Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) advocates urged the Biden administration to dedicate $300 million dollars in federal funding to stem the rise in anti-Asian violence after the attacks this week in Atlanta, with much of the money dedicated towards long-term community safety and victim assistance services, according to materials obtained by The Yappie.
In a letter (read it here) signed by the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) and more than 180 other AAPI groups, activists asked the White House to provide $100 million to bolster “community-based solutions,” and demanded that the administration allocate an additional $200 million to safety and relief efforts in its FY2022 federal budget request to Congress.
The letter was first reported by Axios’ Shawna Chen.
Among the wide-ranging demands, advocates requested the creation of a federal interagency task force to combat anti-Asian hate, specifically addressing “the disproportionate impact of violence directed towards women and the elderly.” The task force would also support the development of in-language resources and coordinate the government’s response to the crisis directly with AAPI advocates.
The groups also sought funding for linguistically and culturally accessible resources dedicated to hate reporting, mental health, and victim assistance. Additional money would be used to provide relief for AAPI essential and low-wage workers “confronting the twin pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism,” including support for undocumented and immigrant AAPIs.
Other funding would go toward creating alternatives to law enforcement, such as violence prevention and crisis intervention programs.
“The Asian American and Pacific Islander community needs safety immediately,” the letter states. “We call on President Biden and Vice President Harris to take immediate action to stem the crisis in anti-Asian violence right now and to commit to extended partnership with the AAPI community for long term safety, recovery and resilience.”
Calls for the Biden administration to do more for the AAPI community have been growing as the number of reported hate incidents targeting Asian Americans continues to rise. On January 26, the president signed a memorandum condemning anti-Asian hate and asked the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services to engage with AAPI communities.
While the advocacy groups noted that the memorandum was an “important step,” they emphasized the need for stronger federal action and substantial investments in the AAPI community.
"The prior presidential memo did nothing to prevent the murders that occurred this week, nor has it stemmed the flow of violence and hate to date. What is clear is that we need an interagency, full government response that addresses the full spectrum of our community's needs," NAPAWF Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow said in a statement to The Yappie.
“We need support that recognizes and addresses the realities we’re living in and flows to the people who need it most.” Choimorrow continued. “That requires actual, long-term investment.”
“The Asian American community in Georgia is angry and scared but we’re also hearing from people across the country that the pain and fear are deeply felt everywhere,” NAPAWF Georgia Organizing Manager Bianca Jyotishi said. “Asian American women have been the targets or racialized misogyny long before the backlash to COVID-19 and we need a response that tackles the systemic racism and white supremacy that continues to plague our nation.”
Tuesday’s rampage in Atlanta, which left six Asian women dead, spurred the White House and the Justice Department to increase engagement with national AAPI advocacy groups.
Attorney General Merrick Garland met virtually with activists to discuss the shootings on Wednesday, four sources familiar with the matter tell The Yappie. Activists also participated in a call with White House senior advisor Cedric Richmond and domestic policy advisor Susan Rice on Thursday.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were scheduled to meet with AAPI legislators and activists in Atlanta on Friday. In remarks to reporters aboard Air Force One, White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president had directed the Justice Department to “do everything that they can to end this violence and protect the community.”
Earlier in the day, Biden urged Congress to swiftly pass legislation introduced by Rep. Grace Meng (D-New York) and Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) that would improve the Justice Department’s ability to track bias incidents and make hate crime information more accessible to Asian American communities.
