Asian woman slapped during Chinatown hate crime speaks out

ByCeFaan Kim WABC logo

Saturday, April 24, 2021

Woman speaks out after being slapped for talking in Mandarin

A 25-year-old woman, who asked not to show her face or use her name, was on the receiving end of an attack while enjoying outdoor dining with a friend in Chinatown.

CHINATOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- A woman is speaking out after she was attacked in a vicious hate crime in Chinatown that left her face bruised and swollen.

Imagine sitting down for a drink with a friend, enjoying some outdoor dining, then suddenly -- out of nowhere, you get served a complimentary dish of racism and violence.

A 25-year-old woman, who asked Eyewitness News not to show her face or use her name, was on the receiving end of that side dish of hate.

She was having a conversation with her friend in Mandarin, when they were rudely interrupted.

"She was saying stuff like, 'I don't hear you talking, I don't wanna hear that, shut the f*** up!'" the victim said.

The complaint charges that Terrell Harper used anti-Asian slurs and even threatened Detective Vincent Chung's mother on March 11.

In this exclusive Eyewitness News interview, the victim says she and her friend ignored the woman at first.

So, the suspect left, but then she came back. Locked and loaded.

"Go back to where the f*** you come from, go back to your country, and where you come from and stuff like that," the suspect yelled according to the victim.

It happened earlier this month on Grand Street in Chinatown.

That slap to the face left a giant bruise on her face, leaving her eye swollen.

But far worse than the physical pain, is the emotional trauma that is always lurking around the corner ready to strike.

"There was this woman on the same block and she reminded me so much of her," the victim said. "I hate to feel that you know. But she just looks like her. I shouldn't, you know. And so sometimes you get this sort of feeling? Yeah and that day after I started shaking and crying."

Cops arrested 29-year-old Cheyenne Taylor from Brooklyn this week. She's charged with aggravated harassment as a hate crime.

As for the victim, you can hear the fear in her voice. But you can also hear the strength to stand up and speak out.

"You wanna speak up for your community. For yourself also," the victim said.

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