Seattle NOW Condemns Terrorism Against AAPI Community Members
The widespread violence against our Asian community members must not be tolerated. The Asian American and Pacific Islanders communities are under siege, here in Seattle and around the country. While hate incidents largely go unreported, a new report by Stop AAPI Hate documented nearly 3,800 hate incidents nationwide during the past 12 months.
The murders in Atlanta on March 16 ripped through the nation, leaving families devastated, communities fearful, and questions unanswered. How could someone murder eight human beings in targeted killings at three spas? Why do the police allow a narrative of “sexual deviance” as a motive when the murderer seemed so clearly focused on Asian women? Could this happen in our community?
The answer is yes, it does happen in our community. Anti-Asian hate crimes rose by 33% between 2019 and 2020 in Seattle.
On February 25 , Noriku Nasu was walking with her boyfriend in the International District, when she was brutally attacked. The arrested perpetrator has still not been charged with a hate crime. The courageous Ms. Nasu spoke to KIRO 7 and said “The prosecuting attorney office’s hesitancy and inability to prosecute this as a hate crime is much more hurtful than the attack itself.”
The pressure on law enforcement may be working. The Seattle Times reported that on March 26 a man was charged with a hate crime, targeting at least two women in South Seattle. This man erratically yelled racial slurs at the two separate women drivers and threw objects at their cars. It is unacceptable that these acts occurred at all. These attacks magnify the fear and pain that our AAPI community members are feeling.
We must work together to stop violent hate crimes. We must continue to demand our city and county leaders ensure that these perpetrators are punished for their actions.
We must continue our work to stop racism and xenophobia. Avoid indifference – you may be afraid or even frightened to act, but you must say something. Learn about bystander intervention. Hollaback has partnered with Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) to provide free de-escalation training. Please register here: https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/
It is important for all of us to be unified in action, and to continue to repudiate hatred and violence.
In Solidarity,
Amber Koens, Seattle NOW President
On behalf of the Seattle NOW Board