Journal Entry One https://www.voanews.com/usa/anti-asian-hate-us-predates-pandemic The article starts off by interviewing Vivian Le who left Vietnam in 2007 to study in the U.S. and now works as an accountant. She says she has a much better life here but now with the hate crimes she is fearful. She is scared for her mother, family and herself. There was a study done in 16 U.S. cities by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, which found a 164% increase in hate crimes have been reported to police in 2021, when compared to 2020. The cities with the most hate crime cases are in New York and Los Angeles. Because of the violence against Asian Americans, Present Biden signed the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. It calls for someone at the Department of Justice to speed up the review of the hate crimes that been done. This act also gives grants for training and education against racism in general. The reason for the rise in reports of racism is because of mainstream media and society are actually talking about it. Many incidents of Asian Americans being attacked ended up on social media and on tv. These incidents have helped push some Asian Americans to report their experiences that they have kept silent about for years. Many Asian Americans are reporting incidents at higher rates. And since March of 2020, more than 6,600 racist incidents against Asians have been reported. Many Asian Americans blame the rise of incidents on former Present Trump, because he called COVID-19 a “Chinese virus.” But with the pandemic, Chinese Americans are not the only targets of hate crimes. This is attributed to how many people in the U.S. see Asians as one group. Journal Entry Two https://wtop.com/dc/2021/06/arrest-made-in-possible-hate-crime-against-asian-business-ownerin-dc/ This article talks about an arrest made from a D.C. hate crime against an Asian business owner. A month after the Asian business owner was assaulted in Northeast D.C. the police made an arrest in the incident. Samuel Delwyn Thomas, who is 30, of Cockeysville, Maryland, was arrested on June 3rd and charged with aggravated assault. The police department at the time is investigating the offense as potentially being motivated as a whole or in part of a hate crime or bias. Samuel Delwyn Thomas is accused of punching Chong Hu Lu in the face on May 4, 2021 after getting into an argument with him inside Max Trading Corporation, which is Lu’s jewelry store in the 1300 block of 4th Street near Florida Avenue by Union Market. The assault was captured in surveillance video, where it can be seen that the suspect yelled “F*** you, Chinese people” during the attack. Lu’s wife, Cong Cong Hu, stepped in and tried to help in the attack. She told NBC Washington that she was scared during the incident. She was scared that the guy might have been carrying a gun or a knife. Lu received 14 stitches on his lip from the incident. There has been many hate crimes reported against Asians across D.C. and nationwide this past year, with the coronavirus pandemic. Journal Entry Three https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/why-over-85-asian-american-lgbtq-groupsopposed-anti-asian-n1267421 This article talks about the reason why Asian American, LGBTQ groups are opposed to the anti-Asian hate crime bill. More than 85 organizations have released a statement in opposition to the bill. The groups argue that the bill fails to provide resources to address the causes of anti-Asian bias and that it ignores police violence against Black and brown communities. The groups argued that just relying on law enforcement and crime statistics is not how violence is prevented. They bring up the fact that there is continued violence against trans people even though there are hate crime measures to protect them. According to the Human Rights Campaign, there has been at least 44 transgender or gender-non conforming people that have been shot or killed in 2020, with the majority of the victims being Black or Latino transgender women. The organization also argued that a lot of violence comes from the hands of law enforcement themselves. With the ongoing attacks on Asian Americans many people believe that law enforcement has not been helpful or preventative. The people who have been attacked, along with their family, have had to crowdfund to cover their health care and other costs. And that law enforcement does not aid in many of these needs. The organizations advocate for a shift in resources from law enforcement to community-based solutions. With demanding the removal of police from communities and instead for investing in mental health care infrastructures, neighborhood trauma centers and community food banks, etc. The groups also advocate for a reframing of bias violence with the recognizing the topic as a public health issue. Journal Entry Four https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-05-08/i-will-not-be-quiet-teens-speak-out-aboutanti-asian-attacks-at-l-a-event This article talks about teens speaking out about anti-Asian attacks that happened at an L.A. event. Jenna Dupuy was at this event was had a man nonstop saying hateful slurs against Asians at her, along with assaulting her. He fractured her shoulder and ankle plus giving her a concussion. She said that this man before the attack had harassed them for hours with sexual comments about being Asian, with no one intervening his threats until he started to physically hurt them. The attack at a skate park was because of xenophobia and racism in connection to the ‘yellow peril’ stereotypes and fetishism of Asian women. Many people came out to spread awareness of these kinds of attacks and build solidarity among people of color. The “Youth Against Hate” even was organized by youth organizations and it was described as being led by youth in a place of healing and togetherness. One teen said she worries everyday for her family and other Asians when she sees Asian hate crimes on her phone. The hate crimes against Asian Americans have increased in L.A. with an analysis finding an 80% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes being reported to L.A. police. In the community of Ladera Ranch in Orange County, there was one family being harassed for months by teens pounding on their poor, throwing rocks, and shouting insults until neighbors decided to set up a nightly watch. The teens at the rally said that they are standing up for their elder and that they have the responsibility to protect the people that created them and raised them in America. Journal Entry Five https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2021/06/10505464/asian-american-fashion-support-garmentdistrict-new-york-city This article talks about supporting Asian Americans in fashion and how it started within the Garment District. With the increase of violence towards Asian Americans fashion brands have begun to show their support. Many brands have posted the hashtag #StopAsianHate on instagram and offering limited-edition specialty items where a portion of the purchase would go to charities. Within the Garment District, which is between 34th and 40th Streets, from Broadway to Ninth Avenue, 54% of the businesses are Asian American-owned and led. A study done by The Asian American Federation, found that 44% of the total workers in America’s garment industry are Asian. The factory owners, pattern makers, fabric cutters, seamstresses, etc have all worked there for many generations and play an important role in the fashion industry. But despite the Asian American directed violence around the U.S. the fashion industry has not rushed to support them as much as they support their Asian customers. And many brands have begun seeking out production somewhere else to cut costs of labor. Designers can make an impact and reroute their efforts to invest in the Asian Americans who play a major role in NYC’s reputation as a major fashion capital. They can do this by sourcing their patterns, samples, and collections from the AAPI-owned factories in the Garment District, that are currently struggling to stay afloat. Awareness and funding is the necessary first step in the fight for a safer and more equitable future for Asian Americans.
