Despite the decreased media attention, hate crimes against Asian Americans are still on the rise. Since the start of the novel coronavirus pandemic last year, hate crimes against the American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community have risen at alarming rates. The increase is mainly owing to racists and xenophobes blaming Asian Americans for the current pandemic.
As a result, legislation addressing hate crimes against the APPI community was passed in May for the first time in America’s history. However, the law has yet to be implemented. As crimes continue against the AAPI community, Democratic lawmakers are urging the Justice Department to quickly implement the law to expedite the review of anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic, NBC News reported.
In a letter sent to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Hawaii Sen. Mazie Hirono and New York Rep. Grace Meng highlighted key provisions of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act that are "critical to its effectiveness" and noted the agency should pay attention to them. "Full implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will help stem the tide against further violence," they said in the letter on Monday. The letter also highlights the increased violence against vulnerable community members, including women and the elderly.
The letter follows new data compiled by the FBI which indicates that hate crimes targeting people of Asian descent in the U.S. rose by 70% last year compared to the number of such incidents in 2019. The FBI report also found that more than 10,000 people reported hate crimes to law enforcement—the highest tally of reported hate crimes since 2008.
The report comes as the most recent data on hate crimes against Asian Americans and follows similar reports indicating alarming rates. According to Stop AAPI Hate, between March 2020 and June 30, 2021, more than 9,000 anti-Asian incidents were reported despite increased national attention and political action.
Additionally, the national coalition found that hate incidents increased from 6,603 to 9,081 in the last three months of this reporting period alone. “Stop AAPI Hate" has become the lead in gathering data on racially motivated attacks related to the pandemic. According to the organization, since the coronavirus was first reported in China, people of AAPI descent have been targeted and treated as scapegoats solely based on their race.
In addition to countering anti-Asian hate crimes, the bill also directs the Justice Department and Health and Human Services to work with community-based organizations to raise awareness of hate crimes during the pandemic. It also requires the attorney general to issue guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies on establishing an online reporting system. Both Hirono and Meng highlighted these provisions in their letter.
"In order to meaningfully address the root causes of this bias and hostility, we need a clear and full picture of the scope of the problem," the letter stated. "Data on hate crimes alone is insufficient."
The two lawmakers also called for the law to be applied to hate crimes impacting other races, genders, ethnicities, and identities, including antisemitic attacks in May after "an outbreak in violence between Israel and Hamas" and the deaths of at least 44 transgender or gender-nonconforming people last year, "some as the result of anti-transgender bias."
The letter ended with fears that, as the pandemic continues, hate and frustration over the virus "will undoubtedly resurface."
"We fear the impact this could have on perpetuating hate-based violence against people," the letter stated. "Full implementation of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will help stem the tide against further violence."
According to CNN, Asian American leaders shared similar concerns in August after the release of a report on the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic. Advocates feared data tracing the virus back to China would increase hate towards Asian Americans. Despite protections from the new legislation, xenophobia is a significant issue in the United States—one it has had for generations. It worsened last year as Trump consistently blamed China for the pandemic, fueling anti-Asian sentiment.
His spread of COVID-19 misinformation and use of xenophobic language like “Chinese virus,” “Wuhan virus,” and “Kung Flu” have been connected to a rapid surge in hate crimes nationwide. As people were forced to stay at home due to safety measures in place, they took their frustration out on the AAPI community, who they blamed for the virus, a report found according to Daily Kos.
In a recent incident, the San Jose Police Department said three men who targeted and robbed more than 70 Asian women in the Bay Area of California were arrested and charged with more than 70 counts of felony robbery. Police described the three men as a "prolific robbery crew that targeted victims of Asian descent." They were identified as Anthony Michael Robinson, Derje Damond Blanks, and Cameron Alonzo Moody, arrested on Sept. 8 and Sept. 16, respectively, after a yearlong investigation.
"Beginning in late 2020, the crime spree included robberies and purse snatches that virtually all followed the same pattern: The suspects targeted Asian women, because—evidence shows—the suspects believed that Asian women don't use banks," the Santa Clara District Attorney's Office said.
"In some cases, the suspects used ethnic slurs to refer to their victims. The defendants would follow the women in parking lots to their vehicles, wait until the victim was inside her car, and either smash a window or quickly open a door to steal a purse off the passenger seat."
The incidents occurred in 10 cities across the Bay Area and some of the victims were injured as they were “pulled or wrestled to the ground.” According to NBC News, during his arrest, one of the perpetrators told the police that the “age of the people [he] was taking things from did not matter as long as they were Asian.”