overseas Filipinos

When life throws punches: Filipinos experience hate in America

Jannelle So Productions

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When life throws punches: Filipinos experience hate in America

Screenshot from So Jannelle TV

‘I feel that we are being bullied. That’s wrong because I know America, all races are here. So we have the right to speak,’ says Danny Yu Chang on SoJannelleTV

This story is published in partnership with SoJannelleTV, a magazine show about Filipinos in North America

Bystander intervention is very important these days. If you are a witness to hate acts in America, it’s very important to distract, delegate, or directly interfere, but in a safe manner.

Take an indirect approach to de-escalate the situation. Converse with the target or find a way to draw attention away from them.

Bystanders play a crucial role in making sure victims of hate acts are supported and helped.

For Danny Yu Chang, the rise of anti-Asian attacks in America has come at a personal cost. The 59-year-old didn’t consider himself vulnerable to the attacks he had seen on the news. At 5’10” and 185 pounds, he was larger than most would-be victims, and he did not consider himself elderly.

At that time, he was more fearful of COVID-19 than of the rise of anti-Asian attacks. But after he was attacked in San Francisco, during broad daylight on his first day back at work, he has a new fear to worry about.

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He remembers none of it. All he knows is from what he’s read of the police report, Yu Chang said in an interview with Filipino-American media pioneer Jannelle So Perkins for the latter’s SoJannelleTV show.

“According to the police report he punched me from the left side, I fall on my knee, then another punch, I fall on the ground and I lost consciousness,” said Yu Chang in an interview with Filipino-American media pioneer Jannelle So Perkins for the latter’s SoJannelleTV show.

But now he doesn’t only have black eyes, he can hardly see. “My first two days I can hardly see. Even when the light’s on I cannot see anything. But on the third day my right eye I think can see a little. My features are improving. So far I’m recovering little by little.”

When life throws punches: Filipinos experience hate in America

In his previous 21 years in America, Danny had not been acquainted with racially-motivated violence. But now, after decades in California, he’s looking to move to Indiana, where he hopes to rest and recover from the incident.

“The experience was really bad. I am traumatized by the experience. I feel that… I’m just asking myself why it happened to me. Was it because I’m not so careful when walking around San Francisco? Because I have been doing these things for so long, and I’m so confident that nothing will happen to me during daytime,” said Chang.

“I was confident that I won’t be attacked. California is not the safest place to live. It’s not like before, because this is broad daylight and things won’t happen but now it’s happening. So I just want to bring these things to the attention of all the people to be extra careful.”

“I feel that we are being bullied. That’s wrong because I know America, all races are here. So we have the right to speak. Let’s not let them bully us, it’s hard, isn’t it? It’s very sad that we’re being treated this way, right? We are all human.”

Someone who can relate to Chang’s experience is Heidi Literte. Heidi, a resident of Los Angeles, was on her work commute when someone threw a punch out of nowhere.

When life throws punches: Filipinos experience hate in America

“My eyeglasses and my things fell off. I thought of my two kids right away. I thought to myself, ‘Nothing should happen to mommy.’ My initial reaction was to get away from the scenario,” said Literte in an interview with Jannelle So Perkins for the SoJannelleTV show.

“I was starting to cry. Then, an Asian guy called the security of metro and the LAPD came. But it took time. The lady who attacked me wasn’t there anymore. Police told me I was lucky I wasn’t stabbed. It happens every day and they don’t control it. My concern is, ‘How’s the safety of the people who use public transport?’”

What Heidi recalls is how her attacker wasn’t wearing a mask. And how no one on board reacted to the assault.

“No one deserves to be hurt. No one is privileged to hurt someone and get away from it. Whether it’s woman, man, young, old. It can happen again to anyone,” said Heidi.

“What if that person doesn’t have the Asian man (who intervened) and a family like mine who can support them? It scares me. My advice is to be careful and watchful around you. Call the police and the authorities even if you don’t get near the person. Every minute that passes that someone gets hurt, it’s really traumatizing. It prolongs the trauma in them.”

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Heidi’s plea is the second way to intervene as a bystander: delegate. Find someone in a position of authority and ask them for help. Check in with the person being harassed. You can ask them if they want you to call the police.

You can also delay. After the incident is over, check in with the person who was harassed or attacked. Ask: “Are you OK? Can I sit with you or accompany you? What do you need?”

The fourth way to intervene if you witness a hate act is to directly speak up about the harassment. Check your safety first. Then be firm and clear. You can also talk to the person being harassed about what’s going on.

Finally, you can keep a safe distance and document a hate act. Check local laws. Film street signs or other landmarks that help identify the location. say the date and time.

Hate acts happen. They can even happen to you. Or you can be a witness. Check your empathy, ability, and safety, and be part of the solution.

What should you do when you see or encounter a hate crime? Read more: 5 Ds of Bystander Intervention from ihollaback.org. – Jannelle So Productions | Rappler.com

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