Taking self-defense training to counter bias attacks

A group of New Yorkers took an NYPD self-defense class on Sunday, part of a new movement to empower the Asian and Pacific Islander community in response to a spike in hate incidents.

"How can we not become a victim? By being aware of your surroundings. When someone is not paying attention, that's the perfect time for others to start to attack you," said John Wind, the main instructor of Sunday's self-defense class sponsored by the New York City Police Department.

"If someone is looking at you, just be mindful and know what's behind you. Be aware of people who are watching you," Wind added.

The Asian-Hate Crime Seminar and Free Self-Defense Workshop, organized by the Asian Hate Crime Task Force in conjunction with the America China Public Affairs Institute (ACPAI) and Wind Jiu-Jitsu, a martial arts school based in New York City, attracted more than 100 participants.

"This anti-hate workshop that the police department offered to the Asian community is to bring awareness, basic techniques and knowledge of (self-defense), how to not become a victim," said NYPD Inspector Tommy Ng, the commanding officer of the Asian Hate Crime Force assigned to patrol Queens.

The youngest participant in the workshop was 16 years old. With some other elders participating, the event helped the Asian community network with their neighbors and friends, Ng said.

"Our workshop wants to call for the awareness of self-defense," said Fred Teng, President of the America China Public Affairs Institute. "We want our community to know how to be aware of people who want to hurt us and how to protect ourselves."

Seven instructors attended the workshop, including several police officers, a US Army veteran, a detective and a teacher.

"The self-defense we taught today is under the style of Brazilian jiujitsu," said Wind, who has been practicing the martial art and combat sport for more than 23 years and teaching self-defense for more than 17 years.

Much of Brazilian jiujitsu training focuses on ground-fighting, but its stand-up fighting aspects can be used to defend against a street attack.

"Our workshop focuses on the leverage. We work on twisting the arm or getting out of chokeholds. So for someone smaller, they can overcome a bigger person," he continued.

Kathy Jiang, 30, a New Yorker new to martial arts, said she learned many ways to protect herself.

"I feel it's very meaningful. Those tips and skills they taught us are very useful in case a situation arises," she said. "I hope these skills will never come in handy. But if something does happen, at least I have some basic skills to protect myself."

Yifan Ruan, 29, said the workshop raised her awareness of self-defense. "I just learned where the weakest point on a person's arm is and how to attack people's other weak points. I gained the awareness to pay attention to the environment."

But defending yourself is the last option, said Wind.

"The first thing we want to do is to get away. Don't become a target," he said. "A lot of this stuff can be avoided if you are aware of your surroundings. Believe it or not, your instinct will tell you whether it's right or not. You have to walk with confidence. You have to look strong and confident; you need to show that you're alert and look around. These people like to prey on people who look weak and closed up."

Sunday's workshop was held in Manhattan Chinatown, where several anti-Asian hate crimes have been reported this year. As of May 9, the city has seen 81 anti-Asian hate crimes, compared with 17 in the same time period in 2020.

"We need people to report to the police if an incident occurs. Hate crimes have to be crimes first and foremost. If you report the incidents, our government will also get to know our current situation," said Teng, who is also a member of the NYPD Hate Crime Review Panel, a community-based panel to help advise if the incident should be deemed a hate crime.

The latest statistics from Stop AAPI Hate, a non-profit organization that tracks incidents of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the US, showed that self-reported incidents of racism and hate crimes jumped from a cumulative 3,795 between March 2020 and February 2021 to a total of 6,603 within just one month in March 2021.

Although verbal harassment and incidents of shunning and avoidance declined, there were more physical assaults.

"We know how important it is to help the public to feel safe and confident. These crimes are out of control; it should not be like this. We are all here to stop hate and racism," said Wind.