Maplewood Takes Stand Against Anti-Asian Hate

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The five members of Maplewood's Township Committee, including Mayor Frank McGehee, released a statement Friday in the wake of the murders of eight women, including six Asian-American women, last week in Atlanta.

Also last week, a report released this month by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University showed incidents of hate and bias crime were up 149 percent against Asian Americans in 2020 than in previous years (the report is here).

In the statement, the committee said, "Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scapegoating our Asian brothers and sisters became a convenient excuse..."

The statement reads, in full:

<blockquote>

The events in Atlanta earlier this week are a sickening and painful reminder that racism towards the Asian American Pacific Islander community is not new.

While Anti-Asian rhetoric certainly did not start with the pandemic, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, scapegoating our Asian brothers and sisters became a convenient excuse for making hate crimes and especially unspeakable acts of violence targeting the Asian community at-large even more pervasive.

Sadly, these violent attacks have largely been ignored and even excused - "oh he was having a bad day." Sound familiar? Targeting and blaming an entire demographic for a pandemic is racist and it needs to stop now.

As a community we must all do our part to speak out against racism and stand up to hate wherever it exists. For our Asian brothers and sisters that begins with acknowledgement and changing the overall tone of our collective conversation. And even while that may not feel like enough, change starts with each and every one of us.

Our heart goes out to the Asian American Pacific Islander community here in Maplewood and beyond. Whether you are a student, a small business owner, a resident or a visitor - you matter and are an essential part of our community. We stand in solidarity with you. #StopAsianHate

Mayor Frank McGehee, Deputy Mayor Dafis, Committeewoman Adams, Committeeman Deluca
Committeeman Lembrich

</blockquote>

Last week, other Essex County leaders issued statements condemning the violence as well. Read more about that here.

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