SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Government leaders are taking a stand against violence and hatred of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on both a county and congressional level. The County Board of Supervisors hopes to pass a resolution on April 6 to denounce racism.
San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher, Vice Chair Nora Vargas and members of the San Diego Asian Pacific Islander Coalition held a media conference Wednesday to denounce hate against the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
County Supervisor Chair Fletcher said the resolution comes as the board declared racism a public health crisis in January.
"We are working to make San Diego a place of belonging, where every life is valued and everyone is treated with dignity and respect," Fletcher said.
The board cited statistics to bolster their resolution. Between March 19 and December 30 of 2020, there were 42 reports of discrimination against the AAPI community, more than half were verbal with just about 10% being physical assaults. On April 6, county leaders will bring forth the resolution and policy denouncing hate against the AAPI community.
Later on Wednesday, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs is hosting a forum via Zoom for young Asian American and Pacific Islanders to discuss these issues. This Zoom meeting comes a day after Congressman Scott Peters held a virtual meeting where many people highlighted the concerns of senior citizens in the community. These include being harassed on daily walks, catcalled, having food thrown at them and even receiving threatening letters.
Watch: San Diego's AAPI community wants to combat the violence