Asian American Advocacy Groups Call For More Funding to Address Hate Crimes in NY

New York Asian American advocacy groups are calling for increased funding to address anti-Asian hate crimes.

The groups are asking for  $64.5 million to improve and increase services for Asian-American and Pacific Islander (or AAPI) New Yorkers, New York Daily News reports. The money would also go towards fighting hate with education

“Asian-American community organizations … are very poorly funded,” Assemblywoman Yuh-Line Niou (D-Manhattan), told New York Daily News. “We need to make sure that every single one of these organizations can get the funding that they need to actually do their services.”

The calls for funding come after 35-year-old Christina Yuna Lee was followed and fatally stabbed inside of her apartment in New York City’s Chinatown last weekend. The Asian American Federation is asking New York City to allocate $30 million towards mental health resources, NYN Media reports.

“We’re heartbroken to hear about the death from this past weekend. And for us it brings to the surface what we’ve been talking about for the past several years.” Joo Han, Deputy Director of the Asian American Federation, told NYN Media. “Unfortunately, we know that the minority of individuals who are unhoused or have mental illnesses are violent. The latest profiles of aggressors who have targeted Asian New Yorkers have been folks who are unhoused and have mental health issues or a mental illness. So it seems now more important than ever as an organization to push for an investment in mental health services for the Asian Community as well as all communities of color.”

Last year, former Gov .Andrew Cuomo created a $10 million fund to combat hate crimes against the Asian American community. Now, advocacy groups are asking that a larger percentage of the states over $200 billion budget be put towards addressing racism against Asians.

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