Brooklyn Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte has strongly condemned what she describes as racial attack on a Black woman at the Church Avenue B/Q station in Brooklyn.
“This was a racially motivated hate crime and should be treated as such with every resource available from the police precinct and the MTA (Metropolitan Transportation Authority) to find this criminal,” said Bichotte, who represents the 42nd Assembly District, on Monday.
“This area of Flatbush is and has been a diverse community, where we have been able to live amongst one another peacefully,” she added. “We will not tolerate hate crimes in our community.
“‘Hate has no place here,’ a slogan that has been embraced by the community, has to be a reality,” Bichotte continued. “As a leader of this diverse community, I will continue to implement legislation that will protect all from hate crimes.
She said Nov. 9 seemed to be a typical day for Ann Marie Washington, 57, who was heading home after a day’s work, “until an unexpected attack by a white male approximately 30 years old took place” at the subway station.
Bichotte said the perpetrator, who is yet to be captured, yelled out to Washington, “Black B—-,” before brutally punching her in the face several times and stabbing her from behind around 7:30 pm.
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams has called on the New York Police Department (NYPD) to act quickly in apprehending the perpetrator.
“This must be immediately investigated as a hate crime,” he told reporters at a press conference at the B/Q subway station. “This was a mother who was assaulted for no other reason, based on what we heard – her ethnicity.
“That is unacceptable in this community,” Adams stressed.
Ms. Washington’s daughter, Itisha, also wants justice for her mother, noting the brutality of the attack.
Itisha said her mother is recovering from surgery to repair a collapsed lung.
