A Florida man is accused of committing several hate crimes against Asian people, and has been charged in association with these crimes. However, his mother insists that he’s not racist — even though the crimes he is accused of committing paint a horrifying picture of unhinged white supremacy.
The momma’s boy in question, named Steven Zajonc, is accused of assaulting at least seven Asian women in a string of attacks that took place over the course of one day. The crimes, which took place in Manhattan, New York, resulted in numerous injuries and a tremendous amount of emotional trauma. Police say the Florida man punched one victim, an Asian woman in her 50s, in the face. He is also accused of splitting the lips of two other Asian women while elbowing them in their faces.
Zajonc’s mother says that he has no hatred toward Asian people, even though the alleged seven-hour-long rampage involved only Asian women. It should be noted that the mother of the man is currently in Florida — where he is originally from — and was nowhere within even 800 miles of her son at the time that the incidents took place.
Hate crimes against Asians are on the rise
Since the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic, hate crimes perpetrated against Asians have increased. According to NBC News, the number of hate crimes targeting the Asian community rose by over 70% between 2020 and 2021. If that figure isn’t shocking enough, experts believe that the actual number could be higher, but due to underreporting of these crimes we may never know the exact figure. What is shown by the numbers clearly, however, is that the vast majority of perpetrators of these hate crimes are white people. Meanwhile, the San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that most of the attention in the media and via so-called “solutions” has been focused on people of color as perpetrators. This disparity between statistical studies and media attention is only inflaming the situation even further — and isn’t helping at all.
Is mental illness to blame?
In this particular case, it appears that mental illness is being blamed for the Florida man’s behavior. While it’s very possible that Zajonc suffers from mental illness or some kind of behavioral disorder, it’s important to note that mental illness isn’t a valid reason for committing several hate-fueled assaults in any span of time — much less seven hours. Tens of thousands of people live with mental illness, and very, very few of them commit violent crimes — much less hate crimes. Mental illness is a popular defense in criminal court, but can it really explain away the attacks of seven Asian women?
Chelsea Hoffman is a true crime writer with over a decade of professional writing experience. She is best known for her coverage of missing people including the tragic disappearance of Madeleine McCann as well as the heartbreaking cases of Dylan Redwine, Heather Elvis and many others.
