Crowds protesting against hate crimes against Asian Americans appeared in Washington DC following the Atlanta spa shootings.
On Tuesday, eight people at three different parlours in and around the US city of Atlanta were killed.
Six of the eight victims were women of Asian descent. Atlanta’s police chief, Rodney Bryant, said it was too early in the investigation to conclude that Tuesday’s shootings had not been a hate crime.
Activists and advocates have pointed to an increase in racially-motivated attacks against Asian Americans throughout the pandemic.
In late 2020, the UN issued a report detailing an “alarming level” of racially-motivated violence and other hate incidents against Asian Americans.
An elderly Thai immigrant dies after being shoved to the ground. A Filipino-American is slashed in the face with a box cutter. A Chinese woman is slapped and then set on fire.
These are just examples of recent violent attacks on Asian Americans, part of a surge in abuse since the start of the pandemic a year ago.
From being spat on and verbally harassed to incidents of physical assault, there have been thousands of reported cases in recent months.
Advocates and activists say these are hate crimes, and often linked to rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19.
It is difficult to determine exact numbers for such crimes and instances of discrimination, as no organisations or governmental agencies have been tracking the issue long-term, and reporting standards can vary region to region.
The advocacy group Stop AAPI Hate said it received more than 2,800 reports of hate incidents directed at Asian Americans nationwide last year. The group set up its online self-reporting tool at the start of the pandemic.
Local law enforcement is taking notice too: the New York City hate crimes task force investigated 27 incidents in 2020, a nine fold increase from the previous year. In Oakland, California, police have added patrols and set up a command post in Chinatown.
In recent weeks, celebrities and influencers have spoken out after several disturbing incidents went viral on social media.
Here are some of the recently reported attacks:
- An 84-year-old Thai immigrant in San Francisco, California, died last month after being violently shoved to the ground during his morning walk.
- In Oakland, California, a 91-year-old senior was shoved to the pavement from behind.
- An 89-year-old Chinese woman was slapped and set on fire by two people in Brooklyn, New York.
- A stranger on the New York subway slashed a 61-year-old Filipino American passenger’s face with a box cutter.
- Asian American restaurant employees in New York City told the New York Times they now always go home early for fear of violence and harassment.
- An Asian American butcher shop owner in Sacramento, California found a dead cat – likely intended for her – left in the store’s parking lot; police are investigating it as a hate crime.
- An Asian American family celebrating a birthday at a restaurant in Carmel, California, was berated with racist slurs by a Trump-supporting tech executive.
- Several Asian Americans home owners say they’ve been abused with racial slurs and had rocks thrown at their houses.