Published Every Thursday Since September 3, 1890 (908) 232-4407 USPS 680020 Thursday, April 1, 2021 OUR 131ST YEAR – ISSUE NO. 13-2021 Periodical – Postage Paid at Rahway, N.J. www.goleader.com
[email protected] ONE DOLLAR Bias Incidents Target Covid Angels Swoop In to Help Asians in Westfield By REBECCA MEHORTER Specially Written for The Westfield Leader By JENNIFER GLACKIN able to connect with the officer again. AREA — Residents from across Specially Written for The Westfield Leader He told her that he had tried to call New Jersey are rolling up their sleeves WESTFIELD — Bias incidents the individual a few times and be- and undertaking the essential task of have been on the rise in New Jersey lieved it to be a fake phone number. scheduling vaccine appointments for since 2015, according to a report The officer said he did not believe the state’s most vulnerable popula- from the New Jersey State Police the caller knew where Jenny lived tions. (NJSP). In 2019, 994 bias incidents and most likely targeted her because Almost four months after vaccines were reported in New Jersey, a 75- of her last name. The Westfield Po- arrived in New Jersey, eligible indi- percent increase in reported inci- lice Department did not respond to viduals, especially elderly residents, dents from 2018, according to the The Leader’s request for comment. are struggling to use the mainly online report on the NJSP website. This was not the first instance of appointment scheduling system. “If you think hate speech is just a bigotry Jenny has experienced in “Covid Angels,” as social media has problem that exists somewhere else, town.