California would create hate crime hotline under bill shaped by attacks on Asian Americans
California legislators introduced a bill Monday that would create a toll-free hotline and online reporting system for reporting hate crimes and hate incidents.
AB 557, introduced by Assembly members Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, and David Chiu, D-San Francisco, would require the California Department of Justice to create a statewide system for reporting hate crimes. The bill is being introduced in light of an increase in violence against Asian Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in the Bay Area.
“Over the course of this pandemic, we have seen a horrific uptick in hate crimes targeting our API communities,” Chiu said in a joint statement with Muratsuchi. “We cannot stand idly by and allow this to continue. Having a centralized, statewide approach to tracking hate crimes within a law enforcement agency will make all of our communities in California safer.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Tuesday that allocates $1.4 million to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center, which conducts research and collects reports of anti-Asian discrimination across the country.
According to the statement from the two legislators, similar hotlines have also been established in other parts of California such as San Francisco and Alameda County.
Stop AAPI Hate reported last September that it had received 2,583 self-reported incidents of anti-Asian discrimination nationwide between March and August 2020, with more than 40% of those reports from California.
“Hate crimes are crimes against an entire community, not just an individual victim,” Muratsuchi said in the statement. “The U.S. Department of Justice estimates over half of all hate crimes are never reported. A toll-free hate crimes hotline, along with an online reporting system, will allow victims and witnesses to report a hate incident against any group in a safe, anonymous manner, particularly those who may face language or cultural barriers or are undocumented.
“As a statewide law enforcement agency, the California DOJ should be the central clearinghouse of such reports to coordinate with local law enforcement and to provide support for victims.”
This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 10:04 AM.