Asian woman was insulted by a group of teenagers in the US

An Asian woman was harassed and racially profiled by a group of teenagers on a train in Massachusetts, but was helped by three other women.

Vivian Dang, 25, said a group of unidentified teenagers followed her into a train car in Boston, Massachusetts on September 21, NBC News reported on September 29. They racially abused Dang, mocked her accent and surrounded her.

"Can I have dumplings or ramen with eggs?" a teenager asked in a Dang-imitated voice.

As Dang exited the train, the group of teenagers tried to block her way. Dang said she was most frightened when one of the teenagers yelled, "Don't let her go," fearing they would follow her home. She also said the group of teenagers immediately began threatening passengers as soon as they boarded the train.

Massachusetts Bay Transit Police confirmed they are investigating the incident. Police previously posted on social media that they were searching for teenagers who taunted, harassed, threatened passengers and smashed train windows before leaving.

"A witness said the juveniles approached the victim and taunted her for being Asian. They taunted her about her ethnicity, tried to imitate Asian accents and threatened to rob several other people on the train," said Transit Police Director Richard Sullivan, adding that the teens also harassed an Asian man on the train.

One of the teenagers who harassed and racially discriminated against Vivian Dang on a train in Boston, Massachusetts on September 21. Photo: NBC — One of the teenagers who harassed and racially discriminated against Vivian Dang on a train in Boston, Massachusetts on September 21. Photo: *NBC*

Dang said three women helped her on the crowded train that day. Two encouraged her to sit next to them, while the other spoke up for her.

"I thanked them for helping me. One even gave me pepper spray," Dang said. "She said she always had these ready."

One of the women insisted that the incident was serious and called the police, helping Dang report it to them. A police officer then drove Dang home in a patrol car.

Dang expressed her gratitude, noting that women have shown solidarity in the face of threats and harassment they face. "It's always women helping each other. You can see women pretending to know each other on the street just to avoid a stranger approaching them. It's become common for women to help each other," she said. "I also hope that this incident will spark more discussions about the racism that happens every day."

Huyen Le (According to NBC, Boston Globe )

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