A Burnaby resident and city council byelection candidate is speaking out after a racist encounter as rallies and other meetings take place across the city to address a rise in anti-Asian racism.
Alison Gu, who is running for the Burnaby Citizens Association in the June 26 byelection, tweeted this past weekend that a man spewed racist comments at her on Sunday.
Gu, who comes from a Chinese background but was born and raised in Burnaby, tweeted "This morning, a man yelled "F*** you!! Go back to where you came from!!" at me. You never think it'll happen to you. And then it does."
Gu told the NOW, she was riding her bike Sunday morning (May 16) when someone walked in front of her, which prompted her to say "Hey!"
"They responded with "Oh, f*** off! F*** you! Go back to where you came from!" she says.
"There was an understandable conflict there, but for it to have been reacted to so violently and steeped in racism was, honestly, just quite rattling. I was quite shaken, more so than I would have expected to be."
I’m a young, ambitious person who has the privilege of running for City Council. My English isn’t accented. I’m able-bodied.
— Alison Gu (@go4gu) May 16, 2021
But on the streets, none of it matters.
I’m still just reduced to my race.
According to Burnaby RCMP, there has been a 350% increase in anti-Asian hate crimes during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, something that Gu says she has been fortunate to not have had to endure other encounters.
In 2019, the detachment responded to six hate crimes with an Asian victim or target – that number jumped to 27 in 2020, police said.
Of all the hate-motivated offences reported to police in 2020, 63% (27 out of 43) were identified as having an Asian victim or target – that was up from 30% (six out of 20) in 2019.
Burnaby’s top cop, Supt. Graham De la gorgendiere, said the incidents have ranged from property damage, including offensive graffiti, to threats and assaults.
"I've been fortunate enough to not have other serious incidents of racism directed towards me due to COVID-19. But part of the experience of being racialized under systemic racism is never knowing if it will happen, or never knowing if an encounter was the way that it was because of your race.
"In the beginning of the pandemic, there were often slightly-too-long stares in the street and at the grocery store. Back when masks were much less common, people would walk past me and bring up their shirt to cover their nose and mouth. But they didn't always do it as they walked past others. I would question whether to wear a mask outside, and wonder whether it would make me more or less safe."
She also believes that had there not been a pandemic currently while running for council, being out more in the community to campaign and fulfil other duties, could have led to more racist incidents happening.
"In the public or when you're doorknocking, you hear from and talk with people you might otherwise not talk or associate with," Gu explained.
"Launching your campaign on your personal social media because of a pandemic tends to expose you to friends, acquaintances, and the ones the algorithms choose, meaning that most people will like and/or agree with you. So in a way, I think I've been spared from that a bit."
But although she says she feels she's been protected in a sense campaigning through social media, that hasn't stopped others from reaching out with comments that she says could stem from ageism, misogyny and/or racism.
"I've received many comments and messages telling me I shouldn't run for City Council. That I have no political experience (I've worked for two MPs and currently work for an MLA), job experience (I've had 7 jobs in my life so far), or life experience (I was hit by a car when I was 17 and struggled with my health for five years). These questions could stem from ageism, misogyny, or racism. It's probably because of all three.
"But again, I do not and will not ever know."
Another Burnaby resident, Doris Mah, and the group she founded, Stand With Asians Coalition, recently made a plea to the city to proclaim May 10 as a Day of Action Against Asian Racism.
“As a racialized woman of Asian descent, I have experienced numerous racist incidents because of the colour of my skin,” Mah wrote in a recent letter to the NOW. “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.”
Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and council passed the proclamation at the end of April, noting May is Asian Heritage Month in Canada.
The proclamation reads, in part, "Every resident in Burnaby deserves safe public spaces without the fear of discrimination based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability."
The rise in anti-Asian hate crimes prompted Mah to organize rallies for May 10 throughout the Lower Mainland, which included teams in Vancouver, the Tri-Cities, Burnaby, Mission and Hope.
In Burnaby, teams were located at the Metrotown SkyTrain Station, as well as Brentwood and Lougheed stations.
Mah was incredibly touched to see many attend the events she organized, which helped her see there are more people that stand with the Asian community than she thought.
“It was really heartwarming to see that there were so many of us out there," she said.
“This is when people come together and say ‘we’re all in this together’ because we are all hurting. We’re not pointing fingers, we’re just demanding the government to have stronger action.”
The social planning committee for the City of Burnaby approved another motion on May 4 as a result of Mah's advocacy to look at the possibility of developing an anti-racism task force, which would look similar to the Mayor's Task Force on Housing.
In her own experience, Gu was also extremely thankful to those who reached out after her social media post to show support.
"It was just a horrible incident that happened that I felt I needed to process. I'm of course very grateful for all the support I've received through the comments, and I know that not everyone has these views," she said to the NOW. "Thank you to all those who said lovely things. The goal of the Tweet was just to unpack what had happened, and link how this was an example of systemic racism."
"Many people don't experience this level of violence, but other kinds of violence exist that are quieter and more insidious. And ultimately, these seemingly innocent acts of violence that are built into our systems and institutions, allow for more obvious and loud forms of racism to continue to occur.
"I don't think racist incidents will end until we rebuild every system, institution, and culture. In my Tweet I compared racism to a weed, and like a weed, it'll always keep coming back until you dig out its roots. I believe that it's largely the responsibility of governments to do this, by enacting systemic change to solve systemic problems."
- with files from Chris Campbell, Cornelia Naylor, Burnaby NOW
