Two doormen at an apartment building in Midtown Manhattan has been fired after surveillance footage revealed them actively ignoring an attack on a 65-year-old Asian woman happening outside. The brutal beating happened on March 29 outside 360 West 43rd Street, a luxury condo building in New York City, with the suspect caught on camera knocking the victim to the ground before kicking her repeatedly in the head while shouting, “You don’t belong here.”
🚨WANTED for ASSAULT: Do you know this guy? On 3/29/21 at approx 11:40 AM, in front of 360 W 43 St in Manhattan, the suspect punched and kicked a 65-year-old woman while making anti-Asian statements. Any info? DM @NYPDTips or anonymously call them at 800-577-TIPS. pic.twitter.com/WRE4kSHtRG
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 30, 2021
- People were outraged by bystanders who did nothing to help. At least three people appeared to watch the attack from the building’s lobby, with one of the men closing the door on the suffering woman after the attacker ran away instead of going out to help her. How could anyone be so callous and cruel?
- The concierge and doorman on duty at the time were originally suspended. The building’s management company, Brodsky Organization, said the men were suspended pending further investigation. However, the men, who have not been publicly named, have now been officially fired, the company says.
- Their firing was about protocol, not human decency. “While the full lobby video shows that once the assailant had departed, the doormen emerged to assist the victim and flag down an NYPD vehicle, it is clear that required emergency and safety protocols were not followed,” the company said in a statement. “For this reason, their employment has been terminated, effective immediately. Our company is also committed to implementing a comprehensive retraining of building services staff companywide regarding proper emergency response protocols as well as anti-bias awareness and upstander-bystander interventions.”
- The men who were fired are trying to fight the termination via their union. The union revealed that both men filed grievances claiming wrongful termination, though it’s unclear how far that will go, if anywhere. “We take anti-Asian hatred, and all forms of discrimination, seriously,” said Kyle Bragg, President of 32BJ SEIU. “32BJ members are immigrants and people of color themselves, subject to much of the same racism and violence that our AAPI neighbors face…We believe that all union workers, especially workers of color who are often the subject of unfair treatment on the job, have a right to a fair process as outlined in their contract.”
- Thankfully, the suspect has been caught and charged. Brandon Elliot, 38, was arrested and charged with felony assault as a hate crime for what he did to the victim. Perhaps even more terrifying is the fact that the attack took place as he was on parole for stabbing his mother to death in 2002.
- A GoFundMe page has been started to help the victim, Vilma Kari. Kari is said to be a Filipino immigrant who has lived in New York for several decades. The GoFundMe page has been set up to help pay for her recovery as well as to support other hate crime victims and organizations that fight these horrible attacks. At the time of writing, the page has raised more than $256,000.
Here is a closer look at the suspect. Again, if you have any information please DM @NYPDTips or call them at 800-577-TIPS. All calls are anonymous. pic.twitter.com/wOtMz3IfIG
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) March 30, 2021
