© screenshot/ youtubeOlivia Munn condemns rise in attacks against Asian Americans
Actress Olivia Munn condemned the increase in violence against the Asian American community during the coronavirus pandemic, saying young people should speak up for older adults who fall victim to such attacks.
Munn addressed incidents of violence during an appearance on "The View" on Friday, noting that her friend's mother was recently attacked outside a bakery in New York City.
"We can't ignore the fact that there has been an astronomical rise in attacks in the Asian community since the pandemic was weaponized against us," Munn said.
She told the story of her friend's mother being shoved into a metal newspaper box, resulting in her receiving multiple stitches on her head.
The actress posted photos online of a man suspected of pushing the woman. The New York Police Department later said a suspect was apprehended and credited the "viral" response online for tips to track down the man.
Munn described her friend's mother in a tweet last week as "a petite 5-foot-3 Chinese woman" while sharing surveillance footage of the woman being shoved.
"For so long, the Asian community, my community, we have not really felt seen," Munn said Friday. "That the things that are happening to us aren't important to anybody else, and that we just kind of have to take it on the chin and keep going."
The actress also blamed an association between China and the coronavirus for the uptick in assaults against Asian Americans, saying a "refusal" to refer to COVID-19 by its scientific name and instead associating it with a particular country has led to "this astronomical rise in hate crimes against Asians."
The actress also spoke out about the aversion to causing any trouble in the Asian community, citing a survival mentality that has led many elders to "take [violence] on the chin."
"A lot of the elders in our community are conditioned to not cause any waves. We are conditioned to be second-class citizens. That to simply be in this country and to survive and make it through is enough," she said.
"We are trying very hard to let them know that they raised us right. That we are here to speak up for them, to fight for them."
Hate crimes against the Asian American community have skyrocketed with over 3,000 incidents reported since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) denounced anti-Asian hate crimes earlier this month, noting the killing of an 84-year-old Thai man in her San Francisco-area district.