Lawmakers decry violence against Asians
WASHINGTON — Asian American, Black and Hispanic lawmakers joined together Friday to demand action to respond to a disturbing increase in attacks on Asian Americans including in the Bay Area, saying the government needs to do more to stop the violence.
They also laid at least some blame at the feet of former President Donald Trump, linking the increased intolerance to a rise in white supremacy nationwide.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, DSan Francisco, called recent violence against Asian Americans “a blot on our country” and praised President Biden for signing an executive action that called on the attorney general to explore how to do more to stop it.
But she joined other lawmakers in saying public awareness was also necessary. People
who witness such crimes should take note of words used during an attack that may prove a hate crime was committed, she said.
The Bay Area in particular has seen recent violent and deadly attacks on Asian American residents. California alone saw nearly half of the nation’s incidents of hate against Asian Americans, according to the group Stop API Hate, with more than 1,000 such incidents between March and August.
Pelosi joined Oakland Rep. Barbara Lee during the news conference in linking the uptick to a broader surge of intolerance.
“White supremacy is the biggest bucket of concern when it comes to domestic terrorism, so this issue is specific to these individuals and how we want to help them, but it’s also part of a bigger picture,” Pelosi said.
The lawmakers on the news conference held by the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus called for public awareness campaigns in multiple languages to reach vulnerable communities. They also called for the passage of a bill called the No Hate Act to beef up federal hate crime statutes and reporting.
Lee represented the Congressional Black Caucus and Los Angeles Rep. Jimmy Gomez represented the Hispanic Caucus, with the group citing the importance of standing together against any racism.
While the Democratic lawmakers noted the U.S. has a long history of antiAsian bigotry, they also said Trump bears responsibility for this wave.
Rep. Ted Lieu, DTorrance (Los Angeles County), cited his experience as a manager in Trump’s impeachment trial earlier this month, linking Democrats’ case against him for inciting the violent insurrection at the Capitol Jan. 6 to the surge against Asian Americans.
“Violence doesn’t just happen out of the blue. It takes months and months of inflaming prejudices,” Lieu said, noting Trump’s use of the offensive term “kung flu” and efforts to blame China for the coronavirus, which originated there.
“When that happens, it does turn parts of the American population against the Asian American community,” Lieu said. “Our former president showed that words can kill, and his already have.”