HomeMy WebLinkAbout1O1CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT DATE: MARCH 25, 2021 CONSENT CALENDAR SUBJECT: RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL DENOUNCING VIOLENT CRIMES AGAINST ASIANS, ASIAN AMERICANS, AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM: David H. Ready, City Manager BY: Community & Economic Development Department SUMMARY At its Regular Meeting on March 8, 2021, the Human Rights Commission denounced the alarming increase in violent crimes against Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) across the country. A resolution denouncing such actions has been prepared for City Council consideration (ATTACHMENT 1 ). RECOMMENDATION: 1. Adopt a resolution entitled "RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL DENOUNCING VIOLENT CRIMES AGAINST ASIANS, ASIAN AMERICANS, AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY." 2. Authorize the City Manager and City Clerk to take all necessary actions identified in the resolution. BACKGROUND: At its Regular Meeting on March 8, 2021, the Human Rights Commission denounced the alarming increase in violent crimes against Asian, Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) across the country. Anti-Asian sentiment is a long-standing part of American history including the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, and Internment of Japanese American people in the United States. The Human Rights Commission discussed how this increase of violent crimes against the AAPI Community across the country, and these expressions of hate and prejudice, have no place in our society. Three San Francisco Bay organizations created StopAAPIHate.org to serve as an aggregator of anti-Asian hate crimes incidents. The coalition has reported the following information: ITEMNO. \ 0
2City Council Staff Report March 25, 2021 --Page 2 Resolution Denouncing Violent Crimes Against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders • Hate crimes targeting the AAPI Community increased nearly 150 percent in major cities. • Businesses are the primary site of discrimination (35.4%), followed by public streets (25.3%), and public parks (9.8%). Online incidents account for 10.8% of the total incidents. • Three in 10 Asian Americans (31 % ) report having experienced racial slurs or racist jokes since the beginning of the pandemic. • Chinese are the largest ethnic group (42.2%) that report experiencing hate, followed by Koreans (14.8%), Vietnamese (8.5%), and Filipinos (7.9%). • States with high Asian American populations report the most incidents. CA (43.8%); NY (13.0%); WA (4.1 %); and IL (2.8%) have the highest rates • There has been a documented pattern of recent attacks against the AAPI Community. • They have received nearly 3,800 reports of hate incidents across the country since March 2020 Recent cases of violence against the AAPI Community include the deadly assault on Vicha Ratanapakdee who was brutally attacked while on his morning walk in San Francisco and died from a resulting brain hemorrhage, and the three deadly shootings which targeted Asian American businesses in Atlanta, Georgia on March 17, 2021, resulting in the deaths of eight people. In 2020 Palm Springs experienced 10 hate crimes and eight hate incidences. One of the hate incidences was Asian related on May 16, 2020. The Human Rights Commission expressed that it stands in solidarity with the entire AAPI Community in condemning those who commit anti-Asian violence. They call on the community to be vigilant, watch out for your neighbors, and together speak out against racism and hate driven violence. The attached resolution denouncing such actions has been prepared for City Council consideration. ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: Section 15061 (b)(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act ("CEQA") Guidelines exempts activities that are covered under the general rule that CEQA applies only to projects that have the potential to cause significant effects on the environment. Where it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility the activity in question may have a significant effect upon the environment, the activity is not subject to CEQA. The requested action will not result in any new direct physical impacts to the environment. Therefore, the requested action is considered exempt from CEQA.
3City Council Staff Report March 25, 2021 --Page 3 Resolution Denouncing Violent Crimes Against Asians, Asian Americans, and Pacific Islanders FISCAL IMPACT: There is no fiscal impact upon the City as a result of this recommended action. SUBMITTED: ir tor David H. Ready, Esq.,Ph.D. & Economic Development City Manager Attachment: 1. Resolution
4ATTACHMENT 1 Resolution
5RESOLUTION NO. ---RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL DENOUNCING VIOLENT CRIMES AGAINST ASIAN, ASIAN AMERICAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic is a public health emergency that has caused devastating effects throughout the world and across political and social boundaries, and was not created or caused by any race, nationality, or ethnicity; WHEREAS, the World Health Organization recognizes that public health emergencies often lead to stigma, demonization, discrimination and scapegoating towards certain communities and groups; WHEREAS, anti-Asian sentiment has been a long-standing part of American history from People v Hall and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 to the 1942 executive order that led to internment camps for Japanese people in the United States; WHEREAS, hate crimes targeting Asian American and Pacific Islanders increased by nearly 150 percent in major cities despite decreasing overall in the last year and 44 percent of the incidents reported to Stop AAPI Hate are from California; WHEREAS, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders have been facing bias incidents such as verbal harassment, physical assault, job discrimination, and destruction of their businesses as they are being blamed for the outbreak and spread of COVID-19, perpetuated by rhetoric stemming from federal leadership in 2020; WHEREAS, three deadly shootings targeted Asian American businesses in Atlanta, GA on March 17, 2021; WHEREAS, violent attacks have particularly intensified against Asian senior citizens and such xenophobia and discrimination can have a range of adverse physical and mental health consequences for stigmatized groups and their communities; WHEREAS, the mission of Palm Springs Human Rights Commission is to promote and protect the diversity of our community and to improve human relations through education and community awareness. NOW THEREFORE BE IT PROCLAIMED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS: SECTION 1. That the City of Palm Springs will not tolerate xenophobia and condemns the rise in hate crimes, attacks, and attitudes against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities;
6SECTION 2. That the City of Palm Springs urges residents to join in calling attention to these harms and denouncing hate to help keep us all safe during this pandemic and beyond; SECTION 3. That the Council and City of Palm Springs will commit to protecting residents who are targets of hate by providing tools and resources for reporting such crimes; SECTION 4. That the city will prosecute and curb hate acts related to COVID-19 in partnership with nonprofit organizations, the Riverside County District Attorney's Office, and the city's Police Department. ADOPTED THIS DAY OF , 2021. -----ATTEST: Anthony J. Mejia, MMC City Clerk David H. Ready, Esq., Ph.D. City Manager
7Resolution No. Page3 CERTIFICATION STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss. CITY OF PALM SPRINGS ) I, ANTHONY J. MEJIA, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that Resolution No. __ is a full, true and correct copy, and was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs on _________ _ by the following vote: AYES: NOES: ABSENT: ABSTAIN: IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Palm Springs, California, this ___ day of ______ , 2021. Anthony J. Mejia, MMC City Clerk