SCCLA’s Call to Action Regarding Anti-Asian Hate Violence

March 5, 2021

The Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association is outraged by, and forcefully condemns, the recent spike in violent, unprovoked attacks against members of the Asian Pacific American community, particularly against its vulnerable elders. To name just a few examples, in the past two months, a 91-year old man in Oakland was knocked to the ground; an 84-year old man in San Francisco was slammed down and later died; a 61-year old man in New York was slashed in the face with box cutters; and a 64-year old woman in San Jose was assaulted and robbed in broad daylight. Nearly forty years after the murder of Vincent Chin, such disturbing acts of bigotry and hate continue to occur everyday. These stories must not be forgotten.

Unfortunately, these anti-Asian assaults are nothing new. In the past year, Asian Americans have suffered an unprecedented rise in hate crimes, fueled by misinformation and xenophobia stemming from the coronavirus pandemic. According to reports, hate crimes against the Asian and Pacific Islander community rose by 114% in 2020, mirroring triple-digit percentage increases in major cities across the nation. 2021 has been no different.

The time to act is overdue. We call for our lawmakers to take concrete steps to stem this tide of violence against Asian Americans. SCCLA is committed to working in coordination with our sister bar associations to engage local and federal law enforcement, government leaders, and community organizers to identify meaningful solutions to put an end to this cycle of discrimination and hate across all racial groups.

As members of the bar, we each have the capacity – and the obligation – to promote racial equality and to fight injustice everywhere in our society. Supporting and helping survivors broadly report each hate incident is critical for effective response and prevention of future crimes. Through detailed data collection, local law enforcement and our community at large can accurately understand the urgency and severity of this issue and address the root causes of racial violence. Together, we can amplify our voices in solidarity to raise awareness and
combat hate crimes against Asians.