MADISON, Wis. – The Dane County Board of Supervisors is considering a resolution to condemn hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
The announcement comes after the spa shootings in Atlanta, although officials are not yet certain if it was a race-related attack.
The county board supervisor who sponsored it said the resolution was already in the works before the shootings, but it was a horrible coincidence in timing of the announcement.
“I want to use my privilege both as a passing part white/Filipinx and an elected official to shed light on this issue,” said District 5 Supervisor Elena Haasl. “It’s not okay. This shouldn’t be happening. It’s horrible we even have to have a resolution condemning this hate but here we are.”
According to the resolution, crimes against Asian Americans have increased by nearly 150% in the last year.
The resolution will go to the executive committee for consideration and then will go to the full board pending the committee’s recommendation.
What happened in Atlanta hit home for Asian communities here in Dane County as well. State Rep. Francesca Hong said she was heartbroken and numb. She spoke with News 3 Now about her candid thoughts on how we all need to come together to prevent this in the future.
“There are policy decisions that people have made that have caused environments to cause harm,” Hong said. “Each one of us has the power to not only make ourselves better but to make our neighbors better. It will always ultimately overcome hate.”
Hong said she hopes other policy makers can join her in condemning the violence. One group is calling for immediate action, even though we don’t know for sure that this is a hate crime.
In a statement, the group “Stop Asian-American and Pacific Islander Hate” has called for immediate action after stating there have been nearly 3,800 reported hate incidents in the US since March 2020.
President Joe Biden singled out violence and hate against Asian Americans during his primetime speech to the nation last week.
1/ For Immediate Release: Rep. Hong Condemns Georgia Shootings and Anti – Asian violence in all of its forms:
“I am shaken, enraged and broken by the violence that occurred in Georgia tonight. To my fellow Asians and Asian Americans… pic.twitter.com/a5FNB654P4
— Rep. Francesca Hong (@StateRepHong) March 17, 2021
COPYRIGHT 2021 BY CHANNEL 3000. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS MATERIAL MAY NOT BE PUBLISHED, BROADCAST, REWRITTEN OR REDISTRIBUTED.
