Thread by @nytimes

Over the past year, in an unrelenting series of episodes with clear racial animus, people of Asian descent have been pushed, beaten, kicked and called the ugliest of names. The violence has spanned many regions of the U.S., our analysis found. nyti.ms/3wouwbb

Activists say that the violence was fueled early in the pandemic after Donald Trump as president began calling the coronavirus the “Chinese virus.” nyti.ms/39HqqBd

We collected more than 110 media reports of episodes since March 2020 against people of Asian descent in which the assailants expressed explicit racial hostility with their language. nyti.ms/39HqqBd

Victims in many of the episodes were physically assaulted. In the most heinous attacks, they were forcefully shoved on streets, punched in their faces or dragged by a car. nyti.ms/39HqqBd

People of Asian descent, like other ethnic groups, have long been subjected to racial slurs. Of the many episodes of verbal assault we found, about half involved direct references to Covid. nyti.ms/39HqqBd

Graffiti, often linking Asians to Covid-19 or using other derogatory language, has been prevalent at people’s homes and businesses, as well as on cars and public property.

“Kill all Chinese people” was written on the wall of a New York subway station. nyti.ms/39HqqBd

Our reporting shows that the episodes have unfolded across the country, mostly in big cities along the coasts with large Asian populations, but also in smaller cities like Midland, Texas, and Stevens Point, Wisconsin. nyti.ms/39HqqBd

“It’s all your fault,” was shouted in Seattle.
“Go back to China,” an attacker yelled in Chicago.
“Disease spreader,” was called out from a car in Philadelphia.

See more of our findings. nyti.ms/39HqqBd