Online reporting center launched to track coronavirus-related hate crimes

In response to rising discrimination toward the Asian community resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, Californian organizations have launched an online response form to collect and track incidents of microaggressions and harassment.

The initiative was jointly established by advocacy organizations Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council and the Chinese for Affirmative Action based in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The form records the date, time and address of the incident, among other details such as contact information of the person who is filing the report. Urgent matters should be reported to the police, according to form instructions.

The form is available in English, traditional and simplified Chinese and Korean so far, and will eventually be available in seven to ten languages, said Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council.

According to Kulkarni, community members who are immigrants with limited English proficiency are most comfortable filling the forms in their language of origin.

“We want to make it easy for them, especially seniors, to complete the forms,” she said.

The lack of language resources as well as fears related to the immigration statuses could be factors on why individuals have been hesitant to communicate with law enforcement about the hate crimes they’ve faced, she added.

Kulkarni said that the collected data will be used for a public education campaign, advocacy work and providing direct assistance.

It also allows the organizations to assess the extent and magnitude of these incidents and to develop strategic interventions, said Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, in a news release.

“We want community members to know they are not alone. They can speak out and help stop the spread of bigotry,” she said.

“This reporting will help us create effective policy solutions for long-lasting change with a deeper impact, so this doesn’t happen again to our communities or any other community,” said Assemblymember David Chiu, D-San Francisco and chair of the California Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus.

Experts and officials denounced President Trump’s labelling of COVID-19 as the “Chinese virus,” which could put Asian Americans at risk of virus-related retaliation.

Dr. Russell Jeung, chair and professor of Asian American Studies at San Francisco State University, saw an increase of racist incidents against Asian Americans following inflammatory comments.

“Clearly, with such political framing, Asians of different ethnicities are being racially profiled as a foreign threat,” Jeung said.

“COVID-19 is a public health issue, not a racial one,” said Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-San Francisco. “Calling it a ‘Chinese virus’ only encourages hate crimes and incidents against Asian Americans at a time when communities should be working together to get through this crisis.”

All information recorded in the online forms will be kept confidential and only shared upon granted permission.

This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 6:44 PM.