Our Acceptable Victims
Because some, I guess, are just collateral damage
“I want peace and I’m willing to fight for it.” — Harry S. Truman
Wilmington, DE: Topping today’s rundown… a brutal crime our national media seems content to ignore.
In Wilmington, DE, this awful video:
Here is a before-and-after still of what this poor 68-year old man looked like (from his son’s Facebook page):
A hammer did that.
Now, I could cite all kinds of statistics here — how anti-Asian crimes are up 339% nationwide, etc. But I’m not actually talking about just hate crimes, per se. Let me explain.
From police experience, I can tell you that Asians are often targeted because they (a) are thought to be easy targets, and (b) are thought to have cash on them.
It is similar to why hispanic immigrants are often targeted. Take food delivery. The food delivery guys have cash from other deliveries, to make change, etc. And here in NYC, many are illegals, with very little English. So they often fear the police, thinking they could be deported (which they won’t be — the police don’t do that. But they don’t know that).
Who does know all this are the perps.
Now, this event didn’t involve food delivery. And I certainly cannot say what animus was in the perp’s mind.
But anyone who contends that there is not a trend of preying upon Asian-Americans is uninformed. And this goes two-fold for Asian-American women (see below).
This terrible attack occurred in Wilmington, Delaware — our President’s home state, where he spends a significant amount of time. A state he is heavily identified with.
As the Dems sponsor a crime bill before the midterms, one must ask: Where is the President on this?
This is a prime opportunity for the President to step to the plate on the issue. Even politically, it makes sense.
Mr. President, will you not do that? Are you not concerned at all with what is happening to our cities? To your own state’s capital?
Here’s a fuller account of the crime (warning: it will make your blood boil).
This case has nearly all of the unfortunate narratives embedded within it:
A hardworking Asian victim whose business was struggling due to covid.
He’d been robbed multiple times.
His shop was previously looted during the BLM riots.
A career criminal was free to do this.
A clear video of the event exists, yet…
The national media remains indifferent.
Here is a gofundme page set up by the vic’s son, who laments,
“There has been no media coverage of this crime despite its horrific nature. With so much violence against Asians lately I struggle to understand why no one seems to care.”
As for Wilmington itself: Money, Inc. lists it as the fifth most dangerous city in America, terming it, “Murder City, USA.” And that’s with crime trending down.
One real estate site gives the city an “F” on crime. Another lists its violent crime as more than 50% worse than Philadelphia (yikes). Just google “Wilmington AND shooting.” Then hope your computer doesn’t crash.
A famous NY Post headline, pointed at Mayor David Dinkins in 1990 as NYC crime raged, read, “Dave — Do Something!”
Joe — do something.
New York: The debate over the subways is roiling. City Council Member Tiffany Caban, AOC-adjacent, who came within a hair of being the Queens DA, tweets this in response to the horrific subway attack that has outraged the city:
So a woman is attacked in her district, may lose an eye, will live in fear of the subway for the rest of her life… and Caban’s response is: Don’t worry about it?
As we’ve noted, women are increasingly the target in our cities — often by career perps and the mentally ill, and especially in the subways. Nicole Gelinas of the Manhattan Institute has the sorry roll-call here.
But as we mentioned above, Asian women have been disproportionately targeted. Just a few New York headlines over the last year (these are all separate events, and all victims were Asian women):
Homeless man charged in Chinatown sucker punch of Asian woman has 17 prior arrests (June 1, 2021)
Than Than Htwe Dies After Being Critically Injured In Subway Robbery Attempt (July 28, 2021)
Woman Pushed Onto Subway Tracks ‘Never Saw’ Her Attacker (Jan. 16, 2022)
Thai model attacked on NYC subway by suspect with 44 prior arrests: 'Something is fundamentally wrong' (Feb. 15, 2022)
Man kicks Asian woman, tells her to ‘get out of this country’ in NYC street attack (July 14, 2022)
Suspect charged with hate crime for allegedly attacking Asian woman in NYC: Police (Aug. 2, 2022)
The New York City suspect punched the Filipino woman more than 100 times in the brutal assault (Sept. 27, 2022)
And San Francisco:
Witnesses: Elderly Asian Woman Assaulted; Fights Off Attacker In San Francisco (March 17, 2021)
Children involved in attack on elderly Asian woman in San Francisco (July 31, 2022)
Videos Show Man Attacking Women Minutes Apart in San Francisco's Richmond District (Aug. 13, 2022)
53-year-old Asian woman attacked in Chinatown, man arrested (Sept. 22, 2022)
Boston:
Asian American woman, 70, punched in the face in unprovoked Boston Chinatown attack (April 21, 2022)
Seattle:
VIDEO: Asian-American woman attacked with traffic cone in Lacey (April 7, 2021)
Vallejo, California:
Woman beaten, robbed while leaving Vallejo fast food restaurant (August 29, 2022)
And so on.
And these are not “covid-inspired” events. That’s a media canard — don’t fall for it. These are either targeted robberies by career criminals, or random assaults by the severely unstable. Either way, in nearly every case, the perpetrator shouldn’t have been on the streets.
Finally, in answer to Rep. Caban: The metrics on subway crime, as we reported here, remain in-debate. But crime “down the hole” (as the cops call it) is up this year by 43%; and taking the number of riders into account, subway riders are more likely to be a crime victim now than before the pandemic.
But as we’ve also stated, that’s not the whole picture. It’s the homeless, the air of menace, the pure randomness of subway attacks that has everyone on edge. Again, entering the subway feels like a lottery. One you don’t want to win.
And for women — particularly Asian women — too often it’s their number that comes up.
Finally, I will leave it to the clear-eyed Seth Barron to close us out on Ms. Caban:
Intel Brief: China. Folks, this is important for the homefront, and few seemed to notice. President Biden last week signed an executive order expanding the role of CFIUS — the Committee On Foreign Investments In The United States. The committee, a secretive body created by Congress, vets foreign investment in the U.S. that could have national security impact (full disclosure: your narrator has had some experience with the process. It works).
The expansion extends the CFIUS mandate to any deal that has the potential to lead to the theft of not only U.S. technology, but U.S. consumer data as well (think: ID theft). While China isn’t named, they are the clear target.
The administration is also expected to issue an executive order soon that goes the other way; that is, that limits business that American citizens can conduct overseas — with the national security danger again being the impetus.
I’ve been critical of the Biden administration (see above!), but credit where it’s due — this CFIUS move is the right call. And long overdue.
Additionally, major firms are finally getting the message on China. The latest example is Apple’s decision to make its latest phones in India. Google is doing the same, beginning to shift to production in Vietnam.
Thus endeth “Chimerica” — and none too soon.
But with this de-coupling comes danger… could be a very messy divorce. Brangelina, on a global scale.
Briefs: The unnamed 17-year-old killer of Lyric Wood and Devin Clark remains at large. As we’ve noted, the North Carolina police cannot name him due to raise-the-age reforms — so let’s hope something else doesn’t happen before they get him….
(Photo: Orange County Sheriff's Office; Facebook)
Update on the senseless shooting of Sgt. Nicholas Bobo, U.S. Army paratrooper: Two arrests have been made. The motive remains unclear, but they did take his car. What a damn waste…. (And what, exactly, is going on in N. Carolina these days?).
NY Governor’s Race: Crime has emerged as a central issue, but the NYC vote is still putting Hochul — who won’t reform the ludicrous bail laws — over challenger Zeldin. New York, you deserve what you get. And get it we will….
And finally, to end on a lighter note: It’s rare one can make so sweeping a categorical statement, but I feel safe in saying that this is the biggest “miss” in the history of music reviews:
Oops.