Doormen Who Appeared to Watch Attack An Asian Woman in N.Y.C Fired

Two men who were working as doormen at a New York luxury apartment at the time of a vicious assault have now been fired.

What We Know:

• The building, owned by the Brodsky Organization, has completed its full investigation into the matter. The investigation involves how the doormen responded to a vicious attack on an elderly Asian woman last month. A statement from the Brodsky Organization revealed that the doormen were fired for not following the required emergency and safety protocols. The organization confirmed that once the assailant had left the scene, the doormen then appeared to assist the victim and flag down an emergency vehicle.
• The building has since begun to retrain its staff in proper emergency response protocols and anti-bias awareness. Vilma Kari is a 65-year-old Filipino woman who was on her way to church on March 29th when she was attacked in Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan. Kari was assaulted by a man who first kicked her in the stomach and stomping on her head when she fell to the ground. Kari was treated at the hospital for a fractured pelvis.

“We have been working with the AAPI civic community to reach her family, as well as to determine how best to support the fight against anti-Asian hate crimes.” Brodsky Organization claimed in a statement.

• Video evidence recorded the entire incident, which revealed at least three individuals inside the building just stood by and watched the entire time. Brandon Elliot has since been arrested with two counts of assault in the 2nd degree as a hate crime and one count of attempted assault in the first degree as a hate crime. Elliot was already serving a lifetime on parole after being released from prison in 2019  for fatally stabbing his mother in 2002.
• The video of the attack was widely condemned by New York Politicians such as Governor Andrew Cuomo and  Mayor Bill de Blasio. An analysis of police department statistics showed significant spikes in Asian hate crimes last year. The analysis, curated by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, also found that hate crimes against Asians specifically rose by nearly 150% last year. New York attributed most to the surge after being revealed to show an 833% increase from 2019 to 2020.

The Biden Administration has recently announced plans to incorporate measures to fight against the rise of attacks in AAPI communities.