Welcome to Stop the Hate LA! We’re a network of 42 organizations dedicated to supporting survivors of hate and fostering safe and healthy neighborhoods.
In 2023, hate crimes increased over 45% to 1,350 reports – the largest number recorded in LA’s history. The powerful stories of hate we’ve been collecting from Angelenos speak to the dedication of our 42 partners and the need to continue our fight against hate.
*Some names have been changed to maintain confidentiality.
Paz
Helen was heading out when she heard, “We’re going to call ICE on you.” It was the landlord’s relative harassing her again. This had been ongoing for months, but as a transgender woman, Helen was terrified of losing her home if she spoke up. After many threats of deportation, Helen finally had enough. She decided to reach out to St. John’s Community Health, who helped her file a police report, relocated her to safety, and provided mental health services. “I finally have paz (peace) when I come home. I don’t need to look over my shoulder anymore.”
Finding Your Power
“Ch*nk!” “Ch*ng Ch*ng!” This is what Cathy heard every day at work. Even as a manager, her colleagues made fun of her just for being Asian. She felt belittled, but feared losing her job if she spoke up. Over time the stress deepened, following her home and keeping her up at night. Cathy knew something had to change, so she sought out help from Korean American Family Services. They provided mental health support that boosted her confidence. Four months later, Cathy spoke out against the discrimination she experienced, demanding to be treated with respect and dignity.
A Chinatown Chase Down
As Franny was walking her dog through her Chinatown neighborhood, she saw an elderly Asian man being brutally beaten across the street. She knew she had to intervene, but then the attacker locked eyes on Franny, and chased her down the street. “I ran for my life, I even threw myself into oncoming traffic to get away.” Emotionally scarred, Franny reached out to World Mission University (Through Peace) to report both the hate crime she witnessed and the hate incident she endured. Now, Franny shares her story at hate crime workshops for the elderly Asian community; “I would not have healed without their help.”
Caring For Caregivers
Nicanor, ‘Nikki’, and Julienne Arriola and were brutally attacked and robbed in broad daylight at the state Capitol in Sacramento. With 6 broken ribs for Nikki and knee injuries for Julienne, they could no longer work as caregivers. The Filipino couple was losing hope, scrambling to pay their bills, so they decided to seek out help. Thankfully, Filipino Migrant Center (FMC) supported them by making sure the attacker faced three felony charges for his crimes. Today, Nikki and Julienne are dedicated to helping their community: “When others are in distress, we’ll support them, just like FMC did for us.”
Protect Your Elders
It was just another Tuesday when one of the largest wildfires in LA endangered a Thai senior-living home. Two days passed before Wanda, the lead organizer at SSG-APCTC, got word that the seniors were without power. Their food had begun to rot, and those who needed oxygen tanks and medications had no choice but to wait. It was getting dark when Wanda overheard Laura speaking to her daughter, Emma, hundreds of miles away. “Mom, I’m worried about you.” Wanda’s team collected 300 meals from Thai restaurants, over 20 emergency kits, and made sure every senior felt safe going to bed that night.
You Don’t Belong Here
Cash was walking around their university when they were suddenly stopped by campus police. “You don’t look like you belong here… Show me your student ID.” Unfortunately this wasn’t the first time, Cash, a non-binary Asian student, experienced hate at their university. Scared and depressed, Cash started to have suicidal thoughts, and soon after, they found themselves without a place to stay and struggling to pay for next year’s tuition. Looking for help, Cash came across Little Tokyo Service Center and found all the community and support they needed, including 10 free therapy sessions and suicide prevention support. Fast forward, they graduated with a Masters degree in Art therapy and are now a counselor supporting youth experiencing similar situations.
A Grocery Store Collision
While Mrs. Long waited in the checkout line at the grocery story, a woman bumped into her cart. She accused Mrs. Long of hitting her on purpose, and began insulting and threatening her. “Trump is the president. What are you going to do about it, huh?” Mrs. Long left the store, but the woman followed her and continued yelling, “Go back to where you came from.” Fearful and panicked, Mrs. Long hurried to her car and drove away.
Mrs. Long fears that reporting the perpetrator will not make a difference, as hate incidents are frequently experienced by her neighbors and friends. As dedicated advocates, Cambodia Town continues to encourage Mrs. Long to report this harm.
Hidden Merchandise
Local convenience store owners, Richard and Sarah, had refused to sell a minor cigarettes. The young boy and his friends regularly shoplifted from their store and tormented the couple, forcing Richard and Sarah to hide their merchandise in the back. This not only hurt their sales, but one day, the harassment escalated when the boys trapped the couple in the store by locking them in from the outside.
Afraid of retaliation, Richard and Sarah are left unable to stop the harassment. After reaching out to Pacific Asian Counseling Services (PACS), they felt safe enough to share their story and have been able to get small-business resources and financial aid.
They followed me home.
David was getting off the bus when he heard threats being spat at him from behind, “Fight like a man. You’re a p*ssy. You’re a b*tch.” It was a group of boys who had followed him home.
David tried to remain calm, but one of the boys grabbed a metal rod from a bike nearby and started to beat David. He was in a coma for almost a week and suffered from physical injuries, leaving him unable to walk. The mental trauma he experienced resulted in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an ongoing symptom that does not have a set recovery date.
With the help of St. John’s Community Health, David received emergency services from the hospital. They provided him with necessary medical care, mental health support and legal services for victims of crime, regardless of his undocumented status. Finally, they helped David relocate to a new and safer neighborhood.
“How can I help a kid like that?”
Hayden was playing with Erin during recess, when a group of bullies wrapped a hula hoop around them and began punching them. As Hayden and Erin tried to run away, the bullies dragged them on the ground, kicking them hard.
Hayden’s mom sought help from the school’s principal, but he mocked Hayden’s ptosis, or droopy eye, saying, “how can I help a kid like that?” Hayden and Erin were pulled out of school and are looking for a new school where they can feel safe. Since the attack, Hayden suffers from psychological trauma and needs his mom’s care 24/7, keeping her from working and earning a living.
The students and their families asked for support in Korean from Through Peace. They received weekly counseling to address the trauma and build the kids’ confidence. Through Peace has also assisted the families with reporting the incident to the California Civil Rights Department to help get them the restitution they deserve.
“Don’t come back here!”
During one of Diana’s workouts, the gym mat nearly caused her to fall over. As a woman in a wheelchair, Diana’s anxiety spiked and she decided to leave. When the elevator broke down, trapping her inside, Diana told the gym owner she needed help.
Unfortunately, Diana’s courage was only met with hatred: “You’re an incompetent nuisance! You’re banned, don’t come back here!” She left feeling angry and wondered what to do next as this was the only gym close to her home. As a person with a disability, her fitness journey is incredibly important to maintain her health.
Through the Stop the Hate Hotline, Diana connected to Communities Actively Living Independent & Free (CALIF) who helped her find a new gym, and provided resources for free transportation and gym memberships. Diana now feels safe knowing she has options if harassment were to occur again.
No one else was stopped.
John was working when he spotted ICE coming towards him. He froze as the officers stopped him, demanding to see his drivers license and work permit. Unaware of his right to remain silent, John quickly obeyed. As an international Bangladeshi student, he luckily had his permit on him. The officers closely inspected his cards and eventually released him. As they walked away, John noticed that no one else on the street was stopped and probed.
After sharing his experience with some friends, John was encouraged to look into South Asian Network (SAN). When he reached out, he learned that ICE racially profiled him and violated his rights.
Shocked, John realized, “If I didn’t have my permit on me, things could’ve really escalated.” With SAN’s support, he now shares his story to mobilize the international student community to stay vigilant and exercise their rights.
Hate Happens Everywhere
Chandra, a Cambodian senior, regularly takes the bus to do her daily errands. One day, while riding the bus to her doctor’s appointment, she heard an unknown voice behind her call out, “Go back to your country! You don’t belong here.” Chandra froze. It was the first time she felt threatened for being Asian. As she looked around, no one else reacted, as if this was normal.
Chandra immediately got off at the next stop and called Families in Good Health (FiGH) to help her find safe transportation back home. Since then, she has found community with others who’ve experienced hate. With mental health and emotional support from FiGH, Chandra has reclaimed her independence and now feels safer knowing she has a reliable support system.
Everyday Racism in Everyday Places
“Go back to your country, we don’t need you here!” A woman was following Jordan around the grocery store. She began mocking Jordan, making racist sounds “resembling” Asian languages. Fearful, Jordan quickly left the store without any groceries for her family.
After this incident, Jordan became anxious and started to drive over 30 minutes to get groceries in different neighborhoods. Months passed, and her anxiety was making life more difficult. When she heard about Korean American Family Services (KFAM) through her church community, she sought mental health support.
Four months later, Jordan built up her confidence and self worth. She now feels strong enough to shop in her own neighborhood and deal with verbal harassment.
Words Matter, Choose Wisely
Students in Mr. B’s classroom passed around a school laptop with “F*ck Ni**ers. KKK for life.” carved onto it. It took over a month until one of his Black students reported the hate crime. Shocked and distressed, Mr. B emphasized: “I want this to be an educational moment.” He asked the 211 LA Dream Center, a safe haven for students, to support and run a hate crime workshop.
The Center provided Mr. B mental health counseling and tools to address the hate without pressing charges. They also ran a workshop designed to make students think critically about the impact of their words. The student who carved the words expressed his regret openly and sincerely, taking accountability for his actions.
After the workshop, the students felt motivated to do more and led a campaign called “Words Matter, Choose Wisely.” They posted flyers around campus and shared videos on social media to spread the message: Hateful words cause lasting harm.
The movement even sparked neighboring high schools students to organize more dialogue on race. Mr. B thanks the Center for their approach in creating learning opportunities for youth, and leading a community in growing to be better and stronger, together.
No Sense of Security
Nishad and Anita lost all sense of security after discovering their home and business were burglarized. They live in a neighborhood with 30 other South Asian families that were targeted in a mass robbery. When the police showed up, they refused to collect evidence, saying, “You’re asking for it. Don’t make it obvious you’re Indian with your clothes and jewelry.”
Nishad and Anita got connected with Saahas for Cause who helped organize 100 community members to share their experiences at a City Council meeting. During the meeting, police officers were heard saying, “It’s because they know you’re Indian.” Determined to help the families who were being racially targeted, Saahas for Cause pressured City Council members to address the police’s prejudice.
Thanks to their efforts, new safety measures were introduced, including improved response time, cultural bias training in local law enforcement, installation of neighborhood street lights and cameras, and more. Now, Nishad, Anita and their community can recover, knowing their neighborhood is safer.
Feeling Less Than
“Ch*ng, Ch*ng, you’re dumb for an Asian. Go back to China, Kim Jung Un!,” Kris heard while walking home from school. Class bullies were taunting her again. As a Cambodian-Filipino American high school student, Kris was often targeted for being Asian. She developed anxiety and felt ‘less than’, so she isolated herself and avoided social contact at school.
When she came across EM3, Families in Good Health’s youth program, Kris received help to heal and grew comfortable in her own identity. Empowered, Kris now shares her story about overcoming bullying at her club meetings and community events. “Knowing that people are listening and suggesting ways for change gives me hope for the future.” Kris no longer feels anxious at school and is confident that her generation has the power to end hate.
Finding Community
Mary’s son, Cooper, was 12 when he came out as gay. Scared and isolated without LGBTQ+ friends, Mary sought community for her son at The LGBTQ Center Long Beach. There, Cooper met and bonded with queer youth through their teen programs, and began to fully blossom into his identity.
Eventually, Cooper realized he is a girl and transitioned to Casey. The Center was there to support Casey and her family with legal and counseling services through their monthly TransParent support group.
Mary now supports other parents in navigating their children’s journeys. “The Center is my second home. It’s our oasis in this crazy world. I know I can always go there, even just for a couple of hours, when I need to breathe. We just feel safe there,” she says.
From Cyberbullying to Healing
Lisa was being bullied online. Someone created a fake Instagram account with her photos. The description read, “Where the food at a b*tch is hungry.” Images with repulsive captions attacking her body and race began circulating at school.
Lisa went to the Dream Center, a safe haven for students, for help. The Helpline Youth Counseling‘s (HYC) staff facilitated student discussions on hate and anti-Blackness, and even invited Black community leaders to share their perspectives on building solidarity across different racial backgrounds.
Afterwards, the student who created the fake profile came forward to acknowledge the harm he caused and deleted the profile. The student realized the will to bully stemmed from his own self-hatred. He had his own experiences of being bullied as one of the few Black students.
Together, Lisa and the Dream Center helped change campus culture and make the school a safer place for all.
A Traumatic Robbery
Mei and two coworkers were ending their shift at the massage parlor where they worked. Suddenly, three men barged in threatening them with a gun and knife, pushing them back inside the store. One man yelled, “F*ck you. You f*cking Asian prostitutes!” as they robbed the business.
Mei and her coworkers were left bruised, frightened and in tears. With limited English, Mei managed to call the police and report the robbery. That night, she started having nightmares, eventually falling into a deep depression, which prevented her from being able to work.
Mei got connected with Access to Prevention Advocacy Intervention & Treatment (APAIT), where she felt comfortable telling them her story in Chinese. APAIT helped Mei report the hate crime, access mental health and legal resources, and practice self-defense strategies. APAIT also supported Mei in obtaining a work permit and enrolling in English classes that will open up new opportunities for her in the future.
Finding Hope After Tragedy
Sage’s family struggled to put food on the table as undocumented immigrants from Nigeria. When her mom suddenly passed away, Sage was struck with grief and the harsh reality of having to take care of her family on her own.
Sage would often visit the Dream Center, a safe haven for students at school. There, she opened up to Heather, a staff member of Asian Youth Center. Heather connected Sage to a school therapist, and her story was shared with Alhambra Councilmember Adele Andrade-Stadler, who found a pro-bono immigration lawyer to help guide the family to citizenship.
“I don’t know why I didn’t ask for this sooner,” Sage shared. The Dream Center helped the family get back on their feet while building up Sage’s confidence. From one semester to the next, she became a student leader at the Dream Center, where she continued to heal and thrive.
A Journey to Safety and Empowerment
Kane was stalked after rejecting someone with a romantic interest in him. It became so severe he moved to a different state and was left, “constantly searching my deadname to see if I was being tracked”.
As a transgender man, Kane wished to legally change his name and gender on official documents. The stalking had made him hesitant to share his gender identity publicly. Fearing something like this might happen again, Kane reached out to The LGBTQ Center Long Beach.
The Center helped him change his name and gender through a sealed petition which blocked public access to his case. They also created a personal safety plan for Kane, discussing the potential risks and his ongoing fear of retaliation from his stalker. Kane shared he now feels safe enough to live comfortably in his own skin.
Dance Your Way to Healing
Yolanda, a Community Health Specialist at Antelope Valley Partners for Health, facilitated a dance workshop at a local middle school. She noticed the students were disruptive, disrespecting and even cursing at the instructors. One of the students yelled at Yolanda, “What are you even doing here you lazy b*itch?”
Seeing this as a teaching opportunity, Yolanda approached the student, Sasha, with compassion. Sasha opened up to Yolanda and shared her frustrations at home: growing up without a father and having to constantly switch between her mother’s and grandmother’s care.
Yolanda encouraged Sasha to use her leadership and dance talents to be a positive role model. By the end, Sasha helped lead the class in a successful dance performance. Yolanda filmed it so everyone could see their progress. “When you provide a safe environment for students to thrive in, it makes all the difference. Who knew that Sasha’s way of connecting is through dance,” Yolanda said.
A Second Chance Goes a Long Way
Amanda, who was recently diagnosed with autism, was getting bullied at school. Her classmates would call her names and say, “You’re weird. We don’t want you joining our group.” Amanda felt so excluded that she considered changing schools. One day, as the bullying continued, she lashed out at a teacher and was sent to the principal’s office.
When Amanda joined an afterschool program at Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC), (KYCC), she felt comfortable enough to share that she didn’t feel safe at school. KYCC provided her counseling, helping her manage her anxiety, process her emotions and address the bullying she was enduring. With KYCC’s support, Amanda regained her confidence, learned new tools to manage her anger, and eventually even healed from the bullying.
“Ew, that’s so disgusting. Put that away!”
Maya moved to California from the Philippines in middle school. When she brought chicken adobo to school for lunch, she was shocked to hear, “Ew, that’s so disgusting. Put that away!” For years, Maya had difficulty making friends. On top of that, she had a strained relationship with her father who disapproved of her sexuality. This led to low self esteem, depression, and eventually even suicide attempts.
When Maya came across free therapy services from Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA), she decided to reach out. With a Filipino therapist, Maya was able to name her experiences of racism, overcome the shame of asking for help, and find strength in coming out as gay. Finding an accepting queer Filipino community through SIPA, Maya was able to better manage her depression. She now spends time with friends and is working on her relationship with her father.
Safety is a Privilege
Transgender high school student Megan found herself a target of constant harassment. For months, a group of kids would bang on Megan’s front door and run away. One day, Megan recognized one of the boys who she knew hung out at a nearby park. She went to confront them with her dad when they shouted, “Fa**ot!” Noticing one of them had a BB gun, Megan’s dad reported the incident to the police.
The cop teased them, “You’re scared of little kids, really?” The family filed an official complaint, but the harassment continued. Megan’s family no longer felt safe in their own home and decided to install cameras. Through The LGBTQ Center Long Beach‘s youth program, a counselor learned of the harassment from Megan. They encouraged her parents to press charges, utilizing the camera footage.
One of the kid’s parents asked to meet with Megan’s parents, and the Center both counseled them and facilitated the meeting. Megan’s mom expressed: “The only place we have to feel safe is our home, and your kid and his friends took that from us.” Afterwards, the harassment finally stopped. Megan and her family are grateful for The Center’s support, resources, and counseling to reclaim their safety.
I don’t want that virus.
During the pandemic, Daniel tried to join a kid playing basketball at school. To his surprise, the kid refused and said, “I don’t want that virus.”
Daniel was sad and confused, and began avoiding all his non-Asian peers. When the sadness didn’t go away, Daniel decided to join Khmer Girls in Action (KGA), where he found comfort in exploring what it means to be Southeast Asian. With the help of new friends, and after learning about how the roots of racism affect how others think, Daniel’s perspective changed.
He became a KGA leader, where he supported Black youth with combating anti-blackness on campus. Eventually, Daniel found joy in his life once again. Now, when he meets people outside of his community, Daniel encourages cultural exchange from a place of warmth and curiosity.
