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PRESS RELEASE: MENG AND HIRONO TO INTRODUCE LEGISLATION TO COMBAT SURGE OF ANTI-ASIAN HATE CRIMES

This press release has been issued by the Offices of Congresswoman Grace Meng and Senator Mazie Hirono.

For Immediate Release: March 11, 2021

Contacts: 

  • MENG: Mark Olson, 202-819-5580
  • HIRONO: Martha Spieker, 202-365-7943

Legislation comes as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders experience wave of physical, verbal, and online attacks

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (NY-06), First Vice Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Executive Board Member of CAPAC, announced their plan to reintroduce the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which seeks to address the ongoing hate and violence targeted toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) by providing greater assistance with law enforcement response to COVID-19 hate crimes and creating a position at the Department of Justice to facilitate expedited review of such cases.

Specifically, the bill would:

  1. Designate an officer or employee of the Justice Department to facilitate expedited review of COVID-19 hate crimes reported to federal, state, and/or local law enforcement;
  2.  Issue guidance for state and local law enforcement agencies to:
    1. establish online reporting of hate crimes or incidents, and to have online reporting available in multiple languages;
    2.   expand culturally competent and linguistically appropriate public education campaigns, and collection of data and public reporting of hate crimes; and
  3.  Issue guidance describing best practices to mitigate racially discriminatory language in describing the COVID–19 pandemic, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the COVID–19 Health Equity Task Force and community-based organizations.

“The ongoing anti-Asian hate crimes and incidents, especially against our elderly Asian Americans, is absolutely horrific. I am honored to introduce the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act with Senator Hirono to address this disgusting pattern of hate,” said Congresswoman Meng. “Before this pandemic started, I urged everyone—including elected officials—to not blame Asian Americans for the virus. My words were not heeded. The former president and his Congressional Republican enablers trafficked racist, bigoted terms to describe COVID-19. In doing so, their language stoked people’s fears and created an atmosphere of intolerance and violence, which persists even today. Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been nearly 3,000 reported incidents of physical, verbal, and online attacks against Asian Americans. Even in my own district in Queens, New York, Asian Americans have been attacked. To combat those acts, we need DOJ to prioritize addressing these heinous acts by designating a point person for these COVID-19 related hate crimes; make it easier for victims to report crimes committed against them; and expand public education campaigns to address COVID-19 hate crimes and incidents. This must end and it is why we are working to ensure our justice system has the people and resources to effectively account for and mitigate anti-Asian hate crimes. I look forward to this bill becoming law.”

“We’ve seen the horrifying consequences of racist language as AAPI communities across our country experience hate crimes and violence related to the pandemic,” said Senator Hirono. “The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act addresses the surge in violence against AAPI communities by dedicating an official at the Department of Justice to expeditiously review hate crimes reported to law enforcement. The bill also provides resources for communities to come together and fight intolerance and hate. This is no less than victims deserve.”

“We are grateful for Senator Hirono and Representative Meng’s leadership in responding to the increased attacks on Asian Americans during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic,” said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. “We need improvements in the reporting and handling of COVID-19-related hate crimes by law enforcement at the local, state, and federal levels, as well as making systems more accessible for people with limited proficiency in English. We appreciate the emphasis on linguistically appropriate and culturally competent engagement on data collection and reporting. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is committed to countering hate in all its forms, and we will to continue to push for a comprehensive approach to documenting and addressing hate crimes and prioritizing health and safety for all.”

“NAPABA applauds Senator Hirono and Congresswoman Meng for their decisive action to introduce legislation responding to the rise in anti-Asian hate incidents during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said. A.B. Cruz, III, president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). “NAPABA is committed to ensuring that hate crimes against the Asian American community are properly investigated and prosecuted. The expedited review of hate crimes reported to federal, state, and local law enforcement by the Department of Justice will increase accountability in addressing hate against our community, and establishing a platform for online reporting of hate crimes and incidents in multiple languages will allow more victims to come forward.”

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In the News: AABANY and Paul, Weiss’ Report on Anti-Asian Violence Cited in The Guardian and Madison.com

AABANY and Paul, Weiss’ report on anti-Asian violence was recently mentioned in a March 1, 2021 article on The Guardian about TurboVax, a bot created by Huge Ma to help New Yorkers across the state locate available COVID-19 vaccination appointments. Over the February 27 weekend, Huge Ma temporarily suspended TurboVax to protest the hate crimes against Asian Americans. In the article, The Guardian cited AABANY’s report on the surge of incidents of anti-Asian hate and violence. To read the full article, click here.

Chris Kwok, AABANY Board Director and Co-Executive Editor of the report, was interviewed in a madison.com segment titled “Anti-Asian attacks on the rise” on February 23, 2021. He encouraged Asian Americans who have experienced anti-Asian discrimination or harassment to report and discuss what happened, rather than let it go unreported.

Please also take a look at previous blog posts from February 19, March 1, and March 8 highlighting news stories about our report. If you have come across a news report or article about our report that is not listed above, please let us know at main@aabany.org.

More public awareness about our report and the rise in anti-Asian violence is needed. Please share our report widely. If you have ideas or thoughts about how we can combat anti-Asian violence, please share them with us at main@aabany.org.

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Spike Lee Interviews AABANY Board Director Chris Kwok

On March 3rd, 2021, AABANY Board Director, Asia Practice Committee Co-Chair, and Issues Committee Chair Chris Kwok was invited to visit Spike Lee at his production site in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. Known for his movie Do The Right Thing (1989), Director Spike Lee is in the process of filming an eight hour documentary to capture New York’s resiliency from 9/11 to Covid-19. For the upcoming documentary, Spike Lee interviewed over 200 people and wanted to interview Chris to speak about the Asian American community in New York.

For Chris, Spike Lee has been a part of his life since high school. Do The Right Thing was Spike Lee’s magnum opus—the movie illustrated race relations between Italians, Blacks, and Asians in New York. In one iconic scene, a riot breaks out and as the Blacks move on to destroy the Korean bakery after burning down the Italian pizzeria, the owner of the bakery tells them, “You, me, same.” The Koreans and Blacks are on the same side and as an assertive African American filmmaker about racial justice, Spike Lee understood that at the time. Through his many projects, Spike Lee has recognized the Asian American community and sees Asian Americans as part of the fabric of New York. That stood out to Chris and his friends in high school. 

Spike Lee is iconic but also very personal. “He is including us and we should know more about African Americans and their culture. They have always been inclusive to us, and we should know their path in history,” said Chris. “BLM and fighting anti-Asian violence is the same fight. You don’t have to choose one over the other because it’s the manifestation of structural racism and the effort to dismantle it.” Chris’ comments reflect the message of Do The Right Thing. Asian Americans and African Americans need to be united and Spike Lee highlights that by writing “BLM + AABANY Brothers and Sista’s” in an autographed Do The Right Thing sign he presented to Chris at the interview (see image above).

Spike Lee’s new documentary “NYC Epicenters 9/11→ 2021½” is scheduled to be released later this year on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

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Legal Career Opportunities with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) employs skilled attorneys in various roles throughout the agency. Specifically, attorneys for DMV perform legal duties such as conduct traffic and safety-related administrative hearings, provide legal guidance to the agency and its numerous program areas, and represent the agency in various legal proceedings, among other key duties. Currently, DMV is actively recruiting candidates for the Senior Attorney and Motor Vehicle Referee Civil Service positions.

Click here to access the New York State Department of Civil Service’s Legal Specialties Continuous Recruitment Exam. As the flyer notes, attorneys who meet the minimum qualifications must complete the Legal Specialties Continuous Recruitment Exam. Once completed and scored by Civil Service, the attorney is placed on a Civil Service list that many New York State agencies, including DMV, use to recruit and hire attorneys to join their legal team. While the process to apply has a few steps, the rewards associated with a legal career in New York State Government make the exam process worthwhile.

If you have any questions, please contact Paula Gaylord at 518-486-9659.

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The Commission of Religious Leaders Presents: An Interfaith Conversation: Supporting Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities on March 18, 2021 at 4 pm

Members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities have been experiencing a troubling increase in bias incidents and hate crimes. This program will provide interfaith leaders with the opportunity to express unity and support for the AAPI community and explore concrete ways that clergy can be proactive in confronting bias, discrimination and hate crimes.

Please register for the webinar here at: 
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_wRi2OgDoTlCho3NKdoyqoQ

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Fireside Chat – Thursday, March 11 at 6:30 PM

From the Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo:

We are proud to present the next Fireside Chat as part of a series of discussions produced in partnership with the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Equity Taskforce.

We would appreciate your help in spreading the word – please invite your networks to attend the event through email, or by posting the event information on social media outlets like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. Participants can view the program at ny.gov/VETF.

We encourage you to submit questions for the speakers in advance by emailing COVID19VaccineEquity@health.ny.gov, and we will also be taking questions from attendees. We will do our best to pose as many questions to our panelists as possible. You may also choose to register for this event (not required), as a means of adding the event to your calendar and for reminders, at the link here: https://covid-19-vaccine-tribal-nations-building-trust.eventbrite.com. 

Thank you all and let’s #VaccinateNY!

Please refer any questions to Emily Stetson, Special Assistant for Intergovernmental Affairs, by email at Emily.Stetson@exec.ny.gov or by phone at (518) 956-2617.

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In The News: Fordham Law News Spotlights AABANY’s Covid Rent Relief Program

On March 9, 2021, Fordham Law News published an article spotlighting the role that Fordham Law students have played in spearheading AABANY’s Covid Rent Relief Program. Olympia Moy ‘21 and Meng Zhang ’20 kickstarted AABANY’s volunteer effort last summer, after New York State launched a rent relief program to assist residents who had lost income due to the pandemic. Concerned about low-income Chinatown-area residents, many of whom did not speak English as their first language, Moy and Zhang worked with other AABANY law students and attorneys to hold a one-day rent assistance event. On July 26, the volunteers helped 125 pre-registrants and many walk-ins navigate the challenging application process. When the state’s rent relief program opened its second round of applications in the winter, AABANY volunteers teamed up again to disseminate the program information and invite applicants to contact AABANY’s hotline for assistance. Nicholas Loh ‘22 helped lead this two-week hotline effort, connecting over 85 callers with Chinese-speaking volunteers.

The article celebrated the recognition that these students and AABANY members have received from four New York state senators. At a Lunar New Year virtual celebration in February, Sen. Brian Kavanagh awarded AABANY’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee with a certificate of commendation for providing invaluable legal assistance to the AAPI community. Looking into the future, Moy states: “We students are going to continue to try to respond as long as there are further rollouts and extensions.” To learn more about the advocacy efforts of Moy and her fellow AABANY volunteers, click here.

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In the News: Press Coverage on AABANY and Paul, Weiss’ Report on Anti-Asian Violence Continues

Since the release of AABANY and Paul, Weiss’ Report, A Rising Tide of Hate and Violence against Asian Americans in New York During COVID-19: Impact, Causes, Solutions on February 11, there has been ongoing widespread press attention in print and on air. Chris Kwok, Co-Executive Editor of the report and AABANY Board Director, has been interviewed by various news outlets on the reports’ findings including a segment on CNN Tonight, on Spectrum News NY1, and a City & State New York Ask the Experts article along with Taiyee Chien, one of AABANY’s Student Leaders. The report was also recently cited on the March 1st broadcast of the Brian Lehrer show.

Here is the current list of news stories about recent incidents of anti-Asian violence, where they mention AABANY’s report or quote Chris Kwok:

“紐約反亞裔暴力上升 提7點建議扭轉趨勢” February 11, 2021, Sing Tao Daily, https://www.singtaousa.com/ny/436-%E7%B4%90%E7%B4%84/3270435-%E7%B4%90%E7%B4%84%E5%8F%8D%E4%BA%9E%E8%A3%94%E6%9A%B4%E5%8A%9B%E4%B8%8A%E5%8D%87++%E6%8F%907%E9%BB%9E%E5%BB%BA%E8%AD%B0%E6%89%AD%E8%BD%89%E8%B6%A8%E5%8B%A2/

“武漢肺炎｜紐約巿針對亞裔仇恨罪案激增7倍 分析指受害人不願報案問題被低估” February 13, 2021, AppleDaily (HK), https://hk.appledaily.com/international/20210213/W3QTOPQJBJCSTAA623TY6OWMDE/

“美國亞裔遭攻擊事件激增 拜登總統譴責暴力並採取行動” February 15, 2021, Voice of America, https://www.voacantonese.com/a/asian-american-rights-groups-call-for-actions-to-protect-communities/5777947.html 

“「黃皮膚」帶來病毒？美國亞裔遭攻擊2800起” By 李慧蘋, February 17, 2021, TVBS News (TW), https://news.tvbs.com.tw/life/1464804 

“Anti-Asian Hate Crimes are on the Rise—and the Community is Fighting Back” By Sarah Chung, February 28, 2021, New York City Lens, https://nycitylens.com/anti-asian-hate-crimes-rise-community-fighting-back/ 

“Hate Crimes Targeting Asian Americans Spiked by 150% in Major US Cities” By Masood Farivar, March 2, 2021, Voice of America, https://www.voanews.com/usa/race-america/hate-crimes-targeting-asian-americans-spiked-150-major-us-cities 

“Comment guérir les maux du « racisme américain » ?” March 3, 2021, Radio Chine Internationale, http://french.cri.cn/commentaire/2495/20210303/628538.html 

“What can be done to stem hatred against Asian Americans?” By Kay Dervishi, March 3, 2021, City & State New York, https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/ask-experts/what-can-be-done-stem-hatred-against-asian-americans.html 

“Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Spiked in L.A. Last Year” By Gwynedd Stuart, March 3, 2021, Los Angeles Magazine, https://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/anti-asian-hate-crimes-los-angeles-2020/ 

“Hate Crimes Targeting Asian-Americans Spiked by 150% in 2020” By BR Web Desk, March 4, 2021, Business Recorder, https://www.brecorder.com/news/40070193 

“Hate Crimes Against Asian-Americans Are Up as Overall Crime Goes Down” By Shannan Ferry, March 5, 2021, Spectrum News NY 1, https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2021/03/05/hate-crimes-against-asian-americans-up# 

“Police Data Shows 150% Increase in Hate Attacks on Asians Across Major Cities in 2020” By Ryan General, March 5, 2021, NextShark, https://news.yahoo.com/police-data-shows-150-increase-195216687.html 

“Anti-Asian violence has surged in the US since COVID-19. But it didn’t start there” By Maura Hohman, March 6, 2021, Today, https://www.today.com/news/anti-asian-violence-history-anti-asian-racism-us-t210645 

“Anti-Asian violence has spiked since the pandemic began” CNN Tonight, https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2021/03/03/asian-hate-crime-coronavirus-covid-19-ctn-walker-pkg-hnk-vpx.cnn 

Please also take a look at previous blog posts from February 19 and March 1 highlighting news stories about our report. If you have come across a news report or article about our report that is not listed above, please let us know at main@aabany.org.

More public awareness about our report and the rise in anti-Asian violence is needed. Please share our report widely. If you have ideas or thoughts about how we can combat anti-Asian violence, please share them with us at main@aabany.org.

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AABANY Hosts Virtual Tour of Famous Japanese Mountains at the March 5, 2021 Weekly Membership Mixer

On March 5, 2021, the Membership Committee hosted their weekly virtual Membership Mixer, with 17 participants in attendance. This week participants were treated to a virtual escape to the famous mountains of Japan. An experienced tour guide, Kenji, called in from Osaka, Japan and provided attendees with historical background, film footage, video tours and trivia about Japan.

The Membership Committee previously hosted Monthly Mixers at bars, ballparks, stadiums, operas, etc, but due to COVID, we have moved online to offer members a weekly outlet to share their feelings, see old friends, and make new connections. Mixers start at 6:30pm on Friday and the main event ends at 7:30pm but many often stay on after 7:30pm for smaller breakout groups.

Membership Committee will continue to host weekly virtual mixers until it is safe to gather together again in person. 

Please join us this week March 12 on Remo, March 19 with the Judiciary Committee and March 26 with the Founders of AABANY. Registration deadline is Thursday night for each of the mixers.

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AABANY Report Cited on Brian Lehrer Show (WNYC FM)

The March 1st broadcast of the Brian Lehrer Show featured Arun Venugopal, a senior reporter for WNYC’s Race & Justice Unit. Together, Brian and Arun discussed the alarming rise in anti-Asian violence since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brian opened the show by citing statistics from AABANY and Paul, Weiss’ co-authored report: A Rising Tide of Hate and Violence against Asian Americans in New York During COVID-19: Impact, Causes, Solutions. According to the report, there have been more than 2,500 anti-Asian hate incidents nationwide between March and September of 2020. Drawing on another finding of the AABANY report, Arun noted that targeted attacks are particularly commonplace in New York, where Asians are more at risk of physical assault, verbal harassment, and being coughed and spat on. Arun proceeded to draw awareness to a number of local hate incidents, the most recent among them being the stabbing of an Asian American man in Chinatown last Thursday. Citing the opinion of Chris Kwok, AABANY board director and co-executive editor of AABANY’s report, Arun noted that such attacks may be motivated by the stereotype that Asians are “soft targets” who will not fight back. Expanding on this notion, Arun stated that Asians must be seen as part of broader communities that will fight back.

In the remainder of the show, listeners from the Asian American community called in to voice their own experiences as victims of the “soft target” stereotype and express a similar desire for intersectional coalitions. While debates continue over how such coalitions may best be built, Arun pointed out that we all have a role to play in the here and now. By reporting bias incidents to groups like Stop AAPI Hate and the Asian American Federation, whose work is also discussed in the AABANY report, we can ensure that the issue of anti-Asian violence remains at the top of the nation’s political agenda. 

To listen to this episode of the Brian Lehrer Show in its entirety, click here.

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