I joined my colleagues Councilmember John Lee, Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, Councilmember Joe Buscaino to introduce a motion addressing the alarming surge in violence against Asian-Americans. Data from LAPD indicates that hate crimes targeting Asian Americans increased by 114% over the past year. These crimes were fueled, in part, by racist theories related to the coronavirus pandemic.
The motion asks LAPD to report on data of the increased crimes against Asian Americans and on the department’s response to the trend. It also instructs the police department to report on potential resources it could use to reduce instances of hate crimes against Asian Americans and cultural sites and to identify and prosecute suspects responsible for the crimes.
