♪ >>> THIS IS "METROFOCUS" WITH RAFAEL PI ROMAN, JACK FORD, AND JENNA FLANAGAN.

>>> "METROFOCUS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III.

SYLVIA A.

AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM.

THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND.

BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ.

BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

AND BY JANET PRINDLE SEIDLER.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY.

JUDY AND JOSH WESTON.

DR. ROBERT C. AND TINA SOHN FOUNDATION.

PAT'S ASKWITH KENNER.

♪ ♪ ♪ >>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO "METROFOCUS."

I'M JENNA FLANNIGAN.

ATTACKS AGAINST ASIAN-AMERICANS CONTINUE TO BE ON THE RISE.

A RECENT ANALYSIS OF HATE CRIME DATA FOUND THAT WHILE ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIME IS UP ACROSS THE COUNTRY, NEW YORK HAS HAD THE SHARPEST INCREASE ANY CITY OVER THE LAST YEAR.

THIS WEEK ALONE THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF VIOLENT ATTACKS THAT ARE NOW BEING INVESTIGATED BY THE NYPD HATE CRIMES TASK FORCE.

MANY OF THESE ATTACKS, BOTH VERBAL AND PHYSICAL HAPPENED OUT IN THE OPEN.

MANY WILL REMEMBER THE BRUTAL ATTACK IN FRONT OF A MIDTOWN MANHATTAN APARTMENT BUILDING EARLIER THIS YEAR WHICH WAS CAUGHT ON SURVEILLANCE VIDEO.

IN IT, A DOORMAN INSIDE THE BUILDING WAS SEEN WATCHING AS A 65-YEAR-OLD WOMAN WAS BEATEN AND THEN CLOSED THE DOOR AS THE ATTACKS TOOK PLACE.

THAT DOORMAN WAS LATER FILED.

IT DOES BRING UP THE QUESTION, WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF YOU WITNESS ANTI-ASIAN HARASSMENT OR ASSAULT?

TONIGHT IS PART OF OUR ONGOING EXPLORING HATE INITIATIVE, EXAMINING THE INTERSECTION OF ANTI-SEMITISM, RACISM AND EXTREMISM IN AMERICA.

WE'RE GOING TO TALK WITH THREE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN WORKING ON PRECISELY THAT QUESTION.

SO FIRST, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME TO THE SHOW MAURITA, SHE IS THE SENIOR DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES FOR THE GROUP ASIAN-AMERICANS ADVANCING JUSTICE, AAJC.

MAURITA, WELCOME TO THE SHOW.

>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

>> I'D ALSO LIKE TO WELCOME JACK VALDES, HE IS A SENIOR TRARN AT THE GROUP HOLLER BACK.

WELCOME.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING US.

>> THESE TWO ORGANIZATIONS HAVE JOINED FORCES TO OFFER BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TRAININGS WHICH HAVE GROWN IN DEMAND NATIONALLY.

WE ARE ALSO JOINED BY COLIN CHEN AND FOUND OF THE CHINATOWN BLOCK WATCH IN NEW YORK CITY AND HE LAUNCHED THE ALL-VOLUNTEER LAST FEBRUARY WHEN THE CORONAVIRUS WAS JUST BEGINNING AND THERE WAS ALREADY A RISE IN ATTACKS AGAINST ASIAN-AMERICANS.

>> GOOD MORNING.

THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

SO FIRST OFF, WHAT I WANT TO ASK EVERYONE IS IF YOU CAN SORT OF GIVE US YOUR OWN EXPERIENCE AND BY YOUR OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE I MEAN THAT NEW YORK IS A CITY THAT IS KNOWN FOR SORT OF MINDING YOUR BUSINESS AND KEEPING IT MOVING NO MATTER WHAT AND SO I THINK ALL NEW YORKERS AT SOME TIME HAVE BEEN IN A POSITION WHERE THEY HAVE WITNESSED SOMETHING AND PERHAPS FELT HELPLESS AND SO THEY JUST KEPT GOING OR JUST CHOSE TO, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NONE OF MY BUSINESS AND KEPT MOVING OR THEY'VE BEEN VICTIM OF SOMETHING AND FELT A DIFFERENT KIND OF HELPLESSNESS AS THEY WATCHED THEIR FELLOW NEW YORKERS JUST KEEP IT MOVING.

SO I JUST WANT TO GET EVERYONE'S TAKE ABOUT WHERE THEY'RE COMING TO THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE FROM PERSONALLY AND DAX, I'LL START WITH YOU.

>> THANK YOU.

SO THINKING BACK ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCES WITH HARASSMENT BEFORE I STARTED DOING THIS WORK AND NOT HAVING LANGUAGE TO IDENTIFY WHAT WAS GOING ON, NOW I KNOW WHAT IT IS AND ALSO, LIKE, THINKING BACK ABOUT MY OWN EXPERIENCES IN NEW YORK, DEFINITELY, LIKE, IT'S NOT MY BUSINESS.

I'M NOT GOING TO GET INVOLVED, BUT WITH THINGS ESCALATING THE WAY THAT THEY ARE, IT'S HARD TO SHARE THE SAME IDENTITY AS THE PERSON IN CONFLICT NOW AND NOT BE ABLE TO SAY SOMETHING.

SO WHILE THERE IS STILL LESSONS IN THE MOMENT, WHEN I SEE SOMETHING HAPPENING AND LOOKING AROUND MAKING SURE THAT I'M OKAY BEFORE I SAY SOMETHING, THAT IS STILL SOMETHING THAT I HAVE TO NAVIGATE NO MATTER WHERE I AM AND ALSO JUST GET OVER THAT MOMENT OF ANXIETY, YES, I CAN DO THIS, AND I SHARE THIS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, YES, YOU CAN DO THIS AND IT'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE A NEGOTIATION.

>> MAURITA, WHAT ABOUT YOU?

>> I WILL FIRST LET YOU KNOW THAT I AM NOT A NEW YORKER, BUT I THINK THAT THAT EXPERIENCE THAT YOU DESCRIBED IS UNIVERSAL, RIGHT?

PEOPLE EVERYWHERE, I THINK, QUESTION IS THIS SOMETHING I SHOULD GET INVOLVED IN?

WILL MY SAFETY BE COMPROMISED IF I DO?

WHAT DO I DO, RIGHT?

THAT IS COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT I ALSO BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE THIS INSTINCT TO TAKE CARE OF ONE ANOTHER AND THAT IS ONE OF THE REASONS I REALLY VALUE THE WORK THAT MY ORGANIZATION HAS BEEN DOING WITH HOLLA BACK BECAUSE THEY GIVE THEM CHANNEL THAT IMPULSE TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE AND HOPEFULLY TO DO IT IN PRODUCTIVE WAYS THAT KEEP THEM SAFE.

>> COLLIN, I FEEL LIKE THIS IS SOMETHING YOU MIGHT BE COMING TO HAVING BEEN WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY THAT IS SO DEEPLY IMPACTED.

JUST TELL US ABOUT WHAT YOUR PERSPECTIVE IS.

IT'S STRANGE HOW YOU BROUGHT UP THE ATTACK ON THE 65-YEAR-OLD WOMAN IN MIDTOWN, BECAUSE AS I WAS HEADING THERE TO THE CONFERENCE TO SPEAK I WAS HARASSED BY 42nd STREET.

I HEARD SOMEONE DWRLING THAT ASIAN MAN THIS AND THAT ASIAN MAN THAT AND I RELL REALIZED I WAS THE ONLY ASIAN MAN AND THIS PERSON HAD A CELL PHONE OUT AND DID I EXACTLY WHAT MAURITA DID, I HOLLERED BACK AT THE GUY AND THANKFULLY THE PERSON BACKED DOWN, BUT I DID NOTICE A COUPLE OF PEOPLE THAT WERE WALKING ON THE SIDE WAUG, THEY HAD SLOWED DOWN AND THEY HAD -- I WAS GOING TO HELP THEM LOOK IN THE EYES TO ME, BUT THESE ATTACKS HAVE BEEN GOING ON FOR A WHILE, AND I FEEL THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE BEING ENCOURAGED TO ACT WITH IMMUNITY.

I DON'T WANT TO ADDRESS THIS LAW ENFORCEMENT THING, BUT -- >> OF COURSE, WE DO WANT TO TALK ABOUT JUST THE WAY THAT WE'RE TREATING EACH OTHER ESPECIALLY AS FELLOW CITIZENS OF THIS COUNTRY AND OF NEW YORK CITY, ET CETERA, BUT MAURITA, I KIND OF WANT TO GO BACK TO JUST THE WAY THAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING OKAY TO PERHAPS TAKE THEIR ANXIETIES OUT ON OTHER INDIVIDUALS.

I DON'T THINK THAT ANYONE WOULD ARGUE THAT AFTER THE YEAR OF QUARANTINING AND SICKNESS AND JOB LOSS FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE SOMETIMES ALL WRAPPED UP TOGETHER THAT THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF STRESS ON THE POPULATION, BUT I GUESS -- THERE -- IT SEEMS TO BE PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME, AND THAT SEEMS TO BE WHAT'S DRIVING, BUT I WONDER FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE AGAIN, WHEN PEOPLE PERHAPS HAVE MIXED EMOTIONS ABOUT HOW THEY EVEN FEEL ABOUT CERTAIN ISSUES, WHAT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY THAT WE HAVE TOWARDS ONE ANOTHER?

>> YES.

IT IS, OF COURSE, UNDERSTANDABLE THAT PEOPLE ARE FEELING GREATER STRESS.

GREATER PRESSURE, RIGHT?

THE PANDEMIC HASN'T BEEN EASY ON ANYONE, AND IT IS, PERHAPS, SO UNDERSTANDABLE THAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO BLAME FOR WHAT THEY'RE FACING.

UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT NOT OKAY, RIGHT?

I DON'T THINK THAT THOSE STRESSES, THOSE PRESSURES SHOULD EVER GIVE US LICENSE TO ACT OUT AGAINST ANYONE, MUCH LESS ACT OUT ON BIASSES AND PREJUDICES, AND PEOPLE MIGHT NOT BE AWARE THAT THEY HAVE THESE BIASSES AND PREJUDICES AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DELVE INTO MORE AND UNCOVER AND GET PEOPLE TO GRAPPLE WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE LIKELY ACTING ON STEREOTYPES AND, YOU KNOW, SCAPEGOATING OTHER PEOPLE WHICH ISN'T RIGHT.

OF COURSE.

DAX, I'M WONDERING IF YOU CAN TELL ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT IS IT THEN THAT ARE THE BEST STEPS TO TAKE?

UNFORTUNATELY, EVEN PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, LIKE I'VE DESCRIBED EARLIER, MY FIRST QUESTION, NEW YORK HAS BEEN A CITY WHERE WE'VE SEEN PEOPLE TARGETED FOR SIMPLY WHO THEY ARE FOR DECADES AND WE'VE, FOR BETTER OR PROBABLY FOR WORSE BECOME DESENSITIZED TO IT, WE LEARNED HOW TO SHRUG IT OFF.

WHERE IS IT THAT YOU WOULD BEGIN WITH ADVISING SOMEONE, YOU SEE SOMETHING, YOU KNOW IT'S WRONG.

WHAT DO YOU DO OTHER THAN TAKE THOSE NEXT FEW STEPS TO JUST GET AWAY FROM IT?

>> I THINK -- WELL, I WILL SAY, I WILL OFFER BACK HOLLA BACK'S TRAINING.

THEY'RE FREE TO THE PUBLIC.

THESE ARE SMALL STEPS THAT YOU CAN USE TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND OTHERS WHEN THERE IS HARASSMENT OR DISRESPECT AND ALSO, IT IS AN INVITATION FOR PEOPLE TO EDUCATE THEMSELVES AND DO A LOT OF SELF-REFLECTION TO IDENTIFY WHY THEY THINK THESE THINGS AND ALSO LEARN ABOUT THE HISTORY OF DISCRIMINATION NOT AGAINST ASIANS AND ASIAN-AMERICANS IN THIS COUNTRY AND ALL MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES.

WE HAVE TO CHALLENGE THE STATUS QUO.

TO GO BACK TO THE INITIAL QUESTION, KNOWING WHAT YOU CAN DO TO TAKE CARE OF OTHERS AT THAT MOMENT AND HOW YOU CAN GET OVER THOSE FLIGHT, FIGHT FREE RESPONSES FOR STANDING UP AND SHOWING UP FOR EACH OTHER WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN.

>> WELL, I UNDERSTAND -- OH, I'M SORRY.

WHAT WERE YOU SAYING?

>> I WAS GOING TO BREAK DOWN THE FIVE-STEP METHODOLOGY THAT I THINK IS REALLY ACCESSIBLE.

FIRST ONE IS DISTRACT, WHICH IS SIMPLY CREATING A DISTRACTION TO DE-ESCALATE A SITUATION.

DELEGATE IS ASKING SOMEBODY ELSE TO HELP YOU OUT.

DOCUMENT IS TAKING A FPHOTO OR VIDEO OF WHAT'S GOING ON IF YOU FEEL SAFE.

DELAY IS SIMPLY WAITING UNTIL THE INCIDENT OF HARASSMENT IS OVER AND YOU CHECK IN WITH THE PERSON WHO EXPERIENCED THAT DISRESPECT OR HARASSMENT AND YOU MAKE AN OFFER ON HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THEM AND THEN DIRECT IS THE ONE THAT EVERYBODY THINKS ABOUT WHEN THEY THINK ABOUT BYSTANDER INTERVENTION.

IT'S SOME VERSION OF HEY, STOP DOING THAT AND WE ALSO SHARE EXAMPLES AND STRATEGIES IF THEY DO DECIDE TO INTERVENE.

>> ARE THESE THE KIND OF STEPS THAT HAVE BEEN UTILIZED THAT YOU FOUND HELPFUL WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION WORKING WITH THE RESIDENT OF CHINATOWN?

>> YES, ACTUALLY, THEY ARE.

WHAT THEY DID IS EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO IF WE COME UPON A SCENE OF SOMEONE BEING HARASSED.

WE WOULD VERBALLY INTERVENE AND QUESTION IT, SINCE WE HAVE A GROUP AND WE NEED TO BE SPLIT INTO TEAMS OF FOUR AND FIVE THAT DISTRACTS THE PERSON AND A LOT OF TIMES THEY MAY FEEL EMBARRASSED AND THEY MAY STAND DOWN A BIT AND WALK AWAY, BUT IF IT'S A PHYSICAL EFFECT NOW THAT'S A DIFFERENT STORY AND IF THERE WAS A WEAPON INVOLVED I WOULD NEVER JUMP BETWEEN SOMEONE WITH A KNIFE OR STICK OR SOMETHING, BUT YOU KNOW -- THAT IN ITSELF, EVERY CASE OF THE HARASSMENT IS UNIQUE AND THE CIRCUMSTANCES ARE UNIQUE AND IT'S A SPLIT-SECOND ANALYSIS AND THE REACTION IS MORE REACTIVE WHEN IT IS A PHYSICAL ASSAULT GOING ON, BUT I'M CONFIDENT WE CAN TAKE CARE OF IT.

>> IS THERE PERHAPS SOME CONCERN FOR -- ESPECIALLY IF THERE IS A PHYSICAL ASSAULT GOING WHICH ARE SOME OF THE MORE HEARTBREAKING STORIES THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING IN THE NEWS, BUT THERE'S ALSO A SUBSEQUENT CONVERSATION SPECIFICALLY AROUND THE EXAMPLE THAT I GAVE IN THE INTRO OF THE DOORMAN WHO WITNESSED THIS ATTACK ON THIS 65-YEAR-OLD WOMAN AND THEN ON TOP OF THAT, CLOSED THE DOOR.

HE WAS FIRED FROM HIS JOB AND SOME PEOPLE ARE SAYING, WAIT A SECOND.

HE'S NOT TRAINED.

THAT'S NOT PART OF HIS JOB DESCRIPTION.

THAT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF DANGER HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN EXPOSING HIMSELF INTO IF HE GOT INVOLVED WITH THIS.

I'M WONDERING, WHAT IS THE LINE OF EXPECTATION FOR US TO LOOK OUT FOR EACH OTHER AND STAND UP FOR EACH OTHER.

IS THAT SOMETHING THAT'S -- YEAH?

>> WELL, THE IDEA BEHIND, WHEN I CREATED THIS, WAS TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO REPORT AN INCIDENT, IF YOU HEAR A COMMOTION AND YOU SEE A CRIME BEING COMMITTED OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW, YOU CAN INTERVENE BY REPORTING IT TO THE POLICE FROM THE SAFETY OF YOUR HOME, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO JUMP OUT THERE TO TRY TO STOP THIS ATTACK PHYSICALLY YOURSELF, BUT ANYBODY CAN CALL THE POLICE AND THAT IS THE LEVEL OF INTERVENTION HERE OR TRY TO RECORD AN INDIVIDUAL DURING AN ATTACK TO PROVIDE EVIDENCE IN THE ONGOING CASE IF THE PERSON WAS ARRESTED.

.

I WOULD NEVER ADVOCATE FOR SOMEONE TO JUMP INTO A FIGHT BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW IF THE PERSON IS ARMED OR NOT AND YOU HAVE TO CONSIDER YOUR OWN PERSONAL SAFETY.

EACH HAS UNIQUE CIRCUMSTANCES AND YOU HAVE TO DO A QUICK ANALYSIS OF IT AND ACT.

>> MAURITA, I'M WONDERING ALSO HOW MUCH OF THIS RE-ENTRY THAT I GUESS WE'RE EXPERIENCING, I DON'T KNOW HOW ELSE TO DESCRIBE IT, BUT AS WE SORT OF COME INTO VACCINATION AND WE COME OUTSIDE OF QUARANTINE, SO TO SPEAK, THERE DOES THERE NEED TO BE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING, PERHAPS, WHO NOT ONLY ALL OF THIS HAS AFFECTED US, BUT WHO OUR NEIGHBORS ARE BECAUSE AGAIN, IN NEW YORK, WE'VE BECOME SO MUCH OF A CITY WHERE WE DON'T ALWAYS KNOW WHO THE QUOTE, UNQUOTE, OTHER PERSON IS.

WE JUST KNOW THEY EXIST.

WE SEE THEM ON THE SUBWAY AND IF THEY'RE NOT IN OUR LIVES WE DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THEM AND THAT FURTHERS THEM WITH THE SAME COMMUNITY THAT WE WOULD EXPERIENCE WITH PEOPLE WE DO KNOW.

HOW IMPORTANT IS RE-CREATING COMMUNITY IN THIS POST-COVID WORLD.

>> VERY IMPORTANT.

I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.

AND THE TRAININGS THAT ADVANCING JUSTICE ARE JOIN TRAININGS ON ADDRESSING ANTI-ASIAN, HATE AND HARASSMENT, MORE THAN 75,000 PEOPLE AND SO WE TALK IN OUR TRAINING ABOUT THAT COMMUNITY THAT WE'RE BUILDING OF PEOPLE WHO KNOW THESE TACTICS AND HOPEFULLY ARE EQUIPPED TO GO OUT IN THE WORLD TO SEE SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS FACING HARASSMENT OR CONFLICT.

YES, WE NEED TO BE BUILDING BRIDGES AND CONNECTING WITH OUR NEIGHBORS AND BUILDING COMMUNITY, BUT THAT CAN TAKE SO MANY DIFFERENT FORMS INCLUDING BUILDING A XHIENTS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO STEP UP AND INTERVENE IF THEY SEE SOMETHING HAPPENING.

>> OF COURSE.

OF COURSE, JUST TO ALSO GIVE PEOPLE WHO, AGAIN, IF YOU HAVEN'T HAD FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE OF ANY OF THIS, AND YOU SORT OF HEARD ABOUT MAYBE THE MORE EGREGIOUS, PHYSICAL ATTACKS.

I'M WONDERING IF MY PANELISTS CAN GIVE ME AN IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.

IS IT JUST VERBAL HARASSMENT WHICH AGAIN, IN A CITY LIKE NEW YORK HAS BEEN VERY NORMALIZED OR ARE THERE OTHER THINGS THAT PEOPLE SHOULD ALSO PERHAPS BE AWARE OF THAT YOU TRAINED YOURSELF TO IGNORE?

>> SO THINKING ABOUT.

>> OH, SORRY.

GO AHEAD, PLEASE.

>> RAILROAD HARASSMENT IS PREDOMINANT IN THE 15 MONTHS THAT WE'VE PATROLLING THE STREETS OF CHINATOWN.

>> UNFORTUNATELY, WAS THERE A SPATE OF PHYSICAL ATTACKS HERE STARTING TWO MONTHS AGO, EXPECT I REALIZED, I MEAN, AGZS?

THIS COUNTRY ARE VIEWED AS PERPETUAL FOREIGNERS AND THERE'S A MISUNDERSTANDING INVOLVING ASIANS EXPECTATION STUDIES ARE NOT IMPORTANT IN THE COUNTRY AND WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO KNOCK DOWN THE BARRIERS OF RACISM, BUT TO TEACH ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES?

WE HAVE BLACK STUDIES AND LATINO STUDIES.

WE DO NOT HAVE ASIAN STUDIES.

SO WHAT PEOPLE VIEW US.

I'VE BEEN APPROACHED MANY TIMES.

WHAT ARE YOU OR WHERE DO YOU COME FROM?

>> BROOKLYN, BUT THIS IS AN IMPLICIT BIAS ON A PERSON ASKING ME.

THEY DON'T REALIZE, IF I GIVE A CLASSIC EXAMPLE, IF TWO PEOPLE FROM THE SAME EUROPEAN COUNTRY, SAY FRANCE, OKAY, IS AN ASIAN PERSON AND THERE'S A CAUCASIAN PERSON.

IF THE CAUCASIAN PERSON WALKS INTO A STORE IN NEW YORK AND SPOKE WITH THE HEAVY FRENCH ACCENT IT'S CONSIDERED SEXY, BUT IF AN ASIAN PERSON DOES THE SAME THING IT'S CONSIDERED WE DON'T SPEAK THE RIGHT LANGUAGE HERE AND THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE HERE.

>> WHY WOULD THAT PERSON BE CONSIDERED SEXY WITH THAT ACCENT, BUT I WOULD BE CONSIDERED THE DUMB ASIAN.

>> THAT'S AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE.

DAX, WERE YOU GOING TO ADD IN?

>> SO THINKING ABOUT THE POINT, YES, ALSO EDUCATION IS GOING TO BE A BIG FACTOR IN ELIMINATING IMPLICIT BIAS THAT PEOPLE HAVE AND USING BYSTANDER INTERVENTION, IT CAN BE APPLIED ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF HARASSMENT AND DISRESPECT AND NOT ONLY IN THE ESCALATED EXAMPLES THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING ON THE NEWS AND THINGS THAT HAPPEN ON THE STREET THAT YOU OVERHEAR THAT MAKE YOU GO, HMMM.

TO CHALLENGE THINGS LIKE MICROAGGRESSIONS AND HEY, WHAT DID YOU MEAN BY THAT OR CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT THAT JOKE YOU JUST SHARED?

THINGS LIKE SHUNNING AND ASKING A PERSON WHY THEY INSTINCTIVELY FLINCHED FROM YOU AS YOU PASSED THEM ON THE STREET OR AS YOU GET INTO AN ELEVATOR.

THOSE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO USE BYSTANDER INTERVENTION TO CHALLENGE THOSE BEHAVIORS AND THOUGHT PATTERNS SO THAT IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT PERSON TO REFLECT AND THINK ABOUT HOW THEY ACT.

IT MIGHT NOT ALWAYS WORK, BUT THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE WANT TO ADDRESS THOSE ROOT CAUSES OF DISRESPECT AND HARASSMENT BEFORE IT EVEN GETS TO THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN SEEING IN THE NEWS.

>> YOU KNOW, AS THE WORD OF THIS GOES OUT, NOT JUST IN NEW YORK, BUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY, MAURITA, I'M WONDERING, FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HOW DO YOU ADVOCATE FOR THESE THAT SEEM LIKE SIMPLE LITTLE ACTION, BUT TO A POPULOUS THAT ARE JUST EXHAUSTED.

PEOPLE ARE JUST EXHAUSTED AND YOU TELL ME YOU WANT ME TO DO ONE MORE THING.

HOW DO YOU ADVOCATE, THIS IS JUST A SIMPLE, LITTLE THING THAT YOU CAN INCORPORATE INTO YOUR ROUTINE OR INTO YOUR LIFE?

>> YEAH.

WE'RE ALL FACING PANDEMIC FATIGUE, RIGHT?

THAT IS ALSO COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT I WOULD SAY THAT THE TRAININGS THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING ARE ONLINE, AND THEY'RE ONE HOUR, WHICH MIGHT SOUND LIKE A LOT, BUT PERSONALLY, I FIND GOING THROUGH THE SESSIONS AND GIVING THE TRAINING TO BE BOTH HEALING AND INSPIRING.

SO I WOULD ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO MAKE THE TIME BECAUSE I DO THINK THERE'S A LOT OF VALUE IN LEARNING THE TACTICS AND ALSO FEELING IN THAT YOU ARE NOT ALONE IN YOUR CONCERN, FEELINGS AND ANXIETIES AND LEARNING THAT YOU ARE A PART OF THIS LARGER COMMUNITY OF PEOPLE THAT IS EMPOWERED, HOPEFULLY TO TAKE ACTIONS IF THEY NEED TO.

>> AND -- >> WE HAVE PEOPLE -- OH, SORRY.

>> NO, ABSOLUTELY.

>> IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO BE HOLDING SPACE AND HOLDING THESE STRATEGIES AND KNOWLEDGE.

WE HAVE FOLKS, THE GREAT THING ABOUT BEING IN THIS VIRTUAL WORLD IS WE HAVE FOLKS ACROSS THE WORLD JOIN US 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 PEOPLE AT A TIME WHICH WAS OVERWHELMING, BUT MAURITA AND I ARE NAVIGATING JUST ALL OF THIS GRIEF AND ALL OF THIS LOVE AT THE SAME TIME OF FOLKS SHARING THEIR EXPERIENCES IN THE CHAT AND IT'S BEEN -- YEAH.

IT'S BEEN A RIDE, BUT IT HAS BEEN VERY THERAPEUTIC TO END HEALING AS WELL, TO BE A PART OF THIS MOVEMENT AT THIS TIME.

>> AND I DO THINK THAT'S AN INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT POINT TO MAKE IS FOUR PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN THIS TRAINING WHO HAVE ATTEMPTED TO INCORPORATE THIS, THERE IS A SENSE OF EMPOWERMENT AND THAT'S WHAT I'M GETTING IS PEOPLE CAN COME AWAY FEELING LIKE THERE IS ACTUALLY SOMETHING I CAN DO TO KEEP WHAT MAY FEEL LIKE A WORLD THAT'S SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL FROM BEING TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE, TO A LITTLE LESS STRESSFUL.

IS THAT A CORRECT UNDERSTANDING?

>> ONE STEP AT A TIME.

OF COURSE, ONE STEP AT A TIME.

>> YEAH.

COLLIN, I WANT TO GET YOUR TAKE FROM THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH YOUR ORGANIZATION, WHAT HAS BEEN THEIR TAKEAWAY FROM BEING ABLE TO ACTUALLY DO SOMETHING TO STEP UP AND HELP AND TO FEEL LIKE I'M PART OF SOME KIND OF SOLUTION TO KEEP THINGS FROM GETTING WORSE?

>> WELL, MOST OF OUR -- ALL OF OUR VOLUNTEERS, THEY TAKE A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO THIS, AND SO THEY WANT TO PHYSICALLY BE OUT THERE -- THEY OFFER A SORT OF COMMUNITY POLICING.

WE ARE LIKE A GO-BETWEEN BETWEEN THE NYPD AND THE RESIDENTS AND THE BUSINESS OWNERS IN THIS COMMUNITY.

WE ARE KNOWN FACES IN -- EXCUSE ME.

WE ARE KNOWN TO THE COMMUNITY AND THE BUSINESS OWNERS HERE, SO THEY'RE MORE.

THEY WILL MORE FREELY COME UP AND REPORT ANY PATTERNS OF HARASSMENT, AND WE'RE LIKE A GO-BETWEEN BETWEEN THE NYPD AND THE COMMUNITY.

>> OKAY.

THAT'S DEFINITELY, I THINK, INCREDIBLY HELPFUL ALSO FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW SEEING AS HOW WE'VE HEARD SO MANY REPORTS THAT SOMETIMES PEOPLE ARE HESITANT TO CONTACT THE POLICE BECAUSE PERHAPS THEY DON'T FEEL AS THOUGH THEY GET THE SAME EMPATHETIC RESPONSE FROM A GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION.

>> MAURITA, WE ARE COMING UP TO THE END OF OUR TIME TOGETHER SO I DO WANT TO GIVE YOU THE LAST WORD AND JUST ASK ABOUT YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOW ANY OF THIS, PERHAPS, COULD GET CODIFIED INTO LAW IN TERMS OF LEGISLATION ON A NATIONAL LEVEL, AND WE HAVE ABOUT A MINUTE LEFT, BUT JUST WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON SHOULD ANY OF THIS BE MADE PERMANENT?

>> THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.

FIRST, I WILL SAY THAT THERE ARE REALLY GREAT CONVERSATIONS HAPPENING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AMONG COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ADVOCATES WITH WHAT DO WE MEAN WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT COMMUNITY SAFETY.

WHAT MECHANISMS DO WE NEED IN PLACE SO THAT WE CAN BE SAFE AND FEEL SAFE AND OTHERS HAVE NOTED THAT'S NOT ALWAYS GOING TO BE THE POLICE, RIGHT?

SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT THOSE CONVERSATIONS CONTINUE AND WE FIND WAYS TO BUILD IN MORE MECHANISMS FOR COMMUNITY SAFETY INTO OUR LIVES AND POLICIES, BUT ONE POSITIVE STEP FORWARD IS THAT JUST LAST MONTH, THE SENATE PASSED THE COVID-19 HATE CRIME ACTS.

I VOTED 94 TO 1 AND THIS LAW DOES A LOT TO ADDRESS ISSUES ON DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING OF HATE CRIMES BECAUSE WE NEED GOOD DATA IN ORDER TO ADVOCATE FOR SOLUTIONS.

ANOTHER ASPECT OF THE LAW THAT WE THINK IS A GREAT STEP FORWARD IS THAT IT MANDATES THAT THE MECHANISMS THAT ARE SET UP FOR REPORTING FOR COLLECTION OF INFORMATION ABOUT HATE CRIMES IS DONE IN DIFFERENT LANGUAGES WHICH IS GOING TO BE CRITICAL FOR THE ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITY.

SO THERE ARE LOTS OF PROVISIONS IN THIS LAW, BUT IT'S A -- WE SEE THIS AS A GREAT STEP FORWARD THAT THE SENATE HAS PASSED THIS BILL AND THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IS SLATED TO TAKE IT UP THIS MONTH ASK WE ARE HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL PASS THE COVID-19 HATE CRIMES ACT.

>> WE, UNFORTUNATELY, HAVE RUN OUT OF TIME, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL THREE OF MY GUESTS.

MAURITA, DAX VALDES, EXCUSE ME, AND COLLIN CHAN, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US IN HAVING THIS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.

>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME.

>> THANK YOU.

>> YOU ALL TAKE CARE.

BE SAFE.

♪ ♪ >>> "METROFOCUS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY -- SUE AND EDGAR WACHENHEIM III.

SYLVIA A.

AND SIMON B. POYTA PROGRAMING ENDOWMENT TO FIGHT ANTI-SEMITISM.

THE PETER G. PETERSON AND JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND.

BERNARD AND DENISE SCHWARTZ.

BARBARA HOPE ZUCKERBERG.

THE AMBROSE MONELL FOUNDATION.

AND BYÂ -- JANET PRINDLE SEIDLER.

JODY AND JOHN ARNHOLD.

CHERYL AND PHILIP MILSTEIN FAMILY.

JUDY AND JOSH WESTON.

DR. ROBERT C. AND TINA SOHN FOUNDATION.

PATTY ASWITH KENNER.