Asian Student Stabbed in Racially Motivated Attack

By: Sydney Spack, Red & Black Contributor

An image of Indinanae University of Pennsylvania's Campus ( Photo Courtesy Getty Images) Courtesy Courtesy Getty

JAN 20 - A simple bus ride home turned into a life-and-death situation for one student at Indiana University. The student, who is of Asian descent, was attacked by Billie Davis, 56, on Jan. 11. Davis used a folding knife to repeatedly stab the unsuspecting student in the head, resulting in multiple puncture wounds, as CNN reported. CNN also reported on an affidavit which detailed that the motivating factor for the attack was the student’s race according to Davis, who is white; she claimed that “it would be one less person to blow up our country.”

In an interview, Jim Wimbush, the vice president of Indiana University’s diversity, equity, and multicultural affairs, stated that “No one should face harassment or violence due to their background, ethnicity or heritage.”

“No one should face harassment or violence due to their background, ethnicity or heritage.” - Jim Wimbush

Yet it seems harassment like this is becoming normality within American society.

The Indiana University Asian Culture Center said in a statement that these types of acts send a “jolt” through their community, “but it is becoming a familiar jolt.” The attack was entirely unprovoked, as digital footage showed no prior interaction between the two women. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the percentage of hate crimes against Asian and Asian American people has risen drastically in the United States, according to Fox News. One report from the FBI showed that in 2020, Asian hate crimes rose 73 percent while other crimes rose only 13 percent.

The victim of this hate-filled attack was taken to the hospital following the event to be treated for her wounds, police stated. Online court documents show that Davis is being charged with attempted murder, aggravated battery, and battery by means of a deadly weapon. Monroe County Chief

Deputy Prosecutor Jeff Kehr told NBC News that “Indiana doesn’t have any hate crime laws.” This lack of law means that there is no way to increase the maximum penalty for the crime due to hate being the motivating factor. However, Kehr says it may be argued to the judge during Davis’s sentencing to increase it beyond the midpoint; this may be allowed by judges if biased factors motivated the crime.