Rallies held across state to denounce violence
Asian Americans and their allies rally against shootings in Georgia, as well as racism, sexism, xenophobia.
SAN FRANCISCO >> Asian Americans and their allies held rallies Saturday in California — home of the nation’s largest Asian population — to denounce shootings at massage businesses in Georgia and racism, xenophobia and misogyny.
In San Francisco, hundreds gathered in Portsmouth Square, the park in the middle of Chinatown, to grieve the victims and to call for an end to racist and sexist violence against Asian Americans.
The participants waved signs reading “stop Asian hate.”
One person wrote “We pray for peace, justice & safety for the AAPI community,” while another stated, “We are ALL Americans.”
Besides San Francisco, protests took place in other major cities, including neighboring Oakland.
In the small Bay Area suburb of Brisbane, another group held an afternoon rally in a park and made the same pleas. They heard speeches from local government and law enforcement officials calling for an end to hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific islanders.
“On behalf of the Brisbane police officers and myself, we stand here with you in solidarity to denounce violence and racism and promote peace, respect and safety for everyone,” Police Chief Elizabeth Macias said.
Asian-American parents and business owners are fearful of their children or places of work being targeted, and many community members are afraid to go out in public, activists have said.