PHILADELPHIA– January 6, 2023 – Anti-Asian and Pacific Islander (AAPI) violence in the United States has a long history and is documented to have occurred as early as 1854. United States-based attacks against members of the AAPI community have been shown to target all AAPI groups as perpetrators of these attacks often do not distinguish among ethnicities.
Nationally, more than 10,000 incidents of anti-AAPI hate have been reported since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, including the March 2021 murder of six Asian women in Atlanta, GA. Locally, Southeastern Pennsylvania has also seen an increase in anti-AAPI violence, including the attack of a group of Asian teens on a subway train in November 2021.
“Our local statistics show an increase in the number of hate crimes reported since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw. “There is no place for hate in our city and our society. I am grateful to partner with regional agencies in an effort to bolster our continued efforts in keeping members of our AAPI community informed and safe.”
In a series of videos, AAPI officers implore community members to reach out to their local police departments to report any and all instances of crime. The officers, who are native speakers of Vietnamese, Korean, Khmer, Indonesian, and Chinese (Mandarin) are included to ask victims to call 911 immediately if they are a victim of, or a witness to, a hate crime or incident. Simultaneously, the campaign also reminds the viewers that reporting a crime is safe, regardless of their immigration status.
Participating agencies for the creation of this PSA include the Philadelphia Police Department, the Pennsylvania State Police (PSP), the SEPTA Transit Police Department, the Philadelphia Police Asian American Advisory Committee, and the Asian American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia. To view the AAPI Anti-Hate Campaign, click HERE.
