Community Corner
Photos: Multiple 'Stop Asian Hate' Rallies Held In Massachusetts
Residents along the Boston Marathon route from Hopkinton to Newton participated in the rallies on Saturday.
BOSTON, MA — Hundreds of residents participated in rallies along the Boston Marathon route Saturday aimed at drawing attention to recent hate crimes against people of Asian descent.
The New England Chinese American Alliance spearheaded the day's events, which took place in Hopkinton, Ashland, Framingham, Natick, Wellesley, Newton and Boston. Participants along the route held signs as a show of solidarity.
The event culminated in a rally and speeches on the Boston Common. Speakers included Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, Newton School Committee member Dr. Anping Sheng, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss and MassDOT Director Nam Pham.
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Chief Baker and Deputy Chief Riley attended the #StopAsianHate Rally this morning in downtown Framingham. It is critically important that our Asian community members know we are here to support them, and make sure they always feel safe in our community. #stopasianshate pic.twitter.com/gVXLgSm7BO
— Framingham Police (@FraminghamPD) March 27, 2021
The rally was a response to last week's mass shooting in the Atlanta area, but also to a larger outbreak of hatred toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
According to a recent report from the group Stop AAPI Hate, there were 3,795 Asian hate incidents in 2020, and 503 so far in 2021. Massachusetts had the sixth highest number of hate incidents with 96 in 2020, according to the group's report.
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