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NBC News: Violence against Asian Americans and why ‘hate crimes’ should be used carefully
NBC News - As the recent wave of attacks on older Asian Americans prompts calls for action and activism, experts urge the use of precise, accurate language in discussing the violence. . .
Social media posts have conflated violence against people who are Asian American with hate crimes against the community at large, tying the crimes to pandemic-related racism. Some sources have declared a “spike” in hate crimes, citing an astronomical increase. But the figure they refer to specifically reflects New York City and New York police data obtained by NBC Asian America, which showed three anti-Asian hate crimes in 2019 and 28 last year. No hate crimes were reported this year so far. . .
Stanley Mark, a senior staff attorney for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, a civil rights organization, said that in theory, jurors are expected to remain unswayed by public rhetoric. But it’s not guaranteed in practice. He said jurors can have their own implicit biases. . .