Central Valley begins tracking anti-Asian hate incidents

A new website will track anti-Asian hate incidents in Stockton and the Central Valley, ABC 10 reports.

Victims will be able to report hate incidents to the 209 Asian and Pacific Islander Coalition’s (APIC) website. The website is funded through the California Department of Social Services’ Stop the Hate (STH) Program.

Nationally, organizations like Stop AAPI Hate and Stand Against Hatred have been tracking anti-Asian hate incidents. Several states have their own systems for reporting and tracking hate incidents. In May 2023, California launched the CA vs. Hate Resource Line and Network, a hotline and online portal that helps victims report hate incidents and access culturally competent resources.

Leaders in the Central Valley feel it’s important that the region doesn’t get overlooked.

“You see big cities like the Bay Area, SoCal and Sacramento who have all these resources on the Stop the Hate initiatives, but sometimes the Central Valley, Stockton, San Joaquin Valley don’t get a lot of attention and investment,” Hannah Reah Divino, Holistic Health Director of Healing Pilipinx Uplifting Self & Others (P.U.S.O.), a program at Little Manila Rising, told ABC 10.

In June, the California Department of Justice released the 2022 Hate Crimes Report. It revealed that reports of anti-Asian hate incidents dropped from 247 in 2021 to 140 in 2022. Leaders believe that efforts to track anti-Asian incidents as well as investment into the community contributed to the decline.

“The state has invested money into our system,” ARI Executive Director Rejie Baloyos told The Sacramento Bee. “When you actually invest into something, you can also see the difference and the impact of that.”