Maryland launches initiatives to help fight hate crimes against Asians and AAPI

SCREEN CAPTURE

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and his family.

Maryland launched a new initiative to combat the rising number of crimes directed against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. 

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced  Saturday (Oct. 15) a series of statewide actions to combat the rise in anti-Asian hate and bias crimes, including enhanced safety and enforcement measures, more robust community resources, and steps to empower educators and students. 

“The actions we are announcing here today are the beginning,” said Hogan. “We will use every tool at our disposal to help provide additional protection to those who are impacted by these crimes. I want to sincerely thank all the members of the workgroup for agreeing to serve this important mission at such a critical time. 

The Republican governor thanked his wife, Yumi Hogan, who is Korean American, and daughter, Jaymi Sterling, for bringing the issue of anti-Asian hate to his attention.

“It was actually Jaymi’s idea to create this work group to address the alarming rise of racist rhetoric, vitriol and harassment against Asian Americans.”

Sterling is a member of the Asian American Hate Crimes Workgroup. She’s also an assistant state’s attorney in Anne Arundel County. Sterling said Asian Americans across the country “are under attack.”

“We want the victims of these crimes to know, we see you. We hear you. And we’re here and we’re standing with you,” added Sterling.

Hogan was also joined for Saturday’s announcements by former U.S. Attorney Robert K. Hur, chairman of the governor’s Asian American Hate Crimes Workgroup, and members of the workgroup. The governor announced the establishment of the workgroup in April in response to the rise in violence and discrimination targeting the Asian American community. Nearly one-third of Asian Americans have experienced discrimination in some form over the course of the pandemic.

“To make things better, to reduce ignorance and hate, we need concrete action informed by careful thought, analysis, and consideration of different perspectives,” said Hur. 

Former U.S. Attorney Robert Hur chairs Maryland's Asian American Hate Crimes Work Group.

Building on the workgroup’s efforts, the governor is advancing immediate actions to support Asian American students, businesses, and families: 

Public Safety and Enforcement

• Updating hate and bias training for law enforcement agencies to include reporting of hate and bias incidents and crimes. 
• Designating a Maryland State Police commander to act as liaison for hate crimes and racially biased incidents, and launching a partnership between the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center (MCAC) and the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives (GOCI) to share data.
• Encouraging state and local law enforcement agencies to prioritize diversity in recruiting, and offering incentives for officers who are proficient in multiple languages.
• Providing $1 million in funding to provide devices with translation apps (i.e. Google Translate) for law enforcement and victims services organizations.
• Calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to expedite guidance for the implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act.

Community Resources

• Increasing Protecting Against Hate Crimes funding from $3 million to $5 million—a 67% increase—and directing the Governor’s Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs to conduct aggressive outreach efforts regarding the availability of funding.
• Making 211 Maryland a resource for reporting hate and bias incidents and providing information about services and resources in Asian languages.
• Launching an online resource center, and publishing a guide for How To Report Hate Crimes & Incidents available in Asian languages.
• Developing alternative reporting channels, including community organizations, nonprofits, and faith centers.

Educators and Students

• Directing the Maryland Center for School Safety to develop resources for educators, parents, and students on how to identify and report hate and bias incidents.
• Engaging with the Maryland State Department of Education on developing a Continuing Professional Development offering on Asian American history for teachers.
• Working with the University System of Maryland to explore scholarships and fellowships through the Merrill College of Journalism to encourage more Asian-American participation in journalism.
• Provide education resources online for educators and members of the public.

Maryland governor claims Trump told him that South Koreans are 'terrible people'

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and his wife Yumi Hogan, who was born in South Korea.

ASAM NEWS

Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, wrote in a Washington Post op-ed that Donald Trump disparaged South Koreans in front of his South Korean-born wife.
While addressing how Trump did not help governors secure COVID-19 testing kits, Hogan shared how Trump also openly insulted South Koreans in a private dinner sponsored by the Republicans Governors Association.

Hogan recalled Trump condemning his relations with South Korean President Moon Jae-in during a private dinner held in February.

In the editorial dubbed "Fighting Alone" published on Thursday, Hogan said, “I don’t remember him (Trump) mentioning the virus, but he talked about how much he respected President Xi Jiping of China; how much he liked playing golf with his buddy ‘Shinzo,’ Prime Minister Abe of Japan; how well he got along with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.”

“Then, the jarring part …Trump said he really didn’t like dealing with President Moon from South Korea. The South Koreans were ‘terrible people,’ he said, and he didn’t know why the United States had been protecting them all these years. ‘They don’t pay us,’ Trump complained.”

According to the Korea Herald, Trump was referring to the 28,500 American troops dispatched in South Korea to contain North Korea’s military threat.

Hogan said Trump’s remarks were made in front of his South Korean born wife Yumi.

“Yumi was sitting there as the President hurled insults at her birthplace,” Hogan noted. “I could tell she was hurt and upset.”

This is not the first time Trump allegedly expressed dissatisfaction towards relations with South Korea.

Korea’s Joongang Daily reported Bob Woodward recounted in his 2018 book, Fear: Trump in the White House, that the US President did not have the best ties with Moon Jae-In. Woodward said Trump frequently criticized the trade deficit between the US and South Korea.

Former US national security advisor John Bolton also shared in his memoir, The Room Where it Happened, that “Trump wanted Moon nowhere around” for a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jung-un at the demilitarized zone on June 30, 2019.

Hogan’s article came amid Trump’s strike against the governor’s efforts to secure coronavirus test kits from South Korea.

With the help of his South Korean wife Yumi, Hogan received 500,000 test kits from South Korea in April. According to Joongang Daily, Hogan credited his wife as a “special ally” that assisted in making a phone call to the South Korean ambassador to the U.S., Lee Soo-hyuck on March 28th.

The Hogans’ successful procurement of coronavirus test kits came after Trump declared each state should be responsible for their own COVID-19 testing, according to Independent.

“That request set in motion what we called Operation Enduring Friendship, 22 days of vetting, testing and negotiating an unprecedented set of protocols. Our scientists and doctors spoke to their scientists and doctors,” Hogan wrote in his anecdote. “Eight Maryland government agencies got involved, as did their counterparts in Korea. It took dozens and dozens of phone calls, night after night — sometimes it seemed like all night — working through language barriers and a 13-hour time difference.”

Hogan said he initially expected Trump to applaud the state’s efforts and was shocked when Trump publicly condemned the governor’s actions.

Hogan recollected how Trump complained, “The governor from Maryland didn’t really understand (about testing). The governor of Maryland could’ve called Mike Pence, could’ve saved a lot of money… I don’t think he needed to go to South Korea. I think he needed to get a little knowledge.”

Hogan explained how he had no choice but to reach out to South Korea. “So many nationwide actions could have been taken in those early days but weren’t. While other countries were racing ahead with well-coordinated testing regimes, the Trump administration bungled the effort,” Hogan stressed. “The test used by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention early on was fraught with inaccuracies, and onerous regulations hindered the nation’s private labs. The resulting disorganization would delay mass testing for almost two months and leave the nation largely in the dark as the epidemic spread.”