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Nearly 200 people marched in San Francisco’s “Defend Asian Elders March” on Sunday

Stop Asian Hate Rally, San Jose
Jason Leung
/
Unsplash
A community rally to Stop Asian Hate in San Jose last year.

March organizers - The Asian Justice Movement - have specific demands of the city. They want increased security in low-income senior living facilities. They are also calling on San Francisco Police Chief William Scott to hold a town hall on the issue within the next 10 days.

There were two attacks last week. A seventy year old woman identified as Mrs. Ren was beaten and robbed in her senior living center on Sunday by four people. Then, just a couple of days later, former San Francisco commissioner Gregory Chew - another Asian elder – was also assaulted on Tuesday.

ASan Francisco Police Department report, found that hate crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders rose in recent years. From nine reported hate crimes against the AAPI community in 2020 to 60 reported in 2021. That’s an increase of nearly 600 percent in one year.

Hanisha Harjani is in the KALW Summer Training Program and produces news stories for Crosscurrents