WOODSIDE — A group of Queens residents are raising money to host a series of self-defense classes in their neighborhood, citing worries over reports of a rise in hate crimes and bias attacks in the wake of the presidential election.
Queens Self-Defense launched an online fundraiser Sunday in the hopes of starting the classes in Woodside and Jackson Heights, saying residents in the diverse areas — which are home to large immigrant populations — are feeling vulnerable since Donald Trump was elected last week.
"Many people in the group, myself included, are people from immigrant backgrounds," said organizer Daniel J., who asked that his last name not be published out of fear that he would be harassed online.
He and fellow organizers, a newly-formed group of about five "concerned citizens," had been following the news both before and after the election and were alarmed by reports of violence and harassment across the country.
"It makes all of us feel uncomfortable," he said. "I think there is a genuine fear."
The group is shooting to raise $2,000 to buy equipment and hire an instructor for donation-based self-defense classes.
Their fundraiser page had racked up slightly more than $300 as of Tuesday afternoon.
"The main goal here is to be able to buy the necessary equipment so we can move forward and give classes that are effective," Daniel J. said. "If we're not protecting ourselves, we're failing our community."
He and other residents aren't alone in their fears: workers in New York City's schools are bracing for a potential rise in anti-immigrant bullying following Trump's win.
The city has also seen a spat of bias incidents and politically-motivated violence in the last week, including a man who punched a woman in a Brooklyn restaurant Saturday for criticizing Trump, and another man who "joked" about shooting a Hell's Kitchen hotel worker if Hillary Clinton won the election.
In Queens last week, a Muslim woman said she was harassed by a white couple for wearing a hijab while riding the Q43 bus, an incident she felt was at least partially spurred by Trump's anti-Muslim rhetoric.
In response to the city's post-election anxieties, City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer is organizing a "Community Speak Out" in Sunnyside Wednesday night, which will feature representatives from groups that advocate for women, immigrants, Muslim and LGBTQ people.
"This has been an emotional and trying week, and many of us are rightly feeling anxious, angry, and afraid," the lawmaker said in an email announcing the event, which will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at Sunnyside Community Services.
"But together, we will channel these emotions into organizing, action, and empowerment," he said.
