Author: Victor Way

On Thursday, May 21, 2026, during AANHPI Heritage Month, the NYC Office of Special Narcotics brought together staff and community members for a screening of Voices Against Anti-Asian Hate, a documentary co-produced by the Asian American Bar Association of New York (AABANY) and the Asian American Law Fund of New York (AALFNY). The film centers on the deeply personal experiences of individuals and families impacted by anti-Asian violence. The event presented  a moment to sit with America’s history of anti-Asian violence and its haunting legacy: from the exclusion laws of the 19th century, to the internment camps of World War II, to the waves of attacks that surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and continues today.

Throughout the documentary, the phrase, “This was not charged as a hate crime” was repeated again and again in multiple stories. One of the most striking stories was an interview with Patricia, who spoke candidly about her own experience navigating the system after being assaulted. Patricia did everything she could, seeking every available avenue, and still found no justice. After months without any response, she discovered AABANY’s Pro Bono Clinic, which provided actionable steps and legal advice to address her situation. For survivors who arrive vulnerable and unsure where to turn, that kind of grounded, practical guidance is as necessary as it is rare. Patricia pointed to what she identified as one of the most pressing and underappreciated challenges facing the AANHPI community: not a lack of willingness to report, but a lack of response from law enforcement.

Following the screening, a panel discussion brought the film’s themes into direct conversation with legal experience and community advocacy. Moderated by Kay Nguyen, Deputy Chief of the Alternatives to Incarceration Unit for the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York, the panel featured James Lin, a career prosecutor recently retired from the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, and Yang Chen, Executive Director of the Asian American Bar Association of New York.

During the discussion, in response to a question, James Lin explained the intended effect of repeating, “This was not charged as a hate crime.” James Lin drew on his decades of experience in Brooklyn to speak to the ways that bias-motivated violence can be invisible within the bureaucratic logic of charging decisions. While it’s relatively straightforward to prove a crime occurred, proving the intent behind it is far harder. Yang Chen discussed the long history of anti-Asian violence, going back to the 19th century, and how to this day, charging such attacks criminally as hate crimes remains elusive, leading to a heightened sense of frustration and futility in the face of what seems to the AANHPI community to be obvious racially-motivated hate. 

What emerged from the event was not despair but a sense of shared responsibility. The law has tools. Hate crime statutes exist. The question the film poses and the question the panel returns to again and again is whether those tools are being used, and how we can all develop a better understanding of the forces at work, and what changes are needed to prevent future recurrence of hate and violence against vulnerable and marginalized communities.

Special thanks to Bridget G. Brennan and the Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor for the City of New York for hosting this important event during AANHPI Heritage Month.