According to research by Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (@A3PCON) and Chinese for Affirmative Action (@CAAsanfrancisco), hate crimes against Asian Americans increased by nearly 150% in 2020.
This didn't happen by accident. Some receipts... (thread)
Between April 10, 2020 and January 3, 2021, Donald Trump either tweeted (or RT'd) the term "China Virus" 44 times.
But that's not all he did, even while hate crimes against AAPI people rapidly increased with his messaging.
We knew early in the pandemic...
January 30, 2020
"As I headed to my apartment, a group of men shouted while looking in my direction, 'see that Japanese chick over there? Stay away from her if you don’t want to get the coronavirus'" -- @beingsarahkim
"Rosen Huynh tries extra hard to suppress her coughs... people like Huynh are suddenly hyperaware of their East Asian roots. Every cough, every wheeze, the 22-year-old says, seems to elicit furtive glances and odd looks."
"A 16-year-old boy in California's San Fernando Valley was physically attacked this week by bullies in his high school who accused him of having the coronavirus — simply because he is Asian American."
"In fact, a number of bullies don’t even seem to be distinguishing among different people of East Asian descent, lumping together those of Chinese-descent, Taiwanese-descent, Korean-descent, Japanese-decent, etc."
Trump is asked why he keeps referring to COVID as "China Virus" in light of the (at the time) dozens of reported hate crimes against AAPI people in the United States.
"Because it comes from China," he responds.
March 19, 2020
The Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (@A3PCON) and Chinese for Affirmative Action (@CAAsanfrancisco) announce the launch of a website for reporting hate crimes against AAPI people in the United States: stopaapihate.org
March 25, 2020
Dr. Russell Jeong of @SFSU releases the first report of data gathered through the website. In its first six days, the site received 673 reports of "hate incidents" against AAPI people: bit.ly/3lwxw0k
April 9, 2020
Trump accuses a journalist from Hong Kong of working for China's government.
April 20, 2020
Donald Trump repeatedly talks down to CBS White House Correspondent @weijia when she questions him about his rhetoric and actions regarding COVID and China.
April 23, 2020
Dr. Russell Jeong and Kai Nham release the one month analysis for the site's received hate incidents: 1,497 reports of violence and harassment against AAPI people in just its first four weeks. bit.ly/3vy3NZg
April 28, 2020
Asian American celebrities--including @JeannieMai, @tzima8, and @NicoSantos--talk to the @AP about the harm done to AAPI people when Trump refers to COVID as the "China Virus".
May 1, 2020
In her first briefing as WH Press Secretary, @kayleighmcenany, using incomplete intelligence, heavily alludes to conspiracy theories regarding China, COVID, virus labs, and animal-borne transmission.
May 12, 2020
When CBS White House Correspondent @weijia asks Trump a question, he tells her to "go ask China". She inquires why he said that to her. He refuses to engage with her further. After two colleagues defer back to her question, Trump walks away from the presser.
May 13, 2020
A large group of data analysts release stopaapihate.org's two-month analysis: now at "1,843 reports of anti-Asian discrimination due to COVID". bit.ly/3bUd1HN
May 20, 2020
"As the political rhetoric blaming China for the pandemic escalates, law enforcement officials and human rights advocates have seen an increasing number of hate crimes and incidents of harassment and discrimination against Asian Americans."
According to thetrumparchive.com, Trump tweets the term "China Virus" for the first time.
June 21, 2020
Trump uses the term "Kung Flu" to refer to COVID at an election rally, eliciting loud applause.
June 22, 2020
The next day, Kayleigh McEnany repeatedly plays down the use of the term "Kung Flu" when asked by reporters and affirms Trump's opinion that he's "the least racist person on the planet".
July 2, 2020
"More than 2,100 anti-Asian American hate incidents related to COVID-19 were reported across the country over a three-month time span between March and June, according to advocacy groups that compile the data."
"The resolution – the House’s first addressing anti-Asian discrimination related to the pandemic – passed by a 243-164 vote. All Democrats were joined by 14 Republicans in voting for the measure."
"Hate crimes against Asian-Americans have reached an "alarming level"... in part because President Donald Trump appears to validate the perpetrators' bigotry, according to a report by United Nations officials made public this week."
"With tensions steadily rising in America over the past few years, new FBI data released Monday shows that hate crime incidents [are]... 'rising to their highest level in more than a decade,' reports Voice Of America (VOA) News."
"Last month, 15 of the temple’s Buddha and bodhisattva statues had been spray-painted. The word 'Jesus' in black letters had been emblazoned down one statue’s back."
"The encounter escalated, police said, and the group began making 'anti-Asian statements relative to the coronavirus' and punched the woman in the face multiple times."
Dr. Russell Jeung, Dr. Aggie Yellow Horse, Tara Popovic, and Richard Lim release the 2021 National Report: "...3,795 incidents received by the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021."
"Eight people were shot to death at three massage parlors in the Atlanta area on Tuesday evening, the authorities said, raising fears that the crimes may have targeted people of Asian descent."
Like every college or university, Columbia has their primary graduation ceremony, where all the traditional things happen: formal commencement, degree conferral, etc. This is for all students graduating from Columbia. This is the ceremony you expect. The big show.
But in addition to the big ceremony, Columbia University, like so many colleges and universities, offer supplemental recognition ceremonies for students from marginalized backgrounds to celebrate their accomplishment with peers from their community. These are very different...
In the summer of 1990, before first Gulf War, @TuckerCarlson was a rising senior at Trinity College. He was 21. He could have taken a few years off to enlist and serve in a time of war. But he didn't. He waited until after graduation and applied to the CIA. He was rejected.
After being rejected from the CIA, @TuckerCarlson again could have enlisted in the military. But unlike the 16 women who served in the Gulf War and were killed in that conflict, Tucker Carlson chose to pursue a career in conservative media.
On 9/11, seven women service members were killed in the attack on the Pentagon.
@TuckerCarlson was then a 32 year-old, able-bodied adult. He could have enlisted when our country was attacked. Instead, he built his career on the sacrifices of others who served.
Really blown away by these fantastic gifs that @a35mmlife and @intoactionus made in support of trans kids in supports. Take them and make your own tweets supporting trans kids using the the hashtag #LetKidsPlay
It breaks my heart to bring your attention to this.
With more than 520,000 deaths in the U.S. and tens of millions struggling financially, it appears Senate Republicans are attempting to weaponize the COVID relief package to ban trans kids from sports.
I really wish it weren't true, but there's a rumored amendment being brought forward by Senate Republicans to ban trans kids from playing in sports at every level from K-12 right up through college. They will attempt to tie-in COVID relief in an attack on trans children.
As you already know, Senate Republicans rejected the $15/hr minimum wage amend that would help struggling families. They forced the reduction of stimulus checks for Americans in need. But somehow, they're managing to find space to harm trans kids in this COVID relief legislation.