“How’s grandma?” Cynthia asked.
“She’s resting. I baked cookies. They’re fresh out of the oven.”
“How can you bake cookies after what happened to her?”
“I baked them for her.”
“Mom, you should be furious. Grandma was attacked because she’s Asian and nobody lifted a finger to help her.”
“Maybe they were scared. The assailant could have had a gun.”
“Thank God, he didn’t. And those two security guards should be fired.”
“What good would that do?”
“They witnessed everything but instead of intervening, they locked the door. You want to tell me that they were scared too?”
98 Words
This was inspired by the true story of the vicious attack on a 65 year old woman. The security guards witnessed the incident but they didn’t intervene and instead shut the door.
This post is for the Friday’s Fictioneers hosted by Rochelle Wisoff-Fields. You can find this week’s prompt here. To read other stories or to participate, click here.
Notes to Women 
Two different attitudes so clearly expressed. It shows how reactions to racism change down the generations. Older people have learned to put up with it, make excuses, but young people, rightly, won’t put up with it any longer. A fine story.
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I was hoping to capture the different attitudes among the two generations and am glad that I did. I’m with the young people who say enough is enough and want to stand up and fight against racism. Thanks, Jenne 🙂
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Can’t believe this is a true story. I hope the security guards were suitably punished for their actions.
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Yes, sadly the story of the woman attacked in New York is true. She was kicked and punched. It was clearly a hate crime. The security guards were suspended.
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WTF. And the cavalier way he did it. The security folks should be haunted by their lack of response. It was in front of their assigned location. Non-violent offenders need to be emptied out of jails and prisons and attackers like this one put in instead. Don’t tell me there isn’t some surveillance footage along the way to nail down who hurt this innocent person.
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I know. It was a shocking and reprehensible attack on a defenseless woman who had every right to be where she was. And what was as upsetting was the lack of response to her distress. There was footage and we were able to see the culprit which most likely led to his arrest. Here’s the story of his arrest. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/man-arrested-nyc-attack-65-year-old-asian-woman-n1262573
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We know who got this ball of hatred rolling. He’s off enjoying the life of luxury while mayhem snowballs. “Suspended” security that shut the door?! How about firing and possible charges of criminal neglect. In some places “cops” are on duty 24/7 and have a duty to act. About the perpetrator: he looks like he has been pumping iron in prison for a long time. Anyone who commits matricide is beyond help. Why did it take this brutal attack to get this person locked up, hopefully for life!!!!!!
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Yes, they were replaying the clips of him ranting and blaming China for the virus. There was even a clip of the words, “Corona Virus” on a sheet of paper in front of him. He had crossed out “Corona” and written “China”above it. He should be held accountable for these attacks on the Asian communities. The security guards should be fired. And I was shocked to learn that the attacker was a parolee who murdered his mother. Apparently he had a knife and could have used it on that poor woman. Thankfully, she survived the attack but this man should be charged with assault, carrying a weapon (the knife), hate crime and violating his parole. Maybe he will be locked up for good this time.
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You know, Magarisa, I wonder how many others have been brutalized by this man? This is a guy in the olden days the women in the neighborhood would pull into an alley and put him head first into a trash bin and make sure he never hurt another person. You’re right, the orange stain needs to pay.
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Lisa, I have no idea how many other women he has attacked but the fact that he killed his own mother…? I don’t even want to think about how she must have felt in the moments before she was murdered. It is obvious that he has not be rehabilitated. He was released into society by the parole board, no doubt but unfortunately, he attacked an innocent woman. He should not be on the streets, causing harm. Let’s see what the courts will do now. As a black woman, I have a problem with races who have been victims of racism attacking other races and telling them that they don’t belong there. There should be solidarity among all the races and they should stand together to fight against the hate which is destroying the country, instead of each other.
Adele
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I’m with Iain and Jenne – it is so awful that it is based on a true story, and sad that many so resigned to the hate out there. I’m with you in agreeing with the younger person on this one!
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Yes, it’s horrible that this is a true story–that these sort of things happen in this day and age. There is so much hate in this world. Some many things need to be done to combat this hateful and hostile climate people are currently living in.
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I do not know why there is so much hate today. We do all have to do something about it.
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The hate was probably there but now the atmosphere is there for it to thrive. Yes, we really need to do something.
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Better safe than sorry? Not exactly the attitude they should have adopted.
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Not this isn’t the best attitude to have. Some people have lost their lives because of these racist attacks. One woman lost her grandfather who was attacked by a man on his driveway after he returned from a walk.
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I saw videos of the attack, the do-nothing guard, and the closing of the door. And as appalled as I was, I had to wonder: Are we really that frightened here in the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave? Afraid we, too, will be attacked? How incredibly sad.
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I think people don’t intervene because they are afraid but these were security guards. They are trained to protect people.
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Such a loathesome situation is going on right now. People acting in packs like animals fighting for their lives when there is no reason.
Well done, Adele
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You’re right, Dale. People have a right to feel safe in their communities or wherever they are. And what is appalling is that some of the perpetrators are people who most likely have had to deal with racism themselves.
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I know. This is so sad that many who dealt with it are also dealing it.
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Yes, it is sad and outrageous what they have to deal with. Many of them are made to feel that they don’t belong and are told go back to where they come from even though they are Americans by birth or by citizenship like everybody else.
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It’s been horrible.
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Yes, it has been 😦
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I like how you contrasted the reactions of the two; but what a horrible story and all too common in one way or another.
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Thanks, Elmo. I wanted to show how the two generations see things so differently. It is a horrible story. The NYC woman’s attacker has been arrested.
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I didn’t like to like this. It’s well written and very dead-on to what is happening in our world. So very sad…. We know from whence this kind of hatred emerged. Sigh…. Leaves me angry and sad.
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I understand where you’re coming from, Bear. It’s a topic which is very upsetting for many of us but I felt compelled to write about it. It is heartbreaking to see what is happening in the world. And yes, we know where this kind of hatred came from. I very grateful that the man who attacked the woman was arrested. Laws need to be in place to protect people who have a right like everybody else to live in safety and persecute to the fullest extent of the law and convict those who are guilty of committing and inciting these acts of violence.
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5-6 yrs ago… This was a very rare thing. So very sad….
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What everyone above said! I think the time of excuses and deflection is about to end. More and more people can’t accept what’s been appening much longer. Everywhere. Great story about a sad, outrageous reality.
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The government needs to put federal and state laws in place to deal with this racism problem. Enough talk. It’s time for action. People need to feel safe in their communities. Thanks, GH. I felt compelled to address this ugly reality.
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Shocking – I saw the report. The guards were cowards…
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They should have done something. Some people would say that they didn’t because they didn’t know if the man had a weapon. It turned out that he had a knife. I saw a clip of a man punching an Asian man in the subway car and I didn’t see anyone jump in to help the victim. People don’t get involved either because they are afraid of getting hurt themselves or they just don’t want to get involved.
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Need to encourage a raging mob at the scene.
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There should be protests and movements like the ones for George Floyd. An 84 year old Asian man was shoved and died from his injuries after being shoved by a teen who pleaded not guilty. His lawyer said that there wasn’t any intent to kill and that they would be exploring “any altered mental state that might help us understand why this happened.” The fact is this man was assaulted and died as a result. His attacker should be charged with assault and murder. https://news.yahoo.com/teen-pushed-elderly-thai-man-213530675.html
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A strong story of today. I feel for them both. It’s hard to find a soft spot on either side.
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Thanks. I felt that it needed to be written and wanted to capture the differing sentiments of the two people.
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Dear Adele,
I saw that story. Appalling. Insane. Well written story that has my blood boiling.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
It is reprehensible and I’m so happy that the man got arrested. I’m thankful that the story got the reaction I wanted.
Shalom,
Adele
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