ST. LOUIS — Police say earlier this month a 56-year-old Asian-American reported someone severely beat him when he tried to enter a subway station in New York City.
Over the weekend, an Asian-American woman in San Jose, California, told police a man sexually assaulted her outside a train station.
Investigators say the two incidents are among a growing number of unprovoked attacks on Asian-Americans.
Violence that has increased nationwide since the coronavirus.
"People who are targeted are the folks who are the most vulnerable, women and the elderly," said Caroline Fan, the President and Founder of the Missouri Asian American Youth Foundation.
According to "Stop AAPI Hate," a national coalition that's documenting discrimination during the pandemic, it has received 3,800 self-reports of anti-Asian hate incidents since March of last year.
"I don't even think 3,800 is totally accurate because our community is too afraid to report," said Caroline Fan.
Fan said while there has not been an uptick in violence against Asian-Americans locally, she said fears are growing among some.
"I talked to some people just today and they said 'Oh, we don't want to talk to the press about any of this.' Yes, people around here are afraid to talk and some are even afraid to leave their homes because they worry they might be attacked," added Fan.
Experts point to several factors behind the rise in violence against Asian-Americans including a "history of prejudice toward Asian communities," as well as what they call former President Donald Trump and other political leaders' use of "racist rhetoric to describe COVID-19."
"We have to stop stereotyping the Asian-American community for something that is entirely not their fault," said Karen Aroesty, the Regional Director of ADL-Heartland.
On Friday, local and state lawmakers will hold a news conference at City Hall in downtown St. Louis. Caroline Fan said among the issues they'll discuss include: speaking out against this week's deadly shootings in Atlanta and calling for more support for the Asian-American community in the St. Louis area.
"We want decision-makers here to pay attention to our community, to reach out to us and implement changes," said Caroline Fan.
This weekend volunteers hope to start calling elderly members of the Asian-American community in St. Louis on a regular basis as part of a new "welfare check" program, which local leaders plan to officially be announced on Friday.