"Just like this country doesn't like you"

I am an Asian woman visiting Washington DC for 3 weeks for an academic fellowship. Day 2 of being in the USA, boarded the bus in the morning, electronic card reader didn't work for some reason for the travel card, although it had worked fine the day before. A woman standing at front of the bus immediately launched into racist torrent of abuse, saying, “the card reader doesn't like you just like this country doesn't like you, motherf—king Chinese ch-nk b-tch,” etc, and shoved me around forcefully (couldn't even stand upright), lasted around 10 minutes until she finally got off the bus. She did not seem to be on drugs or have significant mental health issues otherwise, although was obviously very angry for completely inexplicable reasons. Completely unprovoked attack targeting me specifically and my race / ethnicity. The incident left me in shock; I had no idea how to respond, did not engage with her as I feared for my physical safety as she was much taller and stronger. I feel incredibly distressed by the whole incident, anxiety and PTSD about even taking the bus now, and resorting to avoidance behaviors. I am seeking counseling and support. The bus was quite crowded with primary school students who were shocked, and I understand why no bystanders intervened as there were barely any adults, although one man subsequently asked if I was okay.

Anti-Asian discrimination can manifest in subtle ways

In the past three months I have experienced racial discrimination at two jobs. One was at a restaurant, with both one of the managers shouting, screaming, and treating me rudely and a couple customers, who spoke in a very demeaning tone to me as a server. The other incident, more recent, was at a private tennis organization where I was sidelined and given fewer hours and less ideal coaching duties.

Anti-Asian discrimination can manifest itself in subtle ways in private contexts as well and it often doesn't get the Congressional support and civil rights attention that the black/white paradigm gets in the news, but from my perspective it is still alive and very present.

In my local county, the county government and school board also refuses to come clean about an employment discrimination issue from four years prior and has even sent the police in the past to surveil, harass, and silent me as an educator. As a result a community oversight board overseeing the police was established and the last chief stepped down.

To all those who are out there who struggle with anti-asian discrimination, know that you are not alone and not the only one. Wishing you peace, solidarity, and justice.

I don't think it was a coincidence

I recently went to a Pho restaurant. I noticed that their windows were boarded up. Then also noticed that the Teriyaki restaurant in the same strip mall had their windows smashed in as well. Those were the only two businesses that were damaged this way. The Teriyaki restaurant owner said the night before, someone rammed a shopping cart into her restaurant and stole $170 from the till. There are other restaurants and stores in this strip mall. I don't think it was a coincidence that the only two Asian food restaurants were damaged.

Harassed by a driver and the police did nothing

I am Thai, and my daughter is half Thai, half caucasian. We got Chinese takeout today in South Carolina and we walked out to our car. A white Honda Passport started to back up across the parking lot, so I motioned my daughter over as close to the cars on the opposite side as possible. He would not have hit us unless he planned on hitting the cars, too. He rolled down his window and called us g-dd—n motherf—ing ch-nks and b-tches and to get the f-ck out of his way. He kept yelling racial slurs. As he drove off, I flipped him off. That got him so angry that he pulled up on my daughter's side of the car, made more racial slurs, and threatened to beat our motherf—ing ch—k -sses. He then pulled in front of us (we pulled through the space when we parked) and opened his door as if he was going to get out of his car (he didn't) but he just yelled some more ... but my dashcam got his face, his car, make and model. I waited in my parking spot for a few seconds before taking off because I wanted to see if he planned to follow us out of the parking. In the video, you see him pulling around, but I got out of the parking lot before he did. I called the police, and they said that racial slurs and threats of violence are protected under the First Amendment so there is nothing they can do. Of course, I could have exercised MY First Amendment rights, also, but we would be violently beaten, if not dead. I will not take this passively. My daughter is 17, and she was terrified. I will not let this man win. I want to teach my daughter to stand up for herself and to fight.

She said she was going to kill me herself

This happened at 8th and Howard Street at approximately 3:40 PM.

I, a 30 year old, Asian-American (Korean) woman...was waiting for friends outside of a venue hosting an event we were attending together. I saw a woman come across the street on her bike and noticed she dropped some belongings on the ground. I don't interfere or help when I'm in the city, unless explicitly asked to, because it has gone bad in the past.

The woman seemed extremely upset. After she collected her things, she made her way towards the corner of the sidewalk I was standing near and started heading in my direction. I had headphones in, so I took them out (because I thought she needed help and was going to ask) only to hear her saying extremely racist things about how Asians didn't deserve to be here and that we should all go back to where we came from or kill ourselves.

She then walked right up to me and put her face in my face as to intimidate me. Each time I stepped away, she continued to follow me, until I was able to put adequate distance between us. I thought that was it...but it wasn't.

She then goes back over to her pile of belongings and picks up a large cannister of salt and says she's going to kill me herself. She hurls it at my head and I moved out of the way enough that it only hit my leg (which later resulted in a bruise). A security guard at the event had stepped outside at that point and walked over to me to ask if I was okay and let me inside the building to wait.

I asked him if I should call the cops and he shook his head and said they won't come out and if they do they won't do anything because the woman will have moved on. He was also Asian.

"I'm so glad you are leaving"

A man in his 20s harassed me when I was in my car and he asked me to leave and violently shut my driver’s side door without being able to provide proper reason. He was hostile and threatened me with a grin on his face and made a discriminatory comment saying you are just a Chinese and f-ggot just by the judge of my look. He threatened that I’m not allowed to park on the entire street and waved a dangling urine catheter bag in his hand and asked me to leave immediately. I escalated this to his manager and confirmed that I can park there but I decided to move on to park in another spot, concerned he might smash my car window and commit a hateful action. When I was driving away from him, he was still making derogatory statements like “I’m so glad you are leaving.”

A man spat at me

A man spat at me as I walked down 18th Street, San Francisco. I was passing by the wall of Mollie Stone's, and the man was on the side of the car. Rather than spitting down to the street or toward the car side of the sidewalk, he directed his spit towards me.

Terrified that these threats will continue

The brother of my daughter’s husband has chosen to lash out a hate speech not only against us as a family but to my Asian heritage as a whole. I cannot help but feel threatened with statements of “Asians have no hope in survival here period. Us Americans will get you folks out of the way.” I worry mostly for the safety of my daughter. Statements like these are very harassing in nature and cannot be interpreted in any other way than a physical threat. If “Asians have no hope in survival here” and will be taken “out of the way“ by “Americans” - does this mean that we (all Asians) are being threatened to be KILLED? By whom? Is this also true if we Asians “do not go back” to our own countries even if we are American citizens? These are serious threats that need to be given serious attention. I am worried that these threats will continue. Terrified that these threats will be followed through. I cannot sit here idly and wait. I will seek the assistance of anyone that can insure the safety of my family. As for Asians in general, I feel it is important to spread these vile comments to my community for awareness.

"I hate Chinese people"

Riding the bus in California, a large man walks up and down the aisles, occasionally shirtless, ranting at other bus riders. He shouts incomprehensible words alternating with phrases like "I hate Chinese people" and "China" and "f--- that b----". Bus riders notify to the bus driver but nothing is done.

They almost stabbed me with a screwdriver

I constantly experience microaggressions everywhere in public. Some people even took it as far as almost stabbing me with a screwdriver. It’s just sad that most of the people in mobile vehicles can easily get away with harassment. I hope that there are any solutions to apprehend these people.

I barely go a day without experiencing harassment

I have been a registered critical care nurse for 27 years and I barely go a day at work or in public without being subjected to racial discrimination, harassment, and demeanors on a daily basis. Hate, ignorance, jealously, and racism are viruses that hurts the ones targeted and those who intend to spread them.

Constantly coughed at by neighbors

This has been ongoing since March 2023 when I first moved in. The head janitor of the building was the one that started coughing near my house. It was as if he started a hate trend because many residents started to follow soon after. How did they even know where I live? It feels like harassment of the "Asian" lives here, even though I’m mixed race and ethnically ambiguous.

Multiple residents that work in the military, go to university, work doing deliveries, etc, have been harassing me by walking by my house and coughing loudly. They are so full of hate. That also includes the previous landlord that accused me of slander, even though I have video evidence. He later quit and transferred from what I was told. Even other Asians following the hateful trend. I feel that they just copy to try to fit in, even though they themselves are hated. I’m constantly harassed by an ugly bald male in his 60s. He looks like he works as a lawyer, which is the scary part. He stops by my house constantly and coughs and gives hateful stares a lot of times at my door camera.

Now the new landlord knows about the incidents, but I’ve also heard other residents say that the building workers are watching out for the Chinese woman. If they’re talking about me, I’m mixed race and Iʻm not Chinese. I find it sad that the US is still backwards, even when itʻs "diverse,” as it still thinks everyone is of one race.

"The Chinese are the most shi*tty people"

I have been threatened by a man. He said that the Chinese are the most sh*tty people in the world and he can’t wait to clean out all the Chinese with Brazilian gangster bodies. He was hired for a painting job by me but he did it wrong. It was supposed to be a simple dispute. Not until he clearly stated that he hated Chinese did I finally understand why his attitude towards me is like that. He thinks the Chinese are easy soft people and can be easily scammed. I reported the accident to my local police department but the officer said they can do nothing because he did it on the phone. I also reported it to DPOR and am still waiting for their response.

"You don't look American"

A patient asked me, “What nationality are you?” And I said, “Well, I was born in Philadelphia soo…that makes me American.” He said, “Well you don’t look American.” I said, “What does American look like to you?” He said “Well, American!” I asked, “Have you been around this country and seen the diverse faces in America?”

This happened today and happens regularly.

Attacked because of my race

I was recently attacked because of my race and the way I look at Las Vegas airport by three employees that work there. Police were involved and I was injured and sent to the hospital.

I don’t have anyway to pay for my hospital bill and need legal help to get justice for what those people did.