The Council of American Islamic Relations Saturday condemned the Lunar New Year theft and vandalism of four Asian restaurants in Howard County, near Baltimore.
“We condemn these crimes — especially during a time when many members of the Asian American community are celebrating the start of the Lunar New Year — and urge anyone with information to notify the police,” said CAIR in a statement sent to AsAmNews. “Studies are consistently showing a rise in hate crimes and violence against Asian American communities during the pandemic, and it will take all of us to speak out and put an end to the xenophobia and bigotry that are fueling this disturbing trend.”
The Baltimore Sun reports six business were burglarized Thursday night, four were Asian. However, police are not ready to call this a hate crime.
“Detectives suspect this is part of a larger series of burglaries in the region in which the businesses were not all Asian-owned,” wrote police spokesman Sherry Llewellyn in an email to the Sun. “But we are considering every possibility as we investigate these six cases from last night.”
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The four Asian restaurants are Urban Hot Pot, Bonchon, Kung Fu Tea and East Moon Asian Bistro.
According to Fox5 News, police are investigating whether the burglaries are related.
“To have these crimes occur during the beginning of Lunar New Year – a time of great celebration and joy – is additionally sad and distressing,” tweeted Howard County Executive Calvin Ball.
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