BIDEN SIGNS BILL TO CURTAIL RISING HATE CRIMES AGAINST ASIAN AMERICANS
After the beginning of the pandemic a little over a year ago, Mr. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have addressed reports of stabbings, assaults, and other violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander individuals and their businesses. Mr. Biden thanked both Democrats and Republicans for overwhelmingly passing the bill and sending it to the White House for signature.
He condemned hate as "an ugly poison which has long plagued and long haunted our nation". "We need to unite as one people, as one nation," Mr. Biden said in a bill signing ceremony at the White House.
The new law will expedite Justice Department reviews of hate crimes by putting an official in charge of the effort. It will provide funding to establish specialized hate crime teams, as well as assistance to states in developing hate crime hotlines at the state and local levels that are open to individuals with limited English skills. It also includes funding for state and local law enforcement to learn how to recognize, prosecute, and track these heinous crimes.
The hate crimes against Asian Americans surged after the COVID-19 pandemic due to widespread rhetoric that blames Asian people for the spread of Covid-19. An elderly Thai immigrant dies after being shoved to the ground. A Filipino-American is slashed in the face with a box cutter. A Chinese woman is slapped and then set on fire. Eight people are killed in a shooting rampage across three Asian spas in one night. These are just a small number of examples from recent hate crimes and violence taking place across all states. Over 800 Covid-related hate incidents were reported from 34 counties in the state.