KPOP Broadway actor victim of racist incident at Starbucks in New York

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Lina Rose Lee, an actress who recently starred in the Broadway musical KPOP, took to social media to share a racist incident she experienced at a cafe in Times Square, New York.

Lee, who was recording a dance cover of the song Flower in Times Square, Blackpink member Jisoos, entered the Starbucks from 43rd Street and Broadway with her videographer for a short break around 9 a.m. on April 7.

Since there were no tables in the crowded shop, the two stood on either side of a man and a woman, who they believed to be a couple.

My videographer and I separated and stood alongside the couple on either end since they were in the middle. My videographer wanted to check our dance recordings so asked me to unlock my phone. As I was typing my password, all of a sudden the man started looking at my phone and reading my password out loud and laughed it off with his wife in a mocking tone.

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It’s not that hard, the man said, referring to Lees’ password, according to the actor.

Although Lee ignored him, he reportedly continued to stare at his phone as the actor and his videographer reviewed footage of the dance cover.

Sounds OK, he reportedly said, to which Lee turned and asked him, Could you stop looking at my phone, please?

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The man would then have said: This is my city. I can do anything I want. Get out of my town.

A video of the incident posted by Lee on Instagram shows the man giving the middle finger, telling Lee to leave the store and calling her an ugly female dog.

Lee admitted to resorting to cursing during the incident, noting that English was her second language and she couldn’t respond to him in a more polished way.

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Lee, who currently resides in New York, tells NextShark the incident changed the way he views the city.

Sometimes I do dance covers in Times Square for work, and usually I feel good because there are a lot of passers-by and police, but this incident made me feel unsafe. I’m shocked that this continues to happen in New York and want to help raise awareness so it doesn’t happen again. I felt scared, hurt and disrespected.

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Although the actor has no plans to file a civil action at this time, she is considering hiring a private security guard or escort to accompany her and her videographer on future dance covers. in Times Square.

I never thought I would be the target of a racist verbal attack in public, especially at a busy Starbucks in the middle of Times Square. I’ve seen many stories in the media over the past two years since COVID-19 about anti-Asian hate crimes, but I didn’t think this would happen to me. I also realized that even if someone looks completely normal on the outside, they can have a terrible side. I was so surprised because the incident was unprovoked and he looked like a normal man having coffee at a Starbucks.

Lee moved to New York from South Korea in 2011. She is known for her viral K-pop dance covers around Times Square.

It is not because we are minorities that we should be silent. Anti-Asian hatred is still rampant in New York. No one deserves this kind of treatment. I hope people have the courage to stand up for others when they witness racism, Lee told NextShark.

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