CONSTITUENT
WHO'S SAY THINGS SUCH AS I DON'T
KNOW IF I SHOULD WEAR A MASK.
MAKES SENSE MEDICALLY BUT DRAWS
ATTENTION TO ME.
DO I WEAR A MASK.
DO I NOT WEAR A MASK.
WHEN BUSINESSES OPEN AGAIN.
WHAT SORT OF IMPACT WILL HAVE
IT.
WHAT SORT OF ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE
TO YOUR CONSTITUENTS ABOUT
PROTECTING YOURSELF NOW AND THEN
MOVING FORWARD, PERSONALLY AND
IN TERMS OF THE ECONOMICS,
BUSINESSES MOVING FORWARD IT TO
TRY TO ESCAPE FROM THIS LABEL.
>> OH, I DON'T THINK THERE'S
MUCH I CAN SAY ON THAT FRONT.
I JUST FEEL LIKE I KNOW WHAT
EVERYBODY'S GOING THROUGH RIGHT
NOW AND I KNOW MANY OF OUR
BUSINESSES PROBABLY WON'T EVEN
BE ABLE TO REOPEN.
PEOPLE DON'T REALIZE THAT THE
RACISM THAT HAS BEEN PERM EATING
THROUGHOUT OUR COUNTRY ACTUALLY
HIT MY DISTRICT SO HARD, WAY
BEFORE THE VIRUS -- BEFORE THERE
WAS A FIRST DIAGNOSIS OF ANYBODY
IN THE UNITED STATES MUCH LESS
IN NEW YORK, AND I THINK OUR
BUSINESSES THE HAD ALREADY
STARTED TO FEEL LOSS OF BUSINESS
FAR BEFORE THAT.
AND SO MANY FOLKS IN MY
COMMUNITY HAVE FACED THIS KIND
OF RACISM FOR SO LONG AND THE
SADDEST THING IS THAT PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN TELLING ME, LIKE, I'M
USED IT TO IT.
THAT'S UNACCEPTABLE.
>> THAT IS PERHAPS THE MOST
UNFORTUNATE ASPECT OF THIS, YOU
CAN SAY.
BECAUSE IT'S BECOME SO
PERVASIVE.
PERHAPS THIS MIGHT BE A MOMENT
WHEN WE CAN AFFECT SOME CHANGE.
I DO WANT TO THANK YOU ONCE
AGAIN ASSEMBLY MEMBER, THANK YOU
FOR TALKING WITH US AND SHARING
YOUR THOUGHTS AND I CAN SAY YOUR
CONST
CONSTITUENTS OF YOUR COMMUNITY
ARE FORTUNATE TO HAVE SOMEONE
LIKE YOU TO LEAD THEM THROUGH
THIS, THANK YOU AGAIN FOR
SPENDING TIME WITH US AND WE
LOOK FORWARD TO TALKING TO YOU
AGAIN REAL SOON.
>> THANK YOU.
>> ALL RIGHT YOU BE WELL.
>> YOU TOO.
