Demanding Better Efforts Toward Anti-Hate Crimes
U.S. lawmakers Senator Mazie Hirono and Congresswoman Grace Meng demand updates on the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act against Asians signed four months ago.
The lawmakers sent a detailed letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland explaining the rise in hate crimes toward Asian elders. In addition, it described the horrific shooting at an Atlanta spa. An FBI report shows the number of hate crimes in 2020 was the peak from the last few decades.
Four months after the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act was signed into law, @RepGraceMeng and I are asking @TheJusticeDept for updates about how the law is being implemented.https://t.co/iI3oItQwUr
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) September 20, 2021
Also, the letter pressured DOJ to implement the Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act to diminish xenophobia and decrease hate crimes. The legislation was signed May 20 by President Biden. However, there are no updates on the act. The Department of Justice was told to expedite the reports of Covid-19-related hate crimes and make it easier to report future incidents online.
Proud to stand with my colleagues today to see the first step in stopping the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes signed into law.
— Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono) May 20, 2021
Mahalo to @POTUS and @VP for your support of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. Hate has no place in our country. pic.twitter.com/TnSYxsWFOO
Hirono and Meng’s letter also urged better ways to report online hate crimes and violent incidents. The letter reads, “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. Data on hate crimes alone is insufficient.”
Analyzing reports from the Stop AAPI Hate, anti-Asian verbal harassment consisted of two-thirds of the 9,000 incidents. This problem isn’t going away quietly; it’s getting worse. The 9,000 reports were only from the 15 months during the pandemic, and imagine how many reports there could be now.
Furthermore, Congresswomen Meng and Senator Hirono encouraged schools to raise awareness of anti-Asian hate crimes in their curriculum. The curriculum will be translated into different languages to encourage everyone to fight against hate crimes or come forward with their reports.
Passing our Covid-19 Hate Crimes Act was an important step to #StopAsianHate, but it must be the 1st of many. I’m proud to continue working alongside @mazieforhawaii as we urge the Justice Department to fully implement this Act & protect AAPI communities. https://t.co/RIi50SGUT2
— Grace Meng (@Grace4NY) September 21, 2021
Additionally, the letter addressed Asian hate crimes and called for the law to be applied to all discriminated groups such as the LGBTQIA+ community and the Jewish community.
Finally, the letter ends with, “We fear the impact this could have on perpetuating hate-based violence against people. Full implementation of COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act will helo stem the tide against further violence.”
Recognizing this letter and acknowledging the latest news, it is evident that this matter is not light, nor should it be ignored. To make our community better, it takes a village. Here is a link for more ways to help and to report incidents of hate crimes or harassment. Anything helps.
Content Writer
