Vigilance!
Many in our community are breathing a collective sigh of relief, now that Covid 19 infection rates are diminishing and local vaccine rates are up. Despite this good news, we must be ever more vigilant to stand in solidarity with our Asian American and Pacific Island community who are experiencing virulent attacks across the nation, parallel to the pandemic. We must stand up against hate and demonstrate solidarity with ALL who are victimized by it. If you experience or witness a hate crime:
- Get medical help, if necessary.*
- Write down all details of the crime as soon as possible after the incident. Include the perpetrator[s] gender, age, height, race, weight, clothes and other distinguishing characteristics. If any threats or biased comments were made, include them in the report.*
- Make a report. Report the incident to local law enforcement who are required to document and keep statistics on hate crimes. If victims do not want to go to the police, submit a report to the local Civil Rights/Human Rights Task Force in your area. Even if an incident doesn’t meet the legal definition of a hate crime, it is still important to report it to the appropriate entity.*
- Locally, you can contact The Whatcom Human Rights Task Force for further support:
Phone: 1-360-389-3898
Email: whatcomhrtf@gmail.com
Web: whrtf.org
*Source: https://capaa.wa.gov/resources/report-hate-discrimination/