Denouncing Anti-Asian Hate is Easy. When will Politicians Do the Real Work to Prevent it?

By Tran Nguyen| SF Chronicle | July 31, 2024

Regarding “Senate hopeful Adam Schiff reinforces support for AAPI communities in Oakland outreach” (Politics, SFChronicle.com, July 28): The surge in anti-Asian hate in recent years is alarming, and it is affirming that Rep. Adam Schiff acknowledges this “avalanche of hate.” 

However, Asian American communities in California deserve better than increased police presence as a solution. History shows that law enforcement alone cannot address the systemic roots of hate crimes, such as poverty, inequality and lack of access to community-based resources. 

Asian Americans are also not a monolith and anti-Asian hate is just the surface. Our communities face deeper issues like inadequate culturally competent health care, homelessness and insufficient disaggregation of demographic data to identify problems. This is not going to magically disappear with increased police presence.

Many of Schiff’s predecessors have not effectively appealed to Asian American and Pacific Islander voters, despite our communities being one of the fastest-growing populations. In the Bay Area, it’s common to see campaign flyers in Chinese. Yet how many of these non-Asian politicians have truly listened to and impacted the lives of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, a diverse group that has differing and unique needs? 

If Schiff wants our support, he must offer more than surface-level solutions. Anyone can condemn hate, but who is going to prevent it long-term?