The leader of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) said Friday that she would request a meeting with the Department of Justice as pressure mounts for the Biden administration to address recent attacks against Asian American elders.
During a press conference with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus, Rep. Judy Chu (D-California) described the rise in hate crimes as a “daily tragedy” and urged the federal agency to take proactive action to prevent future incidents.
Chu also called on the Justice Department to prosecute past hate crimes, noting that while there has been an increase in anti-Asian violence, there has been “no comparable increase in prosecutions. In many cases, the perpetrators are still to be found.”
"The Asian American community has reached a crisis point that cannot be ignored," said Chu.
When asked what specific actions the Justice Department would take to protect AAPI communities, a DOJ spokesperson told The Yappie that “prosecuting hate crimes is a priority of the Department of Justice, and we will vigorously enforce the laws including in cases where Asian Americans are targeted.”
In January, President Joe Biden signed a largely symbolic memorandum directing the Justice Department to improve the tracking of hate incidents targeting AAPIs. The memo also asks the Attorney General to engage with AAPI communities to halt further harassment and violence.
Friday’s press event, which featured members of CAPAC along with the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, comes after a series of unprovoked and sometimes deadly attacks against Asian Americans this month.
On Thursday, Feb. 4, a disturbing video surfaced of a 91-year-old man being shoved to the ground in Oakland, Calif. Earlier that week, Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old San Francisco resident from Thailand, died after sustaining injuries in an attack that his family believes was racially motivated.
The increase in violence against Asian Americans is not new. Stop AAPI Hate, a group that tracks such incidents, has recorded over 2,800 incidents of racial discrimination against Asian Americans since the pandemic began in March of last year. Data obtained by The Yappie from other AAPI advocacy groups suggests that the total number of reports surpassed 3,000 in November.
Activists and lawmakers say former President Donald Trump’s use of racist phrases such as “China virus” and “Kung flu” contributed to the initial spike in hate crimes.
