Stop AAPI Hate:11,500 anti-Asian incidents over a span of two years; no signs of a slowdown of attacks

Two years of being the target of hate has done little to slow the attacks aginst Asian Americans. According to a new report, since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 11,500 hate incidents reported to Stop AAPI Hate.

Stop AAPI Hate released a new report, Two Years and Thousands of Voices, which provides deeper insight into the racism and discrimination the AAPI community has faced since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

“Our self-reported data shows that if you’re only watching the news, you aren’t getting the full picture of what AAPIs are experiencing,” said Russell Jeung, Ph.D., co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. “AAPIs are verbally harassed in grocery stores and shops, on the street and on public transit. We have a right to be treated with dignity and respect.”

The incidents of hate which coincided with the start of pandemic increased as officials in the Trump administration used ethnic slurs to link the coronavirus with China. Historians and social scientists point out the anti-Asian hate has been part and parcel of American history but in recent years the bias appeared to die down because of the growing awareness and the social stigmas associated with racism and discrimination.

The pandemic and the Trump administration lifted the lid on the tamped-down bias and emboldened racist to unleash the anti-Asian sentiment.

The report released Wednesday (July 20) looks at the nearly 11,500 hate incidents reported to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center between March 19, 2020 and March 31, 2022, and includes findings from a 2021 national survey Stop AAPI Hate conducted in partnership with Edelman Data & Intelligence.

"Key findings of Two Years and Thousands of Voices" include:

• Non-criminal incidents comprise the vast majority of the harmful hate incidents that AAPI community members experience.

• Harassment is a major problem. Two in three (67%) of nearly 11,500 incidents involved harassment, such as verbal or written hate speech or inappropriate gestures.

• AAPI individuals who are also female, non-binary, LGBTQIA+, and/or elderly experience hate incidents that target them for more than one of their identities at once.

• One in three (32%) parents who participated in the Stop AAPI Hate/Edelman Data & Intelligence survey were concerned about their child being a victim of anti-AAPI hate or discrimination in unsupervised spaces and on the way to school.

• Hate happens everywhere — in both large cities and small towns, in AAPI enclaves and in places where AAPI communities are few and far between.

The more serous incidents resulted in physical attacks that caused the death of someone such as the mass shooting at Asian spas in the Atlanta area, the vicious attacks against elderly AAPI that knock them unconscious; or crimes resulting in robbery or assault but not legally called a hate crime but seen as crimes of opportunity.

However, most of the reported incidents were in the form of harassment, such as a report from Marin County, California:

“I was emptying my trash into a public trash can at a rest stop and a man walked towards me asked me where my mask was, shoved me back and said if anyone should be wearing a mask it is people like you. He mocked by pulling his eyes back to resemble slant eye and bowed to me.” 

Incidents that witnesses might shrug off have traumatic impacts on the victim such as a Connecticut report: “I walked into a discount store where I saw a woman conversing with another person; when she got in line at a register to purchase her food, she was stopped and the person working the register called her slurs, then a virus, and then refused to check her out.” 

Recommendations

The report also lays out Stop AAPI Hate’s approach to addressing anti-AAPI hate: education equity, community-driven safety solutions and civil rights expansion.

“Even as people move on past the COVID-19 pandemic, AAPIs continue to be harassed because of their race,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance. “The AAPI community is tired of being afraid. We want solutions that actually make a difference and focus on prevention.”

“While our focus is understanding hate against AAPI’s, we know that hate is on the rise for many groups including the Black, Latinix, Muslim, LGBTQ+ communities,” said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “It is why we need to work together to address root causes of racism and prevent incidents before they happen.”

Stop AAPI Hate is calling on elected officials to further their efforts to: 

• Stop the harassment of AAPIs and protect our civil rights by introducing legislation like No Place for Hate California, which will address hate where it happens: in spaces open and accessible to the public;

• Educate the public about AAPI histories and cultures by making ethnic studies a standard part of the K-12 curriculum; and invest in community-based programs to support the healing of victims and survivors, and to prevent violence before it starts.

• Hate incidents included in the report point to the prevalence of harassment, and the need for elected officials to take action. Incidents have been edited for grammar, length and clarity:

The Stop AAPI Hate coalition encourages any member of the AAPI community who has experienced hate during the pandemic to report the incident at: https://stopaapihate.org/reportincident/.

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.

Study: AANHPI elderly most vulnerable to hate

One of the most heart-wrenching and upsetting aspect of the rise in racist attacks against Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders, is the targeting of the community elders.

A new report  released Tuesday (May 24) found that over a quarter of the reports collected were physical attacks as the elderly were doing ordinary, day-to-day activities such as taking a walk or going to the grocery.

"These attacks on Asian American elders reverberate throughout the entire family. Over one-quarter of all Asian Americans live in multigenerational households — the highest percentage of any racial/ethnic group," states the report from Stop AAPI Hate, a community-based organization that has been collecting anti-Asian incident reports since the beginning of the pandemic.

“Elder Asian Americans deserve to feel safe – but for the past two years have been struggling with hate, fear and isolation,” said Russell Jeung, Ph.D., co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. “This AAPI Heritage Month we need to recommit to their safety and support.”

In February of 2020, a video of the fatal attack on 84-year old Vicha Ratanapakdee in San Francisco ent viral, and in the same week another video caught a violent blindsid shove hurtled another Chinese senior citizen to the Oakland sidewalk followed by a bloody razor attack on a Filipino American elder in New York's subway station, alarms went off in the AANHPI communities.

The attacks strike at the heart and soul of what makes up the AANHPI communities.

Not only are they the most vulnerable, least likely to fight back and unlikely to report the hate incidents, the attacks against AANHPI elders is an attack on one of the key values -- respect for elders -- held in common among the diverse communities that immigrated from Asia and the Pacific Islands.

They are the aunties and uncles, the pioneers, the trailblazers, the brave and adventuresome generation who left the comfort of their homelands in order to provide for better opportunities for the future generations of their family.

STOP AAPI HATE

Highlights from new report released by Stop AAPI Hate reveals the extent of the hate attacks against the older generations: 

Asian American elders – those ages 60 and up – experienced verbal harassment, shunning, physical assault, and other hate incidents. 

• One out of four (26.2%) cases were physical assault, twice the rate of those under the age of 60 (15.4%). Elders also reported being refused service (5.7%) and having their property vandalized (7.2%) more than non-elders (4.0% and 4.2% respectively).

• Six out of 10 (62.5%) incidents reported by elders involved verbal harassment or shunning — the deliberate avoidance of individuals. 

• In one in 12 (7.8 %) incidents, elders were coughed and spat upon. 

• Asian American elders named race, ethnicity, and gender as the top suspected reasons for their discrimination. They reported language (8.1%) as a reason more than those under the age of 60 (7.2%). 

Asian American elders were most likely to encounter incidents in public and at businesses. 

• Like those under the age of 60, Asian American elders were most likely to face discrimination on public streets (36.7 %) and at businesses (26.7 %). 

• Elders were twice as likely to face discrimination at private residences (15.8%) than those under the age of 60 (9.8%).

Asian American elders – those ages 60 and up – experienced verbal harassment, shunning, physical assault, and other hate incidents. 

• One out of four (26.2%) cases were physical assault, twice the rate of those under the age of 60 (15.4%). Elders also reported being refused service (5.7%) and having their property vandalized (7.2%) more than non-elders (4.0% and 4.2% respectively). 

• Six out of 10 (62.5%) incidents reported by elders involved verbal harassment or shunning — the deliberate avoidance of individuals. 

• In one in 12 (7.8 %) incidents, elders were coughed and spat upon. 

• Asian American elders named race, ethnicity, and gender as the top suspected reasons for their discrimination. They reported language (8.1%) as a reason more than those under the age of 60 (7.2%). Asian American elders were most likely to encounter incidents in public and at businesses. 

• Like those under the age of 60, Asian American elders were most likely to face discrimination on public streets (36.7 %) and at businesses (26.7 %). 

• Elders were twice as likely to face discrimination at private residences (15.8%) than those under the age of 60 (9.8%).

READ the complete Stop AAPI Hate Report.

The hate incidents are adding a new level of stress on the older AANHPI generation causing them to experience mental health trauma that is exacerbated because of the  cultural reluctance to seek help outside of family to discuss the "shame" brought on by the stigma associated with mental vulnerability and the tendency fo keep the incidents to themselves only to suffer depression in silence.

One such report submitted to Stop AAPI Hate:

"They (feel they) have to stay inside because they can be targeted. They are staying at home, just like they did for the COVID-19 quarantine, but the way it impacts their feeling of wellness is completely different. The expression they use is, 'It hurts my spirit.'"

Local, state and federal agencies need to recognize the problem facing AANHPI seniors and adjust their services accordingly, says the report.

That includes translation services for the myriad of Asian languages, culturally sensitive staff who can recognize the mental health and physical symptoms caused by stress and who can offer the "respect" the elders deserve.

“We’re asking that elected officials honor this month with action by creating safer public spaces for AAPI communities and all communities of color,” said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “Funding and supporting community-based organizations across the country is key to building safe places for elder Asian Americans.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
 

@StopAAPIhate reports 11,000 incidents of hate against AAPI since the beginning of the pandemic

 

A week before the March 12 first anniversary of the devastating Atlanta spa shooting, Stop AAPI Hate released its latest national report containing nearly 11,000 self-reported hate incidents alongside recommendations for policymakers on how to address the hate experienced by AAPI communities.

“AAPI communities across the country have experienced enormous amounts of pain and suffering, particularly the families of the victims of the Atlanta spa shooting,” said Russell Jeung, Ph.D., co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. 

The latest number of self-reported anti-AAPI hate incidents to Stop AAPI Hate, — a national coalition aimed at addressing anti-Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) discrimination -- indicates the attacks are continuing raising fear in the AAPI community and frustrating law enforcement and government officials.

Law enforcement and community advocates believe the number of hate crimes are severely underreported because of the victims don't bother to report the incidents.

Last year, on March 16, a man murdered eight people in Atlanta across three Asian-run businesses. Six of those who died were Asian American women. As the country reckons with lessons learned since the tragedy, Stop AAPI Hate is releasing its latest self-reported incident count to continue to raise awareness of the high levels of hate AAPIs face, to encourage other AAPIs to continue to report incidents, and to call on lawmakers to partner with the coalition and other AAPI organizations in creating programs that will prevent further incidents and support victims. 

Stop AAPI Hate will further be marking the anniversary by supporting the efforts of AAPI communities in Atlanta, where local organizations are holding an in-person community remembrance on March 12.

Stop AAPI Hate’s new report indicates that it has received a total of 10,905 reports of hate incidents against AAPIs across the U.S. between March 19, 2020 and December 31, 2021, with 535 incidents happening from October to December 2021 alone.

• Verbal harassment (63.0%) continues to make up the biggest share of total incidents reported.

• Physical assault (16.2%) comprises the second largest category of total reported incidents followed by the deliberate avoidance of AAPIs (16.1%).

• Almost half (48.7%) of all hate incidents took place in public spaces —- in public streets (31.2%), public transit (8.4%), and public parks (8.0%).

• Hate incidents reported by women make up 61.8% of all reports.

• For the first time the report includes disaggregated data from non-binary AAPI respondents. It shows that they experience more deliberate avoidance or shunning (21.4%), being coughed at or spat on (13.9%), denial of service (8.3%) and online harassment (12.1%) than AAPI women and men.

• Civil rights violations — e.g., workplace discrimination, refusal of service, being barred from transportation, and housing-related discrimination — account for 11.5% of total incidents.

• Chinese Americans continue to report the most hate incidents (42.8%) of all ethnic groups, followed by Korean (16.1%), P/Filipinx (8.9%), Japanese (8.2%), and Vietnamese Americans (8.0%).

STOP AAPI HATE

The report also provides gender-specific descriptions of hate incidents for AAPI women (6,506), AAPI men (3,290) and AAPI non-binary people (356). Non-binary people include individuals who self-identified as gender non-binary and gender non-conforming.

Key findings related to gender:

• AAPI women report more harassment (69.8%) than AAPI men (63.0%) and AAPI non-binary people (56.3%).

• A higher percentage of hate incidents experienced by AAPI women occurred in public streets (34.5%), compared to AAPI men (32.1%) and AAPI non-binary people (29.5%).

• Higher percentages of hate incidents experienced by AAPI non-binary people occurred online (13.9%), at school (11.8%) and at university or college (7.8%).

• Higher percentages of AAPI women (19.1%) and AAPI non-binary people (23.1%) identified gender/gender identity as one reason for discrimination compared to AAPI men (5.5%).

“The new report underscores the importance of continuing to report and raise visibility of anti-AAPI hate, which unfortunately continues to be ongoing,” Cynthia Choi, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “But as painful as sharing our experiences with racism are, it also has allowed us to not be marginalized or dismissed. We must continue to share and report them in order to advocate for investments that will truly make our communities safe. ”

Stop AAPI Hate received reports of incidents from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. They include the following first-hand accounts:

I was walking to school when a woman stuck her head out of her window and started screeching racial slurs at me. She called me a c—k, a b—h, and told me to go back to my country and go to hell. I told her to have a nice day and tried to walk away. She found me on a different street then stuck her middle finger out at me. (Burlingame, CA)

I used to be a bagger at a grocery store and an elderly woman did not want me to bag her groceries because I am Filipino. She asked the cashier if me and my coworker were Filipino and then said she wanted someone else to bag her groceries because, “Filipinos are more likely to have COVID.” (Fort Walton Beach, FL)

I was standing in front of my workplace when a couple walked by and the man started yelling “Ch-ng!” I asked him to stop and we began arguing. His female companion stood to my right and also began yelling, “Ch-ng” at me then sprayed pepper spray into my eyes. (New York City, NY)

During a book club discussion by a city-run Asian American organization, a group of Zoom bombers entered. Even though they were removed by hosts, the last Zoom bomber was able to get in “Ch-ng Ch-ng” noises before they were removed. They tried to re-enter using fake Asian identities that they used to get the Zoom link originally. (Austin, TX)

READ the full report from Stop AAPI Hate.

The report also highlights recommendations for policymakers to address experiences with hate in their communities. These include policies from Stop AAPI Hate’s recently released California State Policy Recommendations to Address AAPI Hate platform, which can be adopted in states around the country. Its recommendations include creating a statewide framework to prevent street harassment, taking a gender-based approach to rider safety on public transit, and strengthening civil rights protections against hate at businesses.

Stop AAPI Hate also urges states to invest in community-based efforts for supporting victims and survivors of hate. States including California and New York have allocated funds to be spent through AAPI community organizations that provide victims and survivors with the mental health and other support that they need.

Finally, Stop AAPI Hate is also supporting efforts across the country to address anti-AAPI hate through education. Education is one of the most effective tools against racism, and implicit bias is learned early. Asian American studies programs promote racial empathy and solidarity, while decreasing bullying and harassment in schools, helping AAPI students thrive. 

States around the country, including Illinois and New Jersey, have passed legislation for Asian American studies. Stop AAPI Hate is working with national organizations, educators, policymakers and other experts on creating Asian American studies frameworks for states to adopt and follow.

The report from Stop AAPI Hate comes days after a report with similar findings was released by NAPAWF. The State of Safety for Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the U.S.. which found that 74% of AAPI women have experienced discrimination or an attack during 2021.

The Stop AAPI Hate coalition encourages any member of the AAPI community who has experienced hate during the pandemic to report the incident at: https://stopaapihate.org/reportincident/.

“It’s alarming to see these numbers stacking up because they are absolutely preventable,” said Manjusha Kulkarni, co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate and executive director of AAPI Equity Alliance. “We urge state lawmakers to review and implement our policy recommendations and work with us to invest in all of our communities and stop anti-AAPI hate.”

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AAPI perspective, follow me on Twitter @DioknoEd.

Stop AAPI Hate co-founders make Time magazine's most influential people

Of TIME Magazine's 100 most influential people in the world are 26 Asian or Asian American..

Asian Americans' influence and impact was unmistakeable with poet  Cathy Park Hong gracing one of seven magazine covers.that will be released worldwide.

Because of the surge in anti-Asian attacks, TIME includes the co-founders of Stop AAPI Hate: Cynthia Choi, Manjusha Kulkarni and Russell Jeung.The community based organization's collection of racist incidents made media and government to realize the enormity and how prevalent the attacks have become. Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, Stop AAPI Hate reports that over 9000 hate incidents were reported.

For TIME's full list of the 100 most influential people, click here.

“It is a great honor to be recognized for this award among this list of influential leaders,“ said Kulkarni. “This work would not be possible without the bravery and strength of our respondents and the AAPI community at large, and we want to thank them for their willingness to speak out against injustice."

Vice President Kamala Harris, China's President Xi Jinping, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with other world leaders were repeats  on the prestigious list.  

But it was a first-time honor to be included on the list. Among them were athletes the Angels' Shohei Ohtani, tennis player Naomi Osaka and Olympic gold medalist Suni Lee, Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao, Saturday Night Live's Bown Yang, actor Steven Yeun, along with other innovators, authors, researchers and activists.

Besides the 26 Asians and Asian Americans on the list, the 18th annual list of influential people includes 10 climate leaders, dozens of advocates, political leaders, 54 women and the youngest featured in the issues is 18-year-old Olympic gymnast Sunisa Lee. The oldest person in this year's list is 78-year-old President Joe Biden.

“At TIME, we see the TIME100 as far more than a list,” Edward Felsenthal, said TIME's CEO and editor in chief. “It is a community of leaders whose energy and commitment we hope inspires others to spring into action as well.”

The full list and related tributes appear in the Sept. 27 / Oct. 4 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, Sept. 17.

ABC will air a special about the selection of the Top 100 on Sept. 20, 10 p.m. The special offers an inside look at the pioneers, artists, leaders, icons, titans and innovators comprising the coveted 2021 list, along with special performances and surprises. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: For more commentary, observations, tips and references, follow me on Twitter @dioknoed

Tokyo Olympics: Despite surge of hate, AAPI athletes will represent America 'no matter what.'

Naomi Osaka has been outspoken against racial injustice in the U.S.K

It's one thing to represent your country, but the pressure intensifies when one has to represent your race. That is a heavy burden for AAPI athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. 

Naomi Osaka, whose mother is Japanese and father is Haitian, grew up in the United States but plays for Japan where she was born, perhaps is the most outspoken example of the toll "representing" takes on an individual. 

Osaka plays for Japan and had to drop out of the French Open earlier this summer because of mental health issues. The four-time Grand Slam champion admitted that she has been struggling with depression.

Her biracial identity -- Japanese and Haitian -- and culturally, "American" could have contributed to her condition. After speaking out about racial justice during the U.S. Open last fall she made it clear where her sympathies were on behalf of the Black Lies Matter Movement. She was also outspoken against the recent surge of racist attacks against Asian Americans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“If people loved Asian people as much as they love bubble tea, anime, mochi, sushi, matcha etc…” tweeted Osaka, who has a Haitian father and a Japanese mother and has lived in the United States since she was three.

"Imagine profiting/enjoying things that come from a culture and then attacking/diminishing the ethnic group that created it,” she continued.

It was a powerful statement Friday, when she Osaka chosen to light the Olympic torch the product of two continents and three cultures. In a moving, dramatic moment, Osaka lit the Olympic flame to officially start the Games. Symbolically, her prominent presence holding her torch aloft, can be seen as permission to speak out on racial justice and inequality and representation.

Russell Jeung, a professor at San Francisco State University and the co-founder of the reporting forum Stop AAPI Hate, said athletes speaking out has been an important component in spreading awareness.

“I think that’s definitely helped,” he told Today. “It initially wasn’t getting much mainstream attention, but once Asian American athletes started talking about it and posting on social media, there was a lot more traffic.”

Asian Americans occupy a "conditional status of belonging" due to the perpetual foreigner stereotype, Jeung told an Axios reporter. "If they're winners, [Americans will] accept them because America likes to be winners. If they lose, then we'll get vilified and blamed."

That puts Asian Americans in an unfair "double bind," Jeung told Axios. They not only represent themselves and their countries, but also have to represent their race.

Like Black athletes, Asian Americans are representing a country that doesn't fully accept them, said Jeung. Stop AAPI Hate started collecting reports of anti-Asian attacks in March 2020. In a year's time, over 6,600 reports of anti-Asian hate incidents collected by the group, with the majority against women and girls. 

Sakura Kokumai will compete in karate. in Tokyo.

While victims of the attacks cut across all social strata, from elderly pensioners to Hollywood celebrities and Washington politicians. Although there was no breakdown of the incidents that occurred against athletes, Jeung said they did receive multiple reports of harassment from Asian joggers, professional basketball player Jeremy Lin was called "coronavirus" during a game and karate ka Sakura Kokumai,was verbally assaulted during one of her workouts in a public park in California.

"I was a target because of how I looked. Not because I am an athlete. Not because I compete in karate — but because I am Asian. And no matter how you look at me, I will always look Asian," said Kokumai, who will be at the Olympics competing in kata, a formalized routine of karate techniques.

Although she considers herself a private person, Kokumai, 28, felt the need to go out of her comfort zone to speak out.

"I wish there was one thing that would fix this problem, but the first step is spreading awareness. And then we have to have empathy and compassion for one another. Over time we can help change things in the world for the better.

"As a Japanese American who was born and raised in Hawaii, I have always considered the United States my home. Hawaii is where I learned karate when I was seven. The U.S. is the country I have competed for since I was 14. But Japan is where my family is from. 

"And now to be able to go back to Tokyo to compete in kata in the Olympics — to represent the United States in a sport that originated in Japan — it’s a very special thing. I have a lot of people in Japan and in the U.S. who are rooting for me, and I want to show up and do what I do best. It’s something that makes me proud to be Japanese American," said Kokumai. 

Yul Moldauer will represent America "no matter what."

The anti-Asian hate "shouldn't be normal," said U.S. gymnast Yul Moldauer“ to The Oklahoman. “Asian-Americans shouldn’t have to go through the name calling, the stereotypes and the jokes.”

"My job is to represent this country no matter what ... no matter if an individual feels like they need to say something or harass me," said Moldauer, a Korean American adoptee.

"I'm just going to put that (bigotry) away because there are so many other great Americans in this country I get to represent."

"There's a segment of the population that is ... always going to be thinking less of Asian Americans," said American East Conference commissioner Amy Huchthausen, who co-founded the AAPI Athletics Alliance this year. "But I hope that Asian American athletes representing Team USA use this moment to speak about it and bring more awareness to it ... There's power in athletes using their platform."

Report: Hate attacks against all AAPI communities skyrockets in 2020

SCREEN CAPTURE / KGO-TV

A little girl took part in a San Francisco rally against hate.

Recent attacks against Asian American elders have raised awareness about the most recent surge of racist acts directed at AAPI but a recent report says they represent just a tiny portion of the assaults. 

Attacks against the elderly represent only 7.3% of the hate acts reported to Stop AAPI Hate, the nation’s leading coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian hate and discrimination. As the Stop AAPI Hate report shows, since March when it began collecting the reports to the end of 2020, almost 3,000 incidents of hate have been reported.

“We are outraged by the disturbing incidents we’ve seen this past week where Asian American elders have been attacked in the San Francisco Bay Area," said the founders of Stop AAPI Hate -- Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council; Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action; and Russell Jeung, Ph.D., professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University.

Stop AAPI Hate is a national coalition aimed at addressing anti-Asian discrimination amid the pandemic, was founded by the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) and San Francisco State University’s Asian American Studies Department.

"These violent assaults have a devastating impact on our community as they are part of an alarming rise in anti-Asian American hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"These recent incidents are stark reminders that urgent action must be taken to protect our AAPI community from hate, discrimination and violence. It is up to all of us — businesses, the government, and community partners — to come together and immediately support victims and families affected by these incidents, and work together to create long-lasting solutions that empower our communities with resources, support and education.” 

The data released Feb. 9 was in response to the attacks on Asian American elderly in San Francisco and New York. Just this weekend, there was another report of an elderly Filipino American woman on a bus being punched for no apparent reason, according to witnesses. She was treated at a hospital and released. No arrest has been made. 

According to Stop AAPI Hate: 

● Between March 19, 2020 (when Stop AAPI Hate began collecting reports) and December 31, 2020, Stop AAPI Hate received over 2,808 firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate from 47 states and the District of Columbia 

● Between March 19, 2020 and December 31, 2020, Stop AAPI Hate received 126 accounts of anti-Asian hate involving Asian Americans over 60 years old (7.3% of total incidents) 

Stop AAPI Hate Incident Data National Incidents & Trends 

● Between March 19 and December 31, 2020, Stop AAPI Hate has received 2,808 reported incidents of racism and discrimination targeting Asian Americans across the U.S. 

● Physical assaults made up 8.7% of incidents; coughing/spitting comprised 6.4%. 

● Verbal harassment made up 70.9% of incidents; shunning or avoidance comprised 21.4% 

● Hate incidents without an underlying criminal element can violate civil rights, traumatize impacted individuals, and isolate youth 

● Clear civil rights violations — workplace discrimination, refusal of service from establishments, transit or ride-shares — make up 8% of the incidents 

● Businesses were the top site of discrimination incidents, making up 38.1% of locations of discrimination 

● Race was cited as the primary reason for discrimination, making up 90.3% of incidents 

● Vulnerable populations are attacked. Youth under 20 years old make up 13.6% of cases and elderly over 60 years old comprise 7.3% 

● Women are attacked almost 2 1/2 times more than men 

● Chinese made up the ethnic group most often targeted, making up 40.7% of incidents. Asian Americans as a whole, though, are being racially profiled and attacked. Koreans (15.1%); Vietnamese (8.2%) and Filipinos (7.2%) have also faced COVID-19 discrimination in high numbers 

● States with high Asian American populations report the most incidents. CA (43.8%); NY (13.0%); WA (4.1%); and IL (2.8%) have the highest rates Elderly Incidents & Trends 

● Nationally, Elderly Asian Americans (60+ years old) were involved in 7.3% of Stop AAPI Hate’s 2,808 self-reported incidents. That accounts for 126 cases between March 19 and December 31, 2020. 

● Elderly report being physically assaulted (13.5%) more than the Asian American population overall (8.7%) 

● Verbal harassment (67.5%) and shunning (15.1%) make up the highest types of discrimination against elderly 

● Elderly report more clear civil rights violations (12.8%) — workplace discrimination, being barred from establishments or ride-shares — than the overall AAPI population (8.0%) 

● Elderly women are attacked 1.5 times more than elderly men ○ States with high Asian American populations report the most incidents, with CA (56.4%); NY (7.9%); WA (7.9%); and NV (5.6%) have the highest rates of elderly abuse 

● In the San Francisco Bay Area, 8.2% involved Elderly Asian Americans (35 cases) 

Firsthand Accounts from Asian American Elders 

● I am posting this on behalf of my dad, a 71-year old Korean adoptee. Yesterday, he was chased out of a rural convenience store after asking to use the restroom while traveling along I-5 through California to get to Portland, Oregon. (71 y.o, Northern CA) Coughed/Spat Upon 

● I was waiting to enter [a pharmacy] to get my prescription when a group of construction workers (not social distancing) made fun of me by mocking me, fake coughing, spitting at me and making slant eyes gestures until I asked them to stop. No one else called these people out. (68 y.o, Oakland, CA) 

● I was waiting to cross the street when I felt something on my head and it turned out to be spit all over my hair and the back of my coat. I was repeatedly spit on by a big white guy. (67 y.o., New York, NY) Physical Assault 

● I was standing in an aisle at [a hardware store] when suddenly I was struck from behind. Video surveillance verified the incident in which a white male used his bent elbow to strike my upper back. Subsequent verbal attacks occurred with "Shut up, you Monkey!, "F**k you Chinaman," "Go back to China" and "Stop bringing that Chinese virus over here.” (67 y.o., San Francisco, CA) 

● As I was leaving a restaurant, a white male stormed up to me and verbally harassed and terrorized me. He screamed, "return to China you f***ing Asian" and other hateful, racial slurs, threatening me physically. This went on for several minutes as I departed the scene quickly to call police. A clear case of racial hatred towards me. I called the police who arrived quickly to apprehend him. I gave a verbal account to another officer who arrived later. I have not heard back from anyone. (67 y.o., Alamo, CA) 

● My wife and I were taking a walk, minding our own business when two dogs tried to attack us. When the woman owner came to us she said, "the reason the dogs are afraid of you is because you eat dogs!” Then the woman said, "you need to go back from where you came from.” We were shocked to hear this. I told her I was born in the U.S., but she did not care nor apologize for her dog’s behavior. I took a picture of her vehicle license plate and reported her to the local police and County Animal Control who are investigating. (67 y.o., Sammami, WA) 

● I was called a “yellow motherf***er” by a stranger in an elevator and told to “go back where I came from.” After exiting the elevator, the stranger picked me up by my shoulders & threw me against the elevator bank. (67 y.o., Honolulu, HI) Verbal Harassment 

● On my daily walk in my hometown Sausalito, I was wearing a face mask when a white woman yelled at me, "I hate Chinese people! Why do they come to this country?!" when she passed me. I was stunned by her words which caused me to fear and be more alert of my surroundings. (71 y.o., Sausalito, CA) 

● My husband and I (both in our 60s) were walking home after grocery shopping and three to four people in a car shouted "Virus, go to hell!" to us while they drove by. (68 y.o., Montclair, CA) 

Sunday Read: Attacks against Asian Americans continue to rise, near 2000 incidents, says report

As of mid-May the number of attacks, harassment and abuse aimed at Asian Americans is approaching 2000 in the two months since a record of those incidents started being tracked.

While most of the incidents appear to be random spontaneous acts of hate, a few. of them, including the stabbing attacks against a Burmese American father and his two young children, were premeditated.

EXAMPLE #1: 

In multiple incidents, an elderly woman spitting out racial slurs at Asian Americans in a park in Torrance, Calif. resulted in a counterdemonstration when scores of AAPI made an appearance at the park to exercise.

Police identified the woman as Lena Hernandez, 56, last week and spoke to her Wednesday, but no arrests were made despite the videos of her tirades were viewed over a million times resulting in a public outcry.

"Based on the fact all three incidents are misdemeanor crimes and did not occur in the presence of an officer, Hernandez was not arrested at the time of the interview," police said. "The details of the interview will be submitted to the City of Torrance Prosecutors office."

Maintaining social distancing, scores of AAPI went to the Torrance Park to exercise.

Stop AAPI Hate, the leading aggregator of incidents against Asian Americans during the pandemic, has compiled a new report examining the rise in hate incidents against Asian Americans and the anti-Chinese rhetoric by political leaders. 

“We have seen time and again how dangerous it is when leaders scapegoat for political gain and use inflammatory rhetoric to stir up both interpersonal violence and racist policies. As we’ve seen throughout American history — from the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to Japanese American wartime incarceration and most recently, immigration bans—Asians have been targeted with such vehement hate.” said Dr. Russell Jeung, chair of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University. 

Last week, Stop AAPI Hate reported that as of May 13, incidents of anti-Asian American discrimination documented across the U.S. approached 1,900 since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Of those incidents, approximately 502 incidents specifically mentioned the terms “China” or “Chinese” during the incidents of discrimination. 

According to the report, it appears that there was a spike of incidents reported to the website after Donald Trump, after a respite of several weeks, has returned to using the incorrect term, “Chinese Virus” when referring to Covid-19 inflaming his followers.

Last Saturday at a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Trump revived the term along with "Kung-Flu," is his speech in front of his cheering supporters.

There are a number of variables that could explain this correlation; nonetheless, Stop AAPI Hate contends that Trump's and the GOP’s anti-Chinese rhetoric have entrenched racism and xenophobia in the public’s perception of the coronavirus pandemic.

EXAMPLE #2: 

A man painting "Black Lives Matter" on his front retaining wall in San Francisco was approached by a white couple jogging by assumed that the Filipino American was  defacing someone else's hose in the upscale neighborhood. 

As it turns out, the man has been living at the address for 18 years, videotaped the "polite racism." Police responded to the white couple's 911 call and recognized the Filipino American as the legal resident, waved and left without any further incident.

Although the white couple later apologized after the video went viral.

A white woman cals 911 against a Filiipino American resident in a posh San Francisco neighborhood.

Recent news reports have drawn the conclusion that Trump and other political leaders are stirring up anti-Chinese sentiment as a means to distract from both their handling of the coronavirus pandemic and the nationwide protests against deeply entrenched racism and violence against Black Americans in law enforcement. 

“We condemn the racist, inciteful and violent rhetoric coming from the president and political leaders at the very top, who racialize tragedies to score political points and distract from their own mishandling of the pandemic," said Cynthia Choi, Co-Executive Director, Chinese for Affirmative Action.  

"This rhetoric continues to devastate and harm communities of color in America.” 

In turn, the president is currently pouring money into campaign ads against China. On April 17, the GOP sent a memo to campaigns stating that: 

1. China caused the virus by covering it up, 
2. Democrats are “soft on China”, and 
3. Republicans will push for sanctions on China for its role in spreading the virus. 

Other government leaders are picking up Trump’s racist language—Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) and Rep. Paul A. Gosar (R-Ariz.) have used similar language. 

Senator Martha McSally, up for re-election, recently said, “China is to blame for this pandemic and the death of thousands of Americans.” 

Most significantly, last month the president introduced a ban limiting Chinese students in the United States, raising concerns from a number of Asian American leaders. 

In its report on the 502 incidents of discrimination and harassment with a clear link to anti-Chinese sentiment, Stop AAPI Hate noted that the following trends emerged: 

• Virulent animosity towards Chinese, with 37.5% of these cases laced with profanity and verbal taunts 
• Scapegoating of China for the spread of Covid-19, with 31.7% of the perpetrators blaming China or Chinese people as the source of the disease 
• Anti-immigrant nationalism of the assailants as they demand that Asian Americans “go back to China” or view China as the enemy (20.3%) 
• Parroting of the term, “Chinese virus” to imply the implicit association between Covid-19 and China (17.5%) 
• Orientalist and racist depictions of China and Chinese people as dirty, diseased, and holding strange dietary habits (12.6%) 

Trump "continues to utilize white supremacist and nationalist views as a means of scapegoating his failures for political gain," said Manjusha P. Kulkarni, Executive Director of Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council. 

"Unless we hold him accountable, the discrimination and harassment against Asian Americans will become deeply entrenched, cause unimaginable harm and suffering, and take decades to unwind.” 

Is the rise in attacks against Asian American partisan?

By Akemi Tamanaha

ASAM NEWS


In January 2020, before the coronavirus pandemic had fully reached America, a woman called Peter Zhao’s wife a “Chinese diseased b*tch” on the street in Flushing, New York City. Zhao’s wife, who is actually Korean American, confronted the woman. The woman in return punched her hard enough that Zhao’s wife had to get four stitches on her head.

Zhao wanted his wife’s story heard. He had planned to put together a rally and seek a pro bono attorney, but his wife wanted to keep her story fairly private.

“But this was her experience so despite I want this and that, the best course of action is to do what the victim feels the most comfortable,” Zhao said.

In March 2020, at the onset of the pandemic in America, a Burmese American family was stabbed by a young man at a Sam’s Club in Midland, Texas. The suspect, Jose Gomez, said that he stabbed the family because he thought they were Chinese infecting people with coronavirus.

The pandemic has inspired a surge in hate crimes and poor behavior. Many Asian Americans have reported that people have coughed and spit on them.

“It’s a response to the fear of being infected so people want to reinfect us,” Russell Jeung a sociology professor at San Francisco State University.

Jeung added that the facemask has become a “racialized object of scorn” for Asian Americans.

“If you’re Asian and wearing a mask, then you’re profiled as being a disease carrier,” Jeung said. “If you don’t wear a mask, you’re profiled as being a disease carrier and negligent. Whereas a White person wearing a mask is just seen as being protective of themselves.”

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic discrimination against Asian Americans has risen rapidly. The stories of those hate crimes have appeared in newspapers and on television news channels throughout the country. STOP AAPI, which was established during the pandemic said in May that it had received nearly 2,000 reports of hate and discrimination against Asian Americans. 

But many Americans, according to a survey, remain oblivious to the discrimination Asian Americans face because of COVID-19. According to a survey conducted by The Harris Poll, less than half of Females (45%) and Males (46%) think hate/discrimination towards Asian Americans has risen. 

Around 55 percent of Whites say they are concerned about Asian American discrimination related to the pandemic, while 67 percent of African Americans and 65 percent of Hispanics said they were concerned. The poll found that 75 percent of Asian Americans surveyed said that they were concerned about the increasing discrimination.

Jeung says it’s not unusual that non-Asian Americans aren’t aware of the discrimination Asian Americans are facing.

“If they’re not experiencing it first hand they obviously don’t know what’s going on with Asian Americans,” Jeung said. “It doesn’t make sense to ask non-Asians if they’re aware because they’re sheltering in place hopefully.”

Gilbert Gee, a a professor of Community Health Studies at UCLA, says that Americans who are oblivious to discrimination may also live in areas where there are few Asian Americans.

The poll’s results also revealed that concern about discrimination against Asian Americans may be a partisan issue. President Trump and Republican leaders have been widely criticized for encouraging discrimination and hate by referring to the virus as the “Chinese virus.”

“I firmly believe Trump is the catalyst in the recent waves of discriminatory and racist attacks,” Zhao said.

Around 61 percent of the Democrats surveyed and 31 percent of Republicans surveyed felt hate/discrimination towards Asian Americans has risen since the COVID-19 outbreak. More than half of Republicans said they did not feel discrimination had increased and more than half said they were not concerned about the discrimination.

Gilbert Gee says that some Republicans may believe that stories of anti-Asian violence may be fake news “put out there by Democrats as a political sort of ploy.”

Jeung says that Republicans may get their news from “market segments” that have not been covering the increase in hate crimes and discrimination. He added the lack of concern from Republicans reflects a lack of empathy.

“The fact that Republicans aren’t concerned about discrimination against Asian Americans sort of demonstrates the lack of emphathy and compassion they have towards other groups,” Jeung said. “I think that goes in line with their anti-immigrant rhetoric and their policies to mass detain, mass deport and mass incarcerate.”

Gee added that some Americans who blame China for the virus may feel that Chinese people are “getting what they deserve.”

“Nobody I’ve read has outright said the hate crimes are justified but it is kind of part of clustering with people who were saying go back to where you came from,” Gee said. “The people saying that they Chinese and Asians in general shouldn’t be here in the first place.”

Asian Americans are often labelled as the model minority who have been accepted into White American society. Could the model minority myth contribute to a lack of awareness and concern?

“I think the current state of anti-Asian hate dispels this notion that we’re a model minority who has been accepted,” Jeung said.

Although some Americans remain unaware and unconcerned, the Asian American community remains hyperaware. Jeung says he feels encouraged by the number of Asian Americans speaking out.

“We’re getting non-English speaking people and elderly Asian Americans reporting in large percentages,” Jeung said. “Groups you wouldn’t think would want to report are reporting these incidents.”

Some Asian Americans have expressed frustration over the lack of concern from non-Asian Americans, but Jeung and Gee say they’re impressed by the collective effort being made to stop discrimination against Asian Americans. Gee pointed out that several documented instances of hate crimes and discrimination against Asian Americans are receiving news coverage.

“It wasn’t just one or two articles and then it was done,” Gee said. “The conversation continues to go on from various outlets, both from Asian American media outlets, but also broader outlets like the New York Times. That’s been really interesting and impressive and heartening in some ways.”

Jeung noted that while some Asian Americans may feel ignored, many people are speaking out against the hate and discrimination Asian Americans are facing. In March, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus sent a letter to Congress condemning the use of language that associated the virus with China. Asian American celebrities have created awareness campaigns aimed at ending hate and discrimination towards Asian Americans.

“Our congressional and legislative leaders, elected officials are standing up against Republican rhetoric,” Jeung said. “Our celebrities and athletes are doing social media campaigns. Our community organizations are galvanizing and organizing our communities.”