Hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise. Here’s what activists, lawmakers and police are doing to stop the violence
CLOSE Asian Americans have been victims of increased violence and harassment since the coronavirus pandemic began, but recent attacks have prompted some to “hunker down” again. USA TODAYDENVER — Helen Oh was walking down the sidewalk of the downtown 16th Street pedestrian mall in April when two young men approached from the other direction.The coronavirus pandemic had been spreading in the United States for a month, and Asian American community groups were warning of a disconcerting surge of hateful and racist language directed toward them, tied to the virus’ origins in China. Oh, an attorney, was on her guard.The two men drew closer.“Infected and disgusting,” one called out as they passed, she said. Heart racing, she ducked into a drugstore. “I didn’t think to say anything back when I heard it. It really only sunk in as I was walking away,” she said. Stepping back onto the street, Oh, 30, walked toward her car as an older couple approached. The woman made a show of detouring around her, she said.“The woman literally walked off the sidewalk to be as far from me as possible,” Oh said. “There was no one else around and it was so obnoxious.”One incident, she might have written off as
