Support for Kazi Azad, attacked outside Ittadi

This is a fundraiser to assist Kazi Azad, a 53-year-old man who was brutally attacked, unprompted while trying to buy iftar.

Tuesday (4/26) in the evening, while waiting in the Iftar line at Ittadi in Diversity Plaza, an argument broke out between two men which quickly escalated. The younger of the two started to push and yell at the older man, Kazi Azad. The younger man then punched Kazi Azad in the face, breaking his nose. He then left Kazi Azad to bleed on the ground and escalated the conflict by calling the police to leverage support and make himself appear to be the victim. The younger man spoke English fluently and used that skill to talk down to Kazi Azad. The police accepted what the younger man said uncritcally because he spoke English and therefore could control the story in his favor. 

 

With the support of witnesses and women community members, Kazi Azad was able to get help to correct the false account that the police were uncritically accepting from the younger man who attacked him. He was also able to get access to medical attention and care. Kazi Azad spent 11 hours in the hospital from evening until morning. His nose is broken and he is awaiting surgery and several more medical appointments.

 

Kazi has lived in the US since 2007 as an immigrant and without any family. His entire family is back home in Bangladesh. He works at an ice cream store and occasionally also works as a waiter at hotel banquet halls. He has been a DRUM member since 2020 and very active in the fight for the Excluded Workers Fund. At recent marches, Kazi Azad would check up on others, pass out food, or run ahead to buy coffee and medicine.

 

Your support is appreciated. All funds will go directly to Kazi Azad to cover lost wages and basic living needs as he will not be working for several weeks. As you know, the pandemic continues to have a profound impact on our communities, it’s clearer and clearer that we need to be able to support each other during these challenging times. We keep each other safe and take care of each other in the face of violence no matter what form it takes—on the streets between community members, negligence from the state, police violence and abuse, and in our homes.