Border Angels and APALA–San Diego condemn spike of hate crimes against Asian communities
February 17, 2021
Border Angels and APALA–San Diego condemn spike of hate crimes against Asian communities
The recent killing of Mr. Vicha Ratanapakdee in Northern California and the increase in reported crimes against Asian communities, especially the elderly, across the country is just the latest shameful example of hatred and xenophobia.
Border Angels and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance – San Diego jointly condemn the killing of Mr. Ratanapakdee and many other victims of hate incidents and hate crimes targeting members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. We demand justice for all these victims and that those responsible be punished to the full extent that the law allows.
Mr. Ratanapakdee was the victim of a savage, cowardly, and unprovoked attack in the early morning hours in San Francisco, California. He was pushed forcefully to the ground and was pronounced dead two days later. The family believes the murder was racially motivated. Mr. Ratanapakdee was an 84- year-old man from Thailand who had come to the United States to help take care of his grandchildren. He was described as a gentle person who loved his family.
Reports of hate incidents, including physical and verbal assaults, targeting the AAPI communities have been on the rise all across the United States since the start of the pandemic. From March 2020 up to the end of 2020, more than 2,800 hate incidents, not including the unreported, were documented by Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian attacks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
These hate incidents continue to occur in the first quarter of 2021. In early February, a 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother was assaulted in San Jose, California. On that same day Noel Quintana, a 61- year-old Filipino American was slashed across the face with a blade in a New York City subway. He was slashed from cheek to cheek across his face and required almost 100 stitches. Most recently, a Filipino woman in her eighties was the victim of an unprovoked attack as she was punched while riding the trolley in San Diego.
These incidents of hate-filled violence are just the latest example of immigrants being the victims of scapegoating and fear mongering. It is reprehensible that every time there is a national crisis, some sectors readily lay the blame on immigrants and communities of color, making them targets of racist incidents and hate crimes. COVID-19 and the hateful rhetoric about its origin have spurred this violence against Asian Americans.
Border Angels and APALA-San Diego stand together in support of our AAPI brothers and sisters and demand justice and protection for all communities of color. We ask that law enforcement and other government agencies ensure that victims, survivors, and their families receive full support and services including language access to help them recover and heal. Moreover, we call for the strengthening and expansion of civil rights protections for those who are victims of these racist and hateful actions. We believe that whenever one community is threatened, all our communities are threatened.
Border Angels and APALA–San Diego condemn spike of hate crimes against Asian communities
The recent killing of Mr. Vicha Ratanapakdee in Northern California and the increase in reported crimes against Asian communities, especially the elderly, across the country is just the latest shameful example of hatred and xenophobia.
Border Angels and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance – San Diego jointly condemn the killing of Mr. Ratanapakdee and many other victims of hate incidents and hate crimes targeting members of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities. We demand justice for all these victims and that those responsible be punished to the full extent that the law allows.
Mr. Ratanapakdee was the victim of a savage, cowardly, and unprovoked attack in the early morning hours in San Francisco, California. He was pushed forcefully to the ground and was pronounced dead two days later. The family believes the murder was racially motivated. Mr. Ratanapakdee was an 84- year-old man from Thailand who had come to the United States to help take care of his grandchildren. He was described as a gentle person who loved his family.
Reports of hate incidents, including physical and verbal assaults, targeting the AAPI communities have been on the rise all across the United States since the start of the pandemic. From March 2020 up to the end of 2020, more than 2,800 hate incidents, not including the unreported, were documented by Stop AAPI Hate, a coalition documenting and addressing anti-Asian attacks amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
These hate incidents continue to occur in the first quarter of 2021. In early February, a 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother was assaulted in San Jose, California. On that same day Noel Quintana, a 61- year-old Filipino American was slashed across the face with a blade in a New York City subway. He was slashed from cheek to cheek across his face and required almost 100 stitches. Most recently, a Filipino woman in her eighties was the victim of an unprovoked attack as she was punched while riding the trolley in San Diego.
These incidents of hate-filled violence are just the latest example of immigrants being the victims of scapegoating and fear mongering. It is reprehensible that every time there is a national crisis, some sectors readily lay the blame on immigrants and communities of color, making them targets of racist incidents and hate crimes. COVID-19 and the hateful rhetoric about its origin have spurred this violence against Asian Americans.
Border Angels and APALA-San Diego stand together in support of our AAPI brothers and sisters and demand justice and protection for all communities of color. We ask that law enforcement and other government agencies ensure that victims, survivors, and their families receive full support and services including language access to help them recover and heal. Moreover, we call for the strengthening and expansion of civil rights protections for those who are victims of these racist and hateful actions. We believe that whenever one community is threatened, all our communities are threatened.
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