Ep 125 | Peter Yang Zhao and Steven Lee Fight to Stop Asian Hate Crimes Part 1

Apr 12, 2021

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A note from Talking Taiwan host Felicia Lin:

My guests on this episode of Talking Taiwan about the topic of Asian hate are Peter Yang Zhao and Steve Lee. Both have been active in the fight to stop Asian hate crimes, and have lots to share on the topic of Asian hate. Peter Yang Zhao, is an anti-Asian hate crime activist, and Tourette’s syndrome activist.

A quick glance at his Instagram handle @fabulously_tourette reveals how outspoken he is on these topics. We will have him back on as a guest on a future episode to talk about his Tourette’s syndrome and advocacy work. Sergeant Steven Lee is a 16-year veteran of the NYPD, a whistleblower fighting to reform police corruption and anti-Asian hate crime activist. In 2020 he ran for State Assembly in District 40.

Here’s a little preview of what we talked about in this podcast episode:

The 89-year-old woman who was set on fire in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, New York on July 14, 2020
They Can’t Burn Us All rallies and movement
Guardian Angels
How early on in the COVID-19 pandemic Steve donated N-95 masks to seniors
Early reactions within the Asian community when the Chinese started being blamed for spreading the Coronavirus
How Steve posted about crimes against Asians on Facebook saying that we need to start neighborhood block watches
How Steve created Asians in America which donated cooked food to first responders
The two block watch programs in Flushing: Main Street Patrol and PSP
How the Asian Hate Crime Task Force is volunteer-based and not an actual official unit
The pushback that the Asian Hate Crime Task Force is getting from cops
How cops need to understand the culture of neighborhoods that they work in
Peter’s various encounters with Taiwanese after moving to the U.S from China where he was born and raised
The Asian hate crime that happened to Peter’s wife