To our Asian family and community:

By now, we have all heard of the devastating news of another mass shooting — this time in Atlanta, Georgia against our Asian community. Our hearts are heavy, as we mourn the loss of eight people, six being from our Asian community. We send our deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in this horrific act of violence.

Hate and bias incidents against Asians have increased exponentially during the past year, since the start of the pandemic, due to the bigoted political rhetoric against Asians by racializing the coronavirus and calling it the "China virus," "Wuhan flu," and other derogatory names.

According to Stop AAPI Hate, there has been a more than 150% increase in Asian hate crime and bias incidents since March of last year, with nearly 4,000 incidents reported nationwide and 68% of those reported against women. According to the Department of Justice, in Oregon there were 15 hate crimes/incidents reported in March 2021, with 10 of them being a crime and not an incident.

This is a gender-based racist hate crime, an attack based on racism, misogyny, and xenophobia. The victims and their families deserve for us to speak truth to what it is. Justice requires us to name it and work to dismantle white supremacy and misogyny.

Violent acts against Asians have often been overlooked and rejected as hate crimes — as in the recent murder of an elderly Asian man in Oakland, California, and again, now as the Atlanta sheriff spokesperson said the killer had a "really bad day... and this is what he did."

We know there is a long history of hate crimes and massacres of Asians Americans in the United States, from the massacre of 18 Chinese immigrants living in Los Angeles in 1871, the massacre of as many as 34 Chinese gold miners robbed and killed on the Oregon side of Hells Canyon on May 25, 1887, the shooting of five Southeast Asian refugee schoolchildren in Stockton, California in 1989, the Sikh Temple shooting in 2012 when ten people were shot and seven of those individuals died from their injuries, and numerous individual murders like that of Vincent Chin in 1982, who have been the symbols for social justice and civil rights for many API activists.

The United States’ past anti-immigrant, anti-Asian policies such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882, the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans during World War II, and the Muslim ban in 2017 are at the core of white supremacy and American propaganda against Asian Americans.

We stand in solidarity with our Asian communities and organizations when we say this violence — this hate — must stop. We all need to stand up against racism, xenophobia, and misogyny towards all Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC), and immigrants and refugees.

We call on one another, our elected leaders, law enforcement, and the legal system:

• to stand up against white supremacy, bigotry, and misogyny;
• to bring justice and hold white nationalist hate groups and the perpetrators accountable for the threats and crimes they commit;
• to hold investigators and law enforcement accountable to the communities they are there to serve and protect and to create change so law enforcement is not perpetrating white supremacy, racism, misogyny, and xenophobia;
• to uplift and support policies for additional protections for communities of color and immigrants and refugees, including gun control measures;
• to provide healing, resources, and language access to support individuals and families when they become the victims of violence and hate;
• to provide protection and support for frontline workers, service industry workers, and care professionals as they are often at the frontline of risks and threats.

This increase in violence has shaken up our Asian and Pacific Islander communities, especially our elders and our women. We know there is a lot of fear and worry. We hope your family is staying safe and vigilant. We stand by you, and we are committed to building a safer and stronger community for all of us. Our community is strong and resilient, and we will get through this together.

We see and hear you. We love and support you. You belong. We belong.

Below are some resources we gathered for you and your loved ones. Please report any incidents you experience and/or witness. Most importantly, please stay safe and take care of one another.

Sources to report a hate incident/crime to, in addition to calling law enforcement:

Portland United Against Hate:

https://www.portlandunitedagainsthate.org

CAIR Oregon:

https://cairoregon.org

APANO:

https://www.apano.org/reporthate

IRCO:

https://irco.org/support

Department of Justice:

www.doj.state.or.us (click "Bias Crime")

Stop AAPI Hate:

https://stopaapihate.org

Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC):

https://www.standagainsthatred.org

Muslim Advocates:

https://muslimadvocates.org/issue/hate-crimes

Council on Islamic-American Relations:

https://www.cair.com

Act to Change:

https://acttochange.org/#about

Asian Health & Service Center, Mental Health Support: https://www.ahscpdx.org/mentalhealth.html

Portland Racial Equity Lines for Life:

https://www.linesforlife.org/racial-equity-support-line

IRCO Pacific Islander & Asian Family Center (PIAFC):

https://irco.org/who-we-are/asian-family-center.html

APANO:

https://www.apano.org

Asian Mental Health Collective:

https://www.asianmhc.org

Mental Health America:

https://www.mhanational.org/issues/asian-americanpacific-islander-communities-and-mental-health

APANO & PUAH Resilience to Hate Resource Guide: www.apano.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/PUAH-Resilience-to-Hate-Resource-Guide-3_23_20.docx.pdf

National Council on Asian Americans:

https://now.org/break-the-cycle-a-conversation-about-the-rise-of-anti-apia-racist-violence

Asian American Advancing Justice trainings:

https://advancingjustice-aajc.org/events

Stop AAPI Hate: Safety Tips for Those Experiencing or Witnessing Hate:

https://stopaapihate.org/safety-tips-english

Hollaback’s Guide to Bystander Interventions:

www.ihollaback.org/app/uploads/2016/11/Show-Up_CUPxHollaback.pdf

White Sexual Imperialism: A Theory of Asian Feminist Jurisprudence:

www.wlu.edu

Coalition of Asian American Leaders:

https://caalmn.org/asians-mns-alliance-4-justice/take-action-against-anti-asian-racism

White House Memorandum Condemning and Combatting Racism, Xenophobia, and Intolerance Against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States:

www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/26/memorandum-condemning-and-combating-racism-xenophobia-and-intolerance-against-asian-americans-and-pacific-islanders-in-the-united-states

Oregon Department of Justice:

www.doj.state.or.us/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-19_Call_to_Action.pdf

Multnomah County:

https://multco.us/multnomah-county/news/multnomah-county-board-issues-statement-condemning-anti-asian-hate-crimes

City of Portland City Council:

www.portland.gov/wheeler/news/2021/3/17/city-council-condemns-atlanta-shootings-stands-solidarity-asian-american

Pacific Islander and Asian Family Center (PIAFC) at IRCO

Immigrant Refugee Community Organization (IRCO)

Greater Middle East Center (GMEC)

Coalition of Communities of Color

Cascade Chapter, International Association of Public Participation

Unite Oregon

Community Alliance of Tenants (CAT)

Korean American Coalition of Oregon (KAC Oregon)

API Forward Foundation

Asian American Council of Oregon

KAC Oregon (Korean American Coalition)

International Migrants Alliance (IMA) – Pacific Northwest Chapter

Iu Mien Association of Oregon

Micronesian Islander Community (MIC)

New Portland Foundation

Foundation for Philippine Progress, Inc.

Malaya Movement Portland

Verde

Africa House at IRCO

Historic Parkrose NPI

Self Enhancement, Inc.

Port of Portland

Latino Network

Division Midway Alliance

APANO Communities United Fund

National Alliance for Filipino Concerns – NAFCON Oregon

American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU of Oregon)

Office of Community & Civic Life, City of Portland

NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon

Oregon Commission on Hispanic Affairs (OCHA)

Oregon AFL-CIO

Oregon Education Association

Oregon Environmental Council

Oregon Latino Agenda for Action

Oregon Nurses Association

Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Street Roots

SEIU Local 49

SEIU Local 503

Oregon Futures Lab

Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center + Rosemary Anderson High School (POIC + RAHS)

UFCW Local 555

Kaibigan – Filipino American Student Association, Portland State University

Japanese American Museum of Oregon

Planned Parenthood Advocates of Oregon

Our Children Oregon

Basic Rights Oregon

Forward Together

Caldera Arts

Independent Publishing Resource Center (IPRC)

ELSO

Cath

EMO

Oregon Interfaith Power & Light

Catholic Charities of Oregon

Trash for Peace

Oya no Kai, Parent Organization for the Japanese Dual Language Immersion Program

211info

Oregon Commission on Asian and Pacific Islanders Affairs (OCAPIA)

Cambodian American Community of Oregon

Oregon Commission on Black Affairs (OCBA)

Oregon Commission for Women (OCFW)

Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce

Yeondae, Korean Adoptee Collective

Our Oregon

Causa Oregon

Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association

Portland Lee’s Association

Chinese American Citizens Alliance Portland

Portland Chinatown History Foundation/Portland Chinatown Museum

Japanese Ancestral Society

Chinese Friendship Association of Portland

The Asian Reporter

Gorge ICE Resistance

Teatro Milagro

Oregon Chinese Coalition (OCC)

Chinese Scientists, Engineers and Professionals Association (CSEPA)

American Federation of Teachers-Oregon (AFT-OR)

Portland Community Reinvestment Initiatives, Inc. (PCRI)

Oregon Food Bank

Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette

Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon

1000 Friends of Oregon

Portland Chinese Times

Social Venture Partners Portland (SVPP)

Early Childhood Equity Collaborative

MediaRites

Partners for a Hunger-Free Oregon

Black Parent Initiative

Social Venture Partners Portland

KairosPDX

Tongan Women's Association

IRCO’s Slavic Eastern & European Center

Arab American Cultural Center of Oregon (AACCO)

Togo Community Organization of Oregon

Immigration Counseling Service (ICS)

Urban League of Portland

Shu Ren of Portland

Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon (PACCO)

Community Chamber Coalition of Oregon (CCCO)

Iraqi Society of Oregon

Vietnamese Community of Oregon

Susheela Jayapal, Commissioner, Multnomah County

Lori Stegmann, Commissioner, Multnomah County

Daniel Nguyen, Council President, City of Lake Oswego

Jackie Leung, City Councilor, City of Salem

Khanh Pham, Representative HD 46

Kayse Jama, Oregon Senator SD 24

Carmen Rubio, Commissioner, City of Portland

Lee Po Cha, Executive Director, Immigrant Refugee Community Organization

Coi Vu, Director, Pacific Islander and Asian Family Center

Christine Chin Ryan, Oregon National Organization for Women (NOW)

Suk Rhee, Director, Office of Community & Civic Life, City of Portland

Daniel McArdle-Jaimes, Office of Community & Civic Life, City of Portland

Andrea Williams, Office of Community & Civic Life, City of Portland

Touk Keo, Office of Community & Civic Life, City of Portland

Amanda Shannahan & Christopher Lee, Co-presidents, Portland Japanese American Citizens League

Chanpone Sinlapasai, Partner, Marandas Sinlapasai Garcia, LLC

David Tam, CEO Tam Global Consultants

Mohamed Alyajouri, Board President, Portland Community College

Mari Watanabe, Executive Director, Partners In Diversity

Albert Lee, Executive Director, Us, Ourselves

Lillyanne Pham, Community and Volunteer Liaison, Historic Parkrose NPI

Alma M. Ouanesisouk Trinidad, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University; Board Chair, Foundation for Philippine Progress, Inc.; Board Member, Education NW; Outgoing Board Chair, Catholic Charities of Oregon

Jessica Rodriguez-Jenkins, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Matt Chorpenning, Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Sharon Gary-Smith, President, NAACP Portland 1120-B Branch

Bowen McBeath, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Miranda Mosier, assistant professor, Child, Youth, and Family Studies, Portland State University

Becca Love, Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Eddie May, LCSW, Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Social Work, Portland State University

John Barnett, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Safiyya Algellal, McKinney-Vento Liaison, Parkrose School District

Lisa Weasel, Professor and Chair, Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies Dept. Portland State University

Tim Boettcher, Trainer, Child Welfare Partnership, Portland State University

Jenny Lee, Deputy Director, Coalition of Communities of Color

Annette Stanhope, Chair, Parkrose Neighborhood Association; Community Outreach Coordinator, Historic Parkrose NPI

Ericka Kimball, Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Michele Martinez Thompson, Assistant Professor of Practice, SSW, Portland State University

Alyshia Alohalani Macaysa, Principal, Macaysa Consulting

Jasmine Sergia Kahananui, Board Member United Territories of Pacific Islanders Alliance Portland

Sasha Verbillis-Kolp, LCSW, Consulting Services and Adjunct Faculty: Social Work, Portland State University

Jennifer Blakeslee, Research Assistant Professor, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Christian Aniciete, Social Media Manager and Founding Co-Chair of API Employee Resource Group, Port of Portland; VP of DEI, PDX American Marketing Association

Anna Rockhill, Regional Research Institute, Portland State University

Jacqueline Boudreaux, Diversity & Inclusion Committee Co-Chair, Oregon Housing & Community Services

Jennifer Tehani Sarreal, Small Business Owner, Spirit Dancer Productions

Dañel Malan, Artistic Director, Teatro Milagro

Vivian Satterfield, Director of Strategic Partnerships, Verde; Home Forward Board of Commissioners

Tracey Lam, Director of Programs and Communications, Partners in Diversity; Co-founder, API Forward Foundation

Monica Parmley-Frutiger, LCSW, Faculty at Mt. Hood Community College and Portland State University

Leslie Luo, Veterans Outreach Supervisor, Transition Projects

Tony DeFalco, Executive Director, Latino Network

Curtis Robinhold, Executive Director, Port of Portland

Emily Rice, Senior IT Manager, Port of Portland; API Employee Resource Group, Port of Portland; Founding Board Member & Treasurer, Foundation for Philippine Progress, Inc.

Rossella De Leon, Executive Director, Foundation for Philippine Progress, Inc.

Marie Lo, Professor and Chair, English Department, Portland State University

Junghee Lee, Professor, School of Social Work; Senior Fellow, Center for Public Service, Portland State University

Joy Jackson, Education Coordinator with Community Alliance of Tenants

Erin Graham, President and CEO, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Lisha Shrestha, Executive Director, Division Midway Alliance

Michele Morales, Assistant Professor of Practice, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Duncan Hwang, Associate Director, APANO

Kien Truong, Treasurer, Young Democrats of Oregon

Laura Rodriguez, Student, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Miguel Rodriguez, Project Coordinator, Portland Through a Latinx Lens

Bella (Louvele) Borja, MIC Board Member, City of Salem Human Rights Commissioner

Patrick Villaflores, Global Diversity & Inclusion, Portland State University

Patti Duncan, Associate Professor

Caitlin Houser, Adjunct Research Assistant, School of Social Work, Portland State University

Sandy Chung, Executive Director, American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon (ACLU of Oregon)

Shannon Aniciete, Assistant Director of Employer Engagement, University of Oregon

Eric Buenrostro Azua, Vice President of People and Culture, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry

Eric Cress, President and CEO, Urban Development Partners

Patty Wood, CEO, Education Northwest

Shannon Tocchini Chan, API ERG and LeadersNEXT BRG, Port of Portland

Linda Castillo, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization

Karena Salmond, Youth Program Director, Caldera Arts

Stephanie Prom, Development and Communications Director, Caldera Arts

Tesar Freeman, Arts Center Facilities Director, Caldera Arts

Elizabeth Paulson, MPH Student OHSU-PSU SPH

Katie Wisdom Weinstein, Executive Director, Caldera Arts

Kelly Campbell, Executive Director, Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Kim Filla, LCSW, Director of Family Outreach & Community Programs, POIC + RAHS

Ivonne Rivero, Interpreter, Concerned Translator and Homecare Worker, Portland OR.

Heather Chao, Director, HR Business Partner, Port of Portland; former sponsor and current member of the API employee resource group, Port of Portland

Andrés Oswill, Chief of Staff, Oregon Futures Lab

Peter C. Andrews, Melvin Mark Co.

Abraham Pasion, Vice President, PSU Kaibigan – Filipino American Student Association

Mauryn Quintero Sehrer, School of Social Work & Center for Improvement of Child and Family Services, Portland State University

Kathy Wai, North Clackamas School Board Director, Position 5, TriMet Board of Directors,

Ethan Chen, Managing Partner, Alpine Media

Clackamas Region

Nicole Prevost, Director of Communications and Strategic Partnerships, POIC + RAHS

Noreen Murdock, Executive Director, Portland Youth Philharmonic

June Arima Schumann, Chair, Minoru Yasui Legacy Project

Doug Stamm, Senior Advisor, The Giving Project

Max Williams, President and CEO, Oregon Community Foundation

Andrea Valderrama, Chair, David Douglas School Board of Directors

Michele Ruffin, Oregon Political Director, Forward Together

Helen D. Richardson, Program Associate, SKSD Office of Equity of Equity, Access and Advancement OCFW

Jawad Khan, Muslim Educational Trust

Marcus Mundy, Executive Director, Coalition of Communities of Color

Wajdi Said, Muslim Educational Trust

Chrissy Erguiza, Chair, Democratic Party of Oregon’s Asian American & Pacific Islander Caucus

Jahed Sukhun, Palestinian American Society of Greater Portland

Alondra Flores Aviña, Environmental Promoter Program Manager, Trash for Peace

Rick Birkel, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of Oregon

Ciara Doyle, Chief Operating Officer, 211info

Olivia Rasmussen, AmeriCorps VISTA Program Manager, Mercy Corps Northwest

New Portlanders Policy Commission - NPPC

Patti Sakurai, Associate Professor, Ethnic Studies, Oregon State University

Marco Mejia, Migrant Collective PDX

Jacqueline Raphael, Education Northwest

Adrianne Sebastian, International Migrant Alliance - Pacific Northwest

Asian Pacific American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon & SW Washington

Sokho Eath, President, Cambodian American Community of Oregon, PIAFC Advisory Board Chair

Jovita Wang, Partner, Richardson Wright LLP

Alley Pezanoski-Browne, Executive Director, Independent Publishing Resource Center

Maxine Tuan, President, Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Mandy Davis, Trauma Informed Oregon

Interfaith Movement for Immigrant Justice – IMIrJ

Stacy Chamberlain, Executive Director, Oregon AFSCME Council 75

Ashley Brassea, Co-Founder and on behalf of, the Maywood Park Citizen Coalition

Randell Leach, CEO, Beneficial State Bank

John Kitzhaber, Former Governor

Eric Friedenwald-Fishman, CEO Metropolitan Group

Holly Chung, Department Administrator, Oregon Health & Science University

Paul Lumley, Native American Youth and Family Center

Kalpana Krishnamurthy, Program Director, Forward Together

Isa Peña, Executive Director, Causa Oregon

Neil Lee, President, LEEKA Architecture and Planning, CCBA, Portland Lee’s Association.

Rima Ghandour, Partner at Ghandour Law

Chi Nguyen, Governor’s Racial Justice Council Member and Salem Area Mass Transit District Director

Jacqueline Peterson-Loomis, Executive Director, Portland Chinatown Museum

Sho Dozono, President, Japanese Ancestral Society, Trustee Portland State University and Emeritus Chair Portland Business Alliance

Reshmi Dutt-Ballerstadt, Professor, Linfield University

John C. Ratliff, President, Chinese Scientists, Engineers and Professionals Association

Thomas E. Kim, Secretary, Oregon Asian Pacific American Bar Association

Solea Kabakov, Gorge ICE Resistance

Sarah Leong Chung, Portland Chinatown Museum, CCBA, Chinese Scientist Engineer Professional Assn.

Meng-Lun Chen-Pinkham, SEIU Local 503 Asian Desi Pacific Islander Caucus Liaison

Ellen Rosenblum, Oregon Attorney General

Fay Stetz-Waters, Civil Rights Director, Oregon Department of Justice

Johanna Costa, Hate Crimes and Bias Incidents Response Coordinator, Oregon Department of Justice

Will Mahoney-Watson, AFT-OR Communications Specialist

Gregg Kantor, Board Member, Albina Vision Trust

Patricia Dost, Pearl Legal Group PC

Harris Matarazzo, President of Portland Chinatown Historic Foundation, Attorney at Law

Kelly Simon, Interim Legal Director, ACLU of Oregon

Deborah Kafoury, Chair, Multnomah County

Katherine McDowell, McDowell Rackner Gibson PC

Teresa Alonso Leon, HD-22 State Representative, Chair of the House Education Committee

Pooja Bhatt, SeeChange LLC

Vera Warren, Board Member, Cambodian American Community of Oregon

Arab American Cultural Center of Oregon

Nadia Dahab, Sugerman Law Office

Marri-Beth Serritella, President, SUCHa ~ Uplifting Brand Design

Bahia Overton, Executive Director, Black Parent Initiative

Sadie Feibel, Deputy Director of Programs, Latino Network

Nancy Bales, Executive Director, Gray Family Foundation

Andrea Salinas, Representative HD 38

Jessica Vega Pederson, Commissioner, Multnomah County

Sharon Meieran, MD, JD, Multnomah County Commissioner, District 1

Gerry Uba, Board President, Immigrant Refugee Community Organization

Zaur Akhriev, Board Vice President, Immigrant Refugee Community Organization

Mardine Mao, Board Secretary, Immigrant Refugee Community Organization

Tenzin Kalsang Hints, Board Treasurer, Immigrant Refugee Community Organization

Trinh Tran, Immediate Past President and Board member, Immigrant Refugee Community Organization

Dr. Markisha Webster Smith, Director, City of Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights

Koffi Dessou, Deputy Director, City of Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights and Executive Director of Togo Community Organization of Oregon

Jeff Selby, Communications Director, City of Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights

Tatiana Elejalde, Equity Officer, City of Portland Office of Equity and Human Rights

Jeanine Morales, Deputy Director, NARAL Pro-Choice Oregon

Kali Thorne Ladd, Executive Director, KairosPDX

Michelle Herron, Executive Director, Arco Iris Spanish Immersion Charter School

Nkenge Harmon Johnson, Chief Executive Officer and President, Urban League of Portland

Aoi Tsuda, Student, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Portland State University

Jeff MacDonald, Ph.D., Associate Director of Program Administration IRCO

Baher Butti, Iraqi Society of Oregon