‘It hasn’t gotten better’: AAPI community still concerned with number of hate crimes

By Orko Manna

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    SACRAMENTO, California (KCRA) — It is AAPI Heritage Month in May. And while it is a time to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander cultures, those communities are still grappling with an increase in hate crimes since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The question now is: Have racist incidents been decreasing, increasing, or staying about the same since the uptick started?

Data KCRA 3 obtained from the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Hate Crimes Unit show how many racially motivated hate crimes against AAPI residents they have seen over the past few years.

In 2020, there were 16 total hate crime referrals and two law enforcement case referrals, with criminal charges filed in one case. In 2021, there were 21 total hate crime referrals and three law enforcement case referrals, with criminal charges filed in two cases. In 2022, while there are no criminal charges, there have been seven total hate crime referrals, putting it on track to match last year’s numbers. Stephanie Nguyen, the executive director of Asian Resources, Inc., a local nonprofit empowering local Asians, said the numbers do not lie: It is clear there is still hate against the Asian community.

“It hasn’t gotten better. Our community continues to not report these incidents. It’s a cultural thing,” Nguyen said.

The Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association, or APAPA, agreed that the trend is still increasing. APAPA national executive director Henry Chang said the organization’s main focus right now is addressing anti-Asian sentiment.

“We’re talking to the attorney general’s office, with [Rob] Bonta, to have a task force against Asian hate,” Chang said.

APAPA is also working with California state lawmakers on Senate Bill 1363, which would bring more diversity to school curriculums across the state. According to a bill analysis, the proposed legislation “encourages schools to adopt a course of study related to Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) History for grades 1 to 6 and 7 to 12, within the social sciences area.” Chang said this will help combat the root causes of anti-Asian hate.

“We’d like to stem the racism that happens because Asian Americans — we were here — we contributed and that needs to be taught in our schools,” Chang said.

SB 1363 has passed the Senate Education Committee and now heads to the Senate floor.

Businesses across the Sacramento area have dealt with anti-Asian sentiment throughout the pandemic. Mya Kohart, owner of the Natomas-area Vietnamese restaurant Saigon Corner, said her business faced racism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We did get a couple calls here or there in the very beginning asking us if we were selling dog meat,” Kohart said. “It’s not something that I would imagine would ever happen to me.”

Kohart said she hopes efforts to curb racism will make a difference.

“It would be easier if everyone’s a little bit kinder to each other,” Kohart said.

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