China News Service, August 11. According to the US "World Journal" report, since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, crimes against Asians have surged across the United States.
More than half of the residents of Alhambra in Los Angeles County, Southern California, are of Asian descent. The authorities said that although hate crimes are not common in this city, the government attaches great importance to it and actively takes various measures to ensure that the Peaceful coexistence.
Katherine Lee, a Chinese-American city councillor in Albany, believes that whether people encounter a hate crime themselves, or see similar cases as witnesses, they should report to the police immediately and tell the police what kind of person did exactly what they did, and if there is a suspect Photos are better.
"Neighbors must watch each other. Although there are few hate crimes in Ashi, suspects may frequently commit crimes in other cities. Timely reporting will help the police to identify suspects as soon as possible."
Huang Youping also pointed out that many Chinese are reluctant to report to the police and dare not communicate with the police, which will lead to suspects doing whatever they want and continuing to commit crimes, "Some Chinese are worried about retaliation, but this is unlikely, because most suspects of hate crimes commit crimes secretly, they will not In retaliation, the police will not reveal any information about the informant.”
City Police Chief Kelley Fraser said residents who are victims of a hate crime or witness violence should immediately call the police department at (626) 570-5151, or anonymously at (800) 222-8477.
At the same time, Los Angeles County's "LA vs Hate" program provides free follow-up services and resource support, and the Asian Youth Center and the Asian Americans Advancing Justice also compile relevant resources on the website , to help the community fight hate crimes.
In response to the rise of anti-Asian hatred across the United States in recent years, the APD has increased its ties with Asian-American businesses in the community, Chief Fraser said, "We have visited Asian-American businesses many times to ensure that we will serve them and provide information on how to A message about working together to keep the community safe."
City leaders from Alhambra, Rosemead, San Gabriel and Monterey Park joined Alhambra Teachers Association members at a rally against hate crime and racism last year and parade.
At the same time, the city passed a statement condemning the hatred of the Asian-American community, and the San Gabriel Valley police department also issued a joint statement to express support for the Asian-Pacific community.
Huang Youping said that after Los Angeles County Attorney General Jascon took office, hate crimes were removed from the scope of increased sentences. "Because of this, criminals can do whatever they want. For example, in an attack case because of hatred of Asians, only the attack itself can be prosecuted. , but there will be no hate-motivated punishment, and if it's just an expression of hate in the verbal text, there won't be any substantive charges."
On May 23 this year, five city councillors of the city jointly signed an email to Jasconn. The letter pointed out: A city is a diverse community composed of people of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It is worrying that , SD20-08 does not allow increased sentences for hate crimes, and the city council proposes to amend SD20-08 to include hate crimes in the scope of increased sentences to protect community members.
In addition, in order to resist hate crimes, the Ashi Police Department specially produced a pamphlet and translated it into Chinese and Spanish.
In the brochure, the police explain why they should report a hate crime, "When you report a crime, you are involved in a campaign to stop hate crime. Each report helps describe the actual situation in your area. May prevent similar incidents from happening to others. The more police departments know, the better they can protect everyone in the community.”
Police also enumerated various safety tips for citizens, such as avoiding dangerous areas, including dark parking lots, alleys, walking paths near bushes, walls and fences; when walking at night, do not wear headphones to listen to music, make sure you can listen to it to street sounds; make eye contact with pedestrians you encounter, and be aware of your surroundings, especially nearby pedestrians and vehicles; use public transportation, such as Uber, buses, and taxis; use the tracking feature on your smartphone to help track your trip and communicate with Share information with family and friends; leave unsafe places, call 911 if you feel threatened; avoid walking alone at night, if you go home with people you don’t know, get to know your peers before you go, introduce them to friends, and exchange names and phone numbers .
A city police station stated that ensuring public safety is the top priority of the police, and will not allow any discriminatory hate crimes against Asians caused by the new crown virus in the community, and will not tolerate acts of violence against anyone and damage to property.
(Shao Min)