Attorney General Mark R. Herring has dedicated his NoHateVA.com resource to focus exclusively on the rise of anti-Asian hate, abuse, discrimination, and violence that has coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, a national coalition dedicated to documenting and stopping anti-Asian hate and discrimination, nearly 3,800 incidents of hate, abuse, and discrimination against Asian Americans have been reported since March 2020, though the true number is likely higher, as incidents of hate, abuse, and discrimination are often underreported.
“This rise in violence and hate against Asian Americans must stop. This kind of intimidation, discrimination, and even violence is meant to spread fear in the hearts of vulnerable communities, and to make our friends, neighbors, and family members feel like they are different, or unwelcome. We cannot stand by and allow it to continue to happen,” said Herring. “We must make it clear that we are all Virginians, and we are all part of our Virginia family, no matter what you look like, where you come from, how you worship, or whom you love. I stand with the AAPI community and I will continue to do everything in my power to protect them and put a stop to this hate and violence.”
The updated NoHateVA includes resources to help Virginians keep themselves and their communities safe from anti-Asian hate, discrimination or violence, and ways for all Virginians to support victims if they witness an act of hate, discrimination or violence. It also includes advice for documenting and reporting an incident by a victim or by a witness.
NoHateVA was launched in January 2017 to serve as a comprehensive resource for information and community resources for individuals and groups who may be concerned about or victims of hate crimes. It includes information about the rights of Virginians to be free from bias-based crimes, state and federal laws to protect against hate crimes and illegal discrimination, and information to provide information about how hate crimes and discrimination can be reported to local, state, or federal authorities and the numerous resources available to individuals and organizations that have been the victim of a hate crime.
