Editor:
Re: Burnaby sees 350% spike in anti-Asian hate crimes during COVID-19: police, NOW News
I was appalled to read from your recent article that Burnaby had seen a 350% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes since the start of the pandemic.
Like many people, I was horrified by the news of the mass shooting deaths of eight women - six of them Asian - in a spa in Atlanta in March. A recent Canada-wide online study found that 44% of anti-Asian cases were reported in British Columbia and 60% of the victims identified as women.
As a racialized woman of Asian descent, I have experienced numerous racist incidents because of the colour of my skin. I have been stopped while driving, in the middle of the road, by a white man telling me to go back to China. My elderly mother has also experienced hostile stares and verbal assaults on public transit.
We must condemn all forms of hate in public spaces as it creates unsafe conditions for members of the Asian, Black, Indigenous, people of colour, and racialized communities.
May is Asian Heritage Month. I propose that the City of Burnaby proclaim on May 10 a “day of action against anti-Asian racism.”
Doris Mah, Burnaby
