Since the beginning of the pandemic just over a year ago, we have seen a significant rising in xenophobia and violence against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including the horrendous Atlanta shootings on March 16, when eight people were killed, six of whom were Asian women. According to stopaapihate.org, about 3800 hate crimes against Asian Americans were reported between 2020 and 2021, increasing nearly 150% compared to pre-pandemic number.

According to US Census Bureau’s statistics in 2019, Asian and Pacific Islander made up 23.5% of West Lafayette population. This number has only been growing by time. We love West Lafayette, the city we choose to live in with our families and friends, and a home we cherish. We continue to work hard to make it a promising land for everyone to thrive. We ask West Lafayette government officials to consider issuing a solution or statement committing to:

• Disseminating information to local communities, encouraging everyone to report incidents and raising awareness about violence against Asians and other minority groups.
• Developing platforms to recognize Asians in our city, including programs that facilitate intercultural communications.
• Increasing police presence and enforcement against crimes in areas where Asians can be or have been targeted and ensuring victims receive full supportive services to recover and heal.
• Expanding training courses for Asians and other minority groups to strengthen self protection/defense skills in response to critical situations.

Thank you for your support!