 STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR THE ASIAN PACIFIC ISLANDER COMMUNITY, CONDEMNING VIOLENCE
Over the weekend, I released a statement in solidarity with the Love Our People, Heal Our Communities Event that took place in Oakland Chinatown on Saturday, February 13. I wanted to make sure to share it with all of you:
With increased violence toward our Asian Pacific Islander residents in Oakland Chinatown and our broader community, I would like to publicly condemn the anti-Asian acts of violence and highlight the importance of racial solidarity.
As the District 5 Supervisor in Alameda County, I am proud to represent one of the most diverse and culturally rich areas: Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Piedmont and parts of Oakland. In our fight for Racial Justice and against Racial violence and white supremacy, we must remember that our diversity is our strength. Coming together as one community to create solutions can more accurately address the needs across Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, Indigenous people, Blacks, Whites, Latinx, Native Americans, Jewish, Alaska natives and all other ethnic communities.
It must be acknowledged that this country has a long history of xenophobia and racial violence: Anti-Asian racism in America goes back to Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 followed by the Watsonville riots against the Filipino community in the 1930s and the killing of Vincent Chin in 1982 recognizing only a few examples in our American history. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a spike of anti-Asian violence like the recent killing of Asian seniors like Vicha Ratanapakdee in San Francisco or the assault of a 91 year old man in Oakland Chinatown. We must take the time to process these painful events and then it is my hope, that we can harness our collective anger to drive us towards actions that will put an end to these senseless acts.
While accountability is needed, we must also recognize that violence affects each one of us and all of our communities. In generating solutions, we must condemn sentiments of anti-blackness- Asian and Pacific Islander, Latinx and all ethnic communities must push back against the call for over- policing of our communities as the answer. Other steps we can all take today include starting conversations with children, parents, friends about the current events and exploring our nation’s history which can help us better understand the complicated layers of our diverse communities.
My office and I continue to endorse positive movements like the Love Our People, Heal Our Communities event which is multiracial, interfaith and focused on community-centered solutions. In the longer term, My office continues its commitment to being partners in advancing how county resources can help empower communities with education and community safety efforts, like the Chinatown Ambassador Program, trauma-informed support as well as cross-cultural, community-based partnerships to continue bringing our communities together.
In our current time, it inspires me to see new connections being formed across communities. I still believe that by unity, we can work together as Asian Americans, Asian Pacific Islanders, Black, Indigenous people, Latinx and other ethnic groups for a more inclusive and safe community.
-Keith Carson
Alameda County Board President & Supervisor for District 5
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