Since COVID-19, racial violence against Asian Americans has increased by 150%, according to a study from California State University. Common acts of abuse include verbal harassment, physical threats, cyberbullying and targeted crimes. Asian hate is not as common as it was at the start of COVID-19, but it also has not significantly decreased.
One example is the burglaries that have been prominent in Bothell, where burglars are primarily targeting Indian Americans. Police Chief of Snohomish Sheriff’s Department Nathan Alanis (he/him) said this may be due to harmful stereotypes that Asians have cash, jewelry and other valuables in their homes.
“It sounds like what they’re basically doing is they’re targeting their victims, following them home from grocery stores and places like that,” Alanis said. “They’re targeting groups where they believe they’re gonna have cash or jewelry readily on hand. I’m not sure why they think that these particular groups are the ones, but that’s what seems to be, at least what we gathered.”
Racial violence has led many Asian Americans to take additional precautions in their homes, which include alarm systems and making sure there aren’t bushes blocking the doors, Alanis said.
Alanis said the burglars are a part of a national organization that is made up of a few different groups. The group targeting Indian Americans in the area is from outside the state, which creates a challenge.
“If a warrant is issued for them, a lot of times it isn’t extraditable throughout the whole country,” Alanis said. “It could be a year before they go to trial, so who knows how many people they can keep victimizing until we’re able to finally get them some serious time when they actually put away for a while.”
Alanis urged the community to not be afraid to call the police. He said he’d rather arrive at the scene and find nothing happened than to have someone else fall victim to discrimination.
“Even just three or four people that are working together can cause a lot of damage to a lot of people,” Alanis said. “I would just tell everyone to just be vigilant, and I always say trust your gut. So if you see something that seems out of place or something that’s unusual, don’t be afraid to report it or take a picture of it.”
These burglaries are a part of crimes targeting Asian Americans in the community. A survey by AAPI Data, a policy and research nonprofit group, showed that Asian Americans have experienced hate incidents at a significantly higher percentage than the general population, but are more likely to keep it to themselves rather than report it.
“When COVID first hit, my family and I were in Safeway and there was a lady who was looking at us weirdly,” senior Kelly Leong (she/her), cultural director for the AAPI club, said. “She said something along the lines of ‘Why are you here’ and looked disgusted. I didn’t do anything at the time because I didn’t really understand it.”
The normalized racism faced by the Asian community is often overlooked. Comments can be subtle, making it difficult to address these stereotypes.
12“On an individual level, people should be more aware of what they’re saying or what they’re doing and be aware of the microaggressions and unconscious biases or harmful stereotypes,” Leong said. “It’s really important to call out these microaggressions if you hear them or see them so that it’s not normalized at all.”
