City Council Approves Anti-AAPI Hate Resolution

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA —The Manhattan Beach City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a resolution denouncing hate against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.

The anti-AAPI hate resolution was approved on a 5-0 vote.

"We have all heard the frightening accounts of increasing acts of violence and intimidation against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders this past year," Mayor Pro Tem Hildy Stern, the resolution's author, told Patch. "During this month of Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, through this resolution, the City of Manhattan Beach affirms our commitment to the safety and well-being of our Asian American and Pacific Islander community members."

According to Stern, the resolution offers an opportunity for residents to come together as a community to support one another. "In effect, we're saying to the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders among us [that] we value you, we respect you, and we stand with you against acts of hate and racism," Stern said.

Madeline Kaplan, one of the organizers of last month's MB Residents Against Asian Hate campaign," is grateful for the support of Stern and the city council. "Passing the resolution sends a strong message that the City of Manhattan Beach does not tolerate hate crimes or any other forms of discrimination against Asian Americans or any other group," she said.