Senator Dave Min Introduces Resolution Condemning Anti-API Hate Crimes
Senator Dave Min Introduces Resolution Condemning Anti-API Hate Crimes
Senate Resolution 12 (SR 12), coauthored by API Legislative Caucus Chair Senator Richard Pan, denounces surging violence against Asian Americans
SACRAMENTO, CA — Senator Dave Min (D-Irvine) announced the introduction of his resolution, SR 12, condemning the rise in anti-API hate crimes since the onset of the pandemic. In recent weeks, reports of violent attacks and other hateful attacks against Asian Americans have skyrocketed, with several incidents resulting in death. SR 12 would declare that the California State Senate “denounces hate crimes, hateful rhetoric, and hateful acts against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and works to ensure that APIs feel safe and welcome, both during this COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”
“Many APIs are feeling scared and unwelcome in this country, and it is important that we loudly and clearly state that we stand with Asian American communities against xenophobia and racism,” Min said. “We must firmly denounce these acts of hate, while working to hold these racist criminals accountable to the full extent of the law and ensuring that API Californians are protected against further attacks. I am hopeful that this resolution, along with legislation that is being introduced by the API Legislative Caucus in the coming days, will help.”
“Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been critical members and contributors to the United States of America. Yet, AAPI have been targets of hate, including vicious attacks, incited by rhetoric falsely implying AAPI are not full members of our great country. Senator Min and I call on all Americans to stand with AAPI communities in rejecting acts of hate and violence toward our fellow AAPI Americans,” said Dr. Richard Pan, state senator representing the Sacramento region and chair of the API Legislative Caucus.
Recent incidents targeting older Asian Americans have been especially distressing to the API community because they took place around Lunar New Year, a time when many Asian American families traditionally gather together and honor their elders.
Between March 19 and December 31 of 2020, 2,800 API hate incidents occurred, with 700 taking place in California. Since the onset of 2021, grotesque, unprovoked attacks have garnered attention on social media, including an 84-year-old man who died after being shoved to the ground in San Francisco and a 91-year-old man who was pushed facedown in Oakland’s Chinatown.
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Dave Min represents California State Senate District 37, which is located in Orange County and includes the communities of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Foothill Ranch, Huntington Beach, Irvine, Laguna Beach, Laguna Woods, Lake Forest, Newport Beach, Orange, Tustin, and Villa Park.
Dave was a University of California Irvine law professor and a former economic policy staffer in the United States Senate and for the Center for American Progress. He began his legal career at the Securities and Exchange Commission to protect the retirement security of seniors, turning down high paying jobs to serve the public interest. Dave and his wife Jane live and work in Irvine, where they are raising their three young children.