5/19/2022

Why Hasn't Anyone Heard of the Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force?

According to the NYPD, 176 Asian hate crime incidents have been reported since 2020. As the Asian community in NYC cries out for solutions from their imminent community and protection from their elected officials, the NYPD Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force was formed to give Asian hate crimes special attention to a community. While this has great potential, the current Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force is run by volunteers. When the regular Hate Crime Task Force is a team of paid investigators, do you think NYPD is giving enough attention to this matter? Karen King, the co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee for Asian American Bar Association says “There are many task forces around, NYPD as well as the hate crimes units in the prosecutor's offices and different politicians have their own task forces designed to address hate crimes. The biggest problems are the accessibility and the lack of transparency.”

About the Filmmaker

5/19/2022

Why Hasn't Anyone Heard of the Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force?

According to the NYPD, 176 Asian hate crime incidents have been reported since 2020. As the Asian community in NYC cries out for solutions from their imminent community and protection from their elected officials, the NYPD Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force was formed to give Asian hate crimes special attention to a community. While this has great potential, the current Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force is run by volunteers. When the regular Hate Crime Task Force is a team of paid investigators, do you think NYPD is giving enough attention to this matter? Karen King, the co-Chair of the Pro Bono Committee for Asian American Bar Association says “There are many task forces around, NYPD as well as the hate crimes units in the prosecutor's offices and different politicians have their own task forces designed to address hate crimes. The biggest problems are the accessibility and the lack of transparency.”

About the Filmmaker

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Thai Group, The Barbarian, Inspired by Chicano Culture

Leng the Barbarian is not a gangster, he’s a big brother in a family–one where male members endure 13 seconds of violence to belong, and female members (depending on if they’re “sweet” or “strong”) must dance or drink alcohol. This initiation, Leng explains, is a challenge meant to attract like-minded people: strong, determined, perseverant. This family has house rules, including not doing cocaine and amphetamines, or anything that can “ruin their lives”. They take care of one another like a family does, sharing everything from money and food to jobs and opportunities. In 2017, Leng founded The Barbarian, a group that was aimed to be independent, creative, and loud. As a child growing up in the slums, he had experienced watching fatal overdoses on his way to school, and grew up to become a thief buying drugs. Deeply inspired by Chicano gang culture and style, and listening to Mexican rappers like Lil Rob and Mr Yosie, Leng was drawn to how gentle the culture was from how they dance to iron their clothes. Chicano, a chosen identity for Mexicans who immigrated to Los Angeles, was once a term of derision and then adopted as an expression of defiance towards white assimilation. Not only did Leng integrate Chicano gang style into The Barbarian aesthetic, he built an imported clothing business focused on Chicano streetwear. He wants people to raise children with an open mind, and learn about Chicano culture by wearing it. Leng believes it’s their recognizable style that has made The Barbarians a target for police today.

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Why Hasn't Anyone Heard of the Anti-Asian Hate Crime Task Force?