(John Ransom, Headline USA) For the second time in a week, New York police are investigating a senseless and unprovoked hate crime perpetrated by a black man, this time on an Asian American.
A 70-year-old Sikh was walking in Queens when he was punched in the nose, for no apparent reason, at 6:45 in the evening with neither the perpetrator nor the victim exchanging any words, reported the Jackson Heights Post.
“The attack on the 70-year-old Sikh man in Richmond Hill over the weekend was a despicable display of hatred and cowardice,” said state Sen. Joseph Addabbo.
The man, Nirmal Singh, had been in the United States for two weeks and was returning from the Sikh temple when the incident occurred, said CNN.
Nirmal Singh, a 70 yr old man was attacked while out on a walk in Queens, New York@FBI hate crime stats report racial attacks against Asians increased 73% from 2019 to 2020#Sikh#NewYork#LoveNotHatehttps://t.co/jTHWiag4yt
— The Sikh Lounge (@SikhLounge) April 5, 2022
In 2021 police reported 524 hate crime incidents in NYC, “largely driven by the surge in violence against Asian Americans,” said CNN.
Earlier in the week, six black teens attacked a Hasidic Jewish man, also for no apparent reason, driving him to the ground and kicking and punching him. That crime was also classified as a hate crime.
A 16-year-old was arrested in connection with the attack on the Hasidic Jew, but was not identified because of his age, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
“Nirmal Singh did nothing to provoke this heinous assault, and after any attack on a person of a specific race or religion, we must look into it as a possible hate crime,” Addabbo said.
“I will offer whatever assistance is needed by the NYPD in their search for this suspect and my thoughts are with Mr. Singh and the entire Sikh community of Richmond Hill,” he concluded.
