San Mateo County responds to AAPI racist attacks proposing zero tolerance hate zone ordinance

DALY CITY, Calif. - San Mateo County Board President David Canepa wants to send a clear message to perpetrators of racially motivated attacks targeting the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community: "...commit a hate crime here and go to jail, nothing less should be accepted."

San Mateo County Board of Supervisor President David Canepa announces establish the county as a zero tolerance hate zone from Daly City to Menlo Park in the wake of rising attacks against the Asian American Pacific Islander community.

Canepa warned that there's no place for AAPI targetted hate, as he proposed a new ordinance that would establish a zero tolerance hate zone in his county-- from Daly City to Menlo Park.

The move comes amid a surge of attacks against the AAPI community during the coronavirus pandemic. The high profile incidents have been caught on video and many have occured in the Bay Area, including in San Mateo County.

Last Thursday in Daly City, a 69-year-old Asian woman was a victim of a strong arm robbery. Video showed the woman being attacked and thrown down by the robber.

The disturbing incident was shared widely on social media, including by Supervisor Canepa who posted, "Acts of racist hate crimes against Asian Americans are not tolerated in San Mateo County. Let’s bring justice for this 69-year old defenseless woman and end the hate!"

Canepa’s office said that Daly City police were continuing to investigate the incident.

The group Stop AAPI Hate said it has received some 3,800 reports of hate related incidents nationwide from March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021. Almost 1,700 of the reported attacks have been in California. The group stressed that these figures were actually far greater, as such attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders often go unreported.

In recent days, there has been a growing push for better tracking and reporting of hate related incidents targeting the AAPI community.

California Assemblyman David Chiu, who represents San Francisco, called on the California Department of Justice to document racially motivated incidents "whether it be vandalism or the racial epithets or discrimination that we see in retail environments, or bullying that we see in the schoolyard."

Last Tuesday’s mass shooting in Georgia at three spas killed eight people, six of whom were Asian American women.

The deadly attack has amplified the voices of many in the AAPI community, who have expressed mounting fear that they or their loved ones will be victimized.

"We have schools reopening where parents are fearful that their children will be bullied and encounter racism. We have private businesses that are fearful that if they are Asian owned and have primarily Asian employees will they be targeted," said Cynthia Choi, co-executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action, who spoke during an event with Governor Gavin Newsom last Friday in which he denounced the acts of violence against the AAPI community.

Canepa’s proposed ordinance for a zero tolerance hate zone in San Mateo County sought to respond to those fears, condemn the attacks, while declaring its support behind its Asian American and Pacific Islander residents.

In a county, where more than 30% of its population was of Asian descent, the policy was a first step toward stemming the wave of racially motivated violence to protect its residents.

"A lot people out here want to feel safe in their own communities, and we’ve got to stand up and help," Canepa’s policy advisor, Bill Silverfarb, told KTVU.

The ordinance was set to be mentioned during the board of supervisor’s meeting on Tuesday and then officially introduced the following week on April 6.

"We can no longer just sit back and listen to our Asian American friends and neighbors tell these continuing stories of being victims of violent, racist hate crimes – we must take swift and defining action to stop the hate through bold policies," Canepa said. "No one should be afraid to leave their own home because of the color of their skin."