The New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), a chapter of the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today welcomed the arrest of a suspect in a spree of anti-Asian hate crimes on the Lower East Side.
Police say Clive Porter, 33, was arrested after he allegedly punched a man on a subway platform Wednesday and reportedly screamed “Asian f—!” as he left the scene.
In a statement, CAIR-NY Executive Director Afaf Nasher, Esq. said:
“Having the suspect in custody is a first step, and we hope the underlying issues prompting the disturbing attack are addressed justly. Violence born of bigotry remains unacceptable. Anti-Asian hate has no place in our city or our country. If part of the issue here is mental illness, as has been reported, then we hope reform and prevention includes the necessary medical treatment. We reaffirm our solidarity with our Asian American neighbors and continue to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with all communities confronting hate and discrimination, as we also recommit to addressing the mental health crises that can lead to such incidents.”
Nasher noted that earlier this year, CAIR-NY condemned an Anti-Asian crime on a Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) bus and another at a subway station.
She said Washington, D.C., based CAIR and the American Muslim community stand in solidarity with all those challenging antisemitism, systemic anti-Black racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, white supremacy, and all other forms of bigotry.
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CONTACT: Afaf Nasher, Esq., CAIR-NY Executive Director, CAIR-NY, 917-669-4006, anasher@cair.com; CAIR-NY Communications Team, comms@ny.cair.com