Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Midday Edition

Community Advocates Argue For Better Tracking of Asian-American Hate Crimes

A trolley at the Convention Center Station in Downtown San Diego. Nov. 3, 2020.
Jacob Aere
A trolley at the Convention Center Station in Downtown San Diego. Nov. 3, 2020.
The recent attack of an 83-year-old Filipino women in San Diego last week is being seen as part of a string of attacks nationwide against Asian Americans, and advocates say that until we have a better accounting of hate crimes in the country we won’t know the true extent of the problem.

The suspect in an attack against an elderly Filipino woman in San Diego has his first court appearance today.

The 35-year-old man is facing charges of assault and elder abuse, but not a hate crime. The attack is being seen as part of a string of attacks nationwide against Asian Americans that includes the death of an 84-year-old man in Northern California last month.

RELATED: Anger And Fear As Asian American Seniors Targeted In Bay Area Attacks

Advertisement

Manjusha Kulkarni is the Executive Director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council in Los Angeles and a Lecturer in the Asian American Studies Department of UCLA. She is also the co-founder of Stop AAPI Hate.

She joined Midday Edition on Tuesday to discuss how authorities can better keep track of hate crimes in the United States.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.