San Francisco city leaders, law enforcement and community organizations came together Wednesday to host a summit focused solely on supporting the AAPI community and reducing hate crimes.
“We have to be together because nobody gets through this alone,” said San Francisco Police chief Bill Scott.
The city’s top leaders sent a message of unity as they continue to expand efforts to address hate crimes targeting the city’s Asian community.
Scott stressed even if a victim thinks they can’t prove a hate crime, it’s critical to report it to help prosecute future cases.
“We got to report these types of things and I can’t emphasize this enough. Let’s work together, we will do our part, we are committed,” he said. “All we ask is you do your part, don’t be silent.”
The call to action came during the first AAPI summit including both city and county leaders and community partners.
The goal is to provide education and resources on addressing hate crimes all in one place. Community organizations believe the one-stop model is critical in helping eliminate language and transportation barriers.
“Normally you say you can go to that agency for support but here we can just direct them to the next table and that makes it super easy for them,” said Emma Wu of Self-Help for the Elderly.
Anh Le, who was beat with a bat back in 2019, hopes Wednesday’s action will empower the community and help prevent future crimes.
“If you are victim of crime in Chinatown or anywhere, the trauma of it never goes away throughout your life, as much as I would like it to go away,” said Le.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says she is committed to increasing victim outreach through her office’s vulnerable victims unit.
While statistics show hate crimes are declining, she says it will take a joint effort to keep that momentum going.
“We still have an Asian population in San Francisco that is highly concerned every time they walk out…
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