NEWS Hearts were heavy during City Council last night as Council member after Council member relayed their outrage with the shooting by an Atlanta man of largely Asian Americans at two neighboring spas.
Ironically, before Council was an agenda item condemning hate targeted at Asian Americans. However uncoordinated, it couldn't have been any more timely.
As fate would have it, Councilwoman Saro put the agenda item forward days ago. No one expected that hours before the item would be considered, reality would strike at the core of her anticipated resolution.
The item found unanimous support among her Council colleagues and called for the City Attorney to prepare a resolution condemning hate incidents. The resolution would particular focus on addressing harassment against Asian Pacific Islander Americans and work towards ensuring that APIA feel safe both during this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Council woman Saro was visibly shaken as she spoke.
Only an hour earlier she had received an unsettling call from the Chief of Police regarding the Atlanta mass shootings and concern for her District.
Serving the 6th District which houses Long Beach's Cambodia Town as well as one of the largest Cambodian populations in the nation, Saro is the first elected official of Cambodian decent to serve on City Council.
Aside from a strong Cambodian community, our City population celebrates several other Pacific Island ethnic groups as well.
Councilwoman Saro spoke candidly about the impact that COVID-19 has had on her Asian and Pacific Island residents. Hateful references such as the "Chinese Flu" or even the "Kung Flu" have blamed and damaged a community who is no more at fault for the pandemic than any other ethnic group in Long Beach.
While the pandemic has heightened the stakes other alarming issues are at play as well. one Public Comment during last nights City Council meeting came from Tony Chi Chan a voice from our Cambodian community.
He related how that Cambodian elders in Long Beach were being attacked throughout the city, state and nation. Since his childhood he recalls Cambodian elders being beaten and robbed. "Sometimes by our own kind, yet other races as well."
"Many are living in fear," Councilwoman Saro declared. According to Pew Research, 3 in 10 Asian Americans have reported slurs targeted at them since the start of the Pandemic.
Yesterday's resolution and mass murder come on the heels of a October 2020 video when a Long Beach resident went viral while committing a hate crime.
The video depicted our City's resident verbally assaulting a Philippina woman. The encounter was so outrageous that it resulted in the suspect being prosecuted and jailed for more than 45 days.
Around the same time, in Rosemead, an asian elder was "beaten with his own cane and lost fingers," Councilwoman Saro explained.
What LBPD is Saying
Also at the Council meeting was LBPD Commander Panino. While the commander stressed that 911 should be called in the case of an immediate emergency, the Commander advised residents to report hate crimes by calling (562) 435-6711.
"A police officer will be dispatched out to the scene, document the incident and file an appropriate report if the incident meets the requirement of a hate crime," said Commander Panino.
All hate crimes are handled by the LBPD's violent crimes detail. There is also a violent crimes detail detective on call and "able to respond to hate crimes 24 hours a day and seven days a week," the Commander reassured.
Councilwoman Saro later added that for residents uncomfortable talking with police, please contact the Asian Pacific Policy Plaining Council who are language ready to assist residents in need of support.
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