In moments of fear and uncertainty, it's unfortunately common to see heightened incidents of discrimination, bias, and hate crimes occur. And right now we’re hearing from our Asian American community that it is experiencing backlash due to COVID -19. This is not acceptable (MN Department of Human Rights).
Here are some resources/organizations to report hate and discrimination during these times of uncertainty—COVID-19, along with some tips. Please note: this is not an all encompassing list and in an emergency, please dial 911!
If anyone is a victim of a hate crime because of fear around COVID-19, please contact the police.
If anyone experienced discrimination in their job, housing, or in a public place, contact our office. We enforce the Minnesota Human Rights Act that prohibits discrimination based on someone’s race, ethnicity, or other protected classes.
Asian Pacific Policy & Planning Council
Asian American and Pacific Islander groups have launched a reporting tool for people to report coronavirus-related racist acts.The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON) along with the Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA) on Thursday announced the creation of the online reporting center where people can fill out a form — currently available in English, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese and Korean — to report the location and type of discrimination experienced and other details…
The groups say they plan to use the information to create targeted education and media campaigns, provide resources to those affected and advocate for policies to curb racial profiling. The collected data will also allow the organizations to figure out the scope of discrimination nationwide and determine the best solutions from there, CAA Co-Executive Director Cynthia Choi said.
The site stresses that information will be used collectively, not individually, and that privacy will be protected. People are also urged to call 911 for actual emergencies.
The groups also plan to offer resources, including pro bono legal work and direct assistance, including referrals to resources like human relations commissions, school districts and law enforcement, A3PCON Executive Director Manjusha Kulkarni told NBC Asian America in an email. (NBC News)
MN Asian Peace Officers Association
Via Facebook, this organization has issued the following statement: As the Covid-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is affecting our nation and spreading across the world at a concerning rate, we want to reach out to our members who have been affected by this. If you or your significant other has been diagnosed and in need of assistance, please reach out to us via messenger/call/text/email. As an Association we will do our best to help our members during these difficult times.
As the majority of our members are of Asian descent, We have been monitoring crime trends across this country in relation to the Asian Community. Many are reporting a high rate of racism towards the Asian community due to the coronavirus. There has been videos surfacing on Facebook and reports of violent crimes against people of Asian descent. It is concerning to our Association to hear of such hate crimes. If you or any of your family experience any crime related to your race, gender, sexual orientation and/or religion, make sure you are reporting this to your local authorities. If you are afraid of retaliation or if language is a barrier, please reach out to us and we will do our best to find the right people to make sure they are brought to justice.
Facebook Page
Contact information: mnasianpeaceofficersassoc@gmail.comShare Accurate Information
Don’t rely on every social media post you see or every news article you read. Now is the time to utilize your State’s Department of Health resources and the information that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) is issuing. There is so much wrong information being spread—not only about Asian Americans, but about the disease, COVID-19, in general. Staying accurately informed and sharing this accurate information is so very important.Amplify on Social Media
Help spread the word on social media so the world will know that racism and discrimination is not welcome. We welcome anyone who is comfortable participating to do the following…Take a picture of yourself with the words “I am not a virus” in English or your native language
Send to AdopteeBridge via email, social messenger, etc. (please let us know if you give permission for us to post your photo as well!)
Post it with hashtag #IAmNotAVirus and/or #WeAreNotAVirus
By doing this, you are helping raise awareness of the current prejudice and discrimination and coming together as a global community to stop racism and hate.