DETROIT – A large group marched through the streets of Detroit, calling for an end to violence against the Asian American community Sunday.
It comes in the wake of the shootings around Atlanta that left eight people dead. Six of those killed were Asian women.
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“We’ve been talking all year and it took a mass shooting for America to wake up,” said Michigan Sen. Stephanie Chang.
Chang is the first Asian American woman to be elected to the Michigan Legislature. She said the warning signs have been there.
“We knew that rhetoric -- ‘Kung flu, China virus, Chinese flu’ -- we knew this rhetoric would hurt our communities,” Chang said.
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During the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans jumped nearly 150% with about 3,800 incidents reported. Most of the victims were women.
Police said 21-year-old Robert Aaron Long was taken into custody in southwest Georgia hours later after a manhunt.
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“We know that Asian elders have been attacked, shoved, hospitalized across our country,” Chang said. “As Asian American women, we wonder what are the places that are safe for us?”
More than a hundred people showed up for the Stop Asian Hate vigil in Downtown Detroit.
Chang and state Rep Ranjeev Puri introduced resolutions condemning violence against Asian Americans ..both were adopted in Lansing.
“I am so sick and so tired of having this conversation,” Puri said. “This has been going on for generations without check and we are here to say enough is enough.”
Sen. Chang urged anyone who witnesses a hate crime to report it to the Michigan Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Unit. You can reach out by email or call the Hate Crimes Unit at 313-456-0200.
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