In a letter released Monday morning, organizations are asking for an additional $40 million atop Governor Gavin Newsom’s proposed $10 million investment in his May Revise, which would “support services for victims and survivors of hate crimes and their families and facilitate hate crime prevention measures in consultation with the Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs.”
The groups say $10 million isn’t enough, and point to the importance of such funding for quick mobilization — like in-language community outreach, counseling services and legal assistance — when community tragedies occur, like the Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay shootings earlier this year.
Racism impacting Asian and Pacific Islander communities doesn’t just manifest in physical violence, and remains common: A report from Stop AAPI Hate published last month found that over 49% of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have experienced discrimination and potentially illegal treatment. Further investment would build on California’s API Equity Budget, a $166.5 million investment made by the state in 2021 after an uptick in violence against Asian and Pacific Islander communities.
“[Racist] incidents persist, highlighting the need for renewed and increased support to tackle the systemic issues underlying the hateful violence,” Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the AAPI Equity Alliance and co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate, told CapRadio. “We believe it’s necessary to provide additional resources to support victims to implement comprehensive violence prevention strategies.”
