Hate crimes against Asian Americans have jumped almost 150 percent in 2020, according to a new study.
According to the Washington Examiner, the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino, analyzed hate crimes in 16 U.S. cities from the year 2019 to 2020.
The spike is thought to be linked to the coronavirus pandemic, which began in China and was referred to by prominent figures such as now-former President Donald Trump as the “Chinese virus.” In March 2020, the FBI warned that hate crimes against Asian Americans could increase across the country.
"The FBI assesses hate crime incidents against Asian Americans likely will surge across the United States, due to the spread of coronavirus disease … endangering Asian American communities," an FBI intelligence report said, according to ABC News.
"The FBI makes this assessment based on the assumption that a portion of the U.S. public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations,” it added.
In 2020 in a poll asking Americans who they believed was responsible for coronavirus, the leading choice was “China General.”
Of nearly 400 Anti-Asian incidents recorded by STOP AAPI Hate between March and December 2020, about 66 percent of the incidents was categorized as verbal harassment, 20 percent was shunning or avoiding, 8 percent were physical assaults and 6 percent was coughing or spitting.
In New York City, the study found crimes against Asian Americans jumped 833 percent. In Philadelphia and Cleveland, hate crimes hiked up 200 percent.
New York City has since launched the Asian Hate Crime Task Force.
"Every community suffered, but there's been a particular pain, a particular horrible challenge, faced by the Asian American community," Mayor Bill de Blasio said. "Because on top of all the suffering from the coronavirus itself, on top of losing loved ones losing businesses, people have had to confront horrible discrimination and hatred."
Photo courtesy: ©Marcelo Cidrack/Unsplash
Amanda Casanova is a writer living in Dallas, Texas. She has covered news for ChristianHeadlines.com since 2014. She has also contributed to The Houston Chronicle, U.S. News and World Report and IBelieve.com. She blogs at The Migraine Runner.
