Rise in hate crimes is a disturbing backdrop to San Francisco's Lunar New Year

Rise in hate crimes is a disturbing backdrop to San Francisco's Lunar New Year

Transcript¹

The number of hate crimes against the Asian American Pacific Islander community skyrocketed last year in San Francisco. Many are trying not to let it overshadow Lunar New Year festivities.

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Gong hei fat choy (ph) - that's a Cantonese New Year greeting. The holiday is celebrated² among Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and other Asian communities. But this year there's a disturbing backdrop to the festivities. NPR's John Ruwitch has this report from San Francisco.

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE #1: Next.

UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Hi.

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE #1: Hi.

JOHN RUWITCH, BYLINE³: It's lunchtime at Chase Luck Bakery.

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE #1: (Non-English language spoken).

RUWITCH: Women behind the counter dish out steaming noodles, dumplings, fried rice and other tasty looking Chinese dishes to a line of customers that runs out the door. Business looks pretty good. But one worker says it was disrupted a few months ago.

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE #2: An afternoon when we close the restaurant, and somebody just hitting the window. And we had camera outside also. And they just swap⁴ out the camera also. They break the window two times, three times - three times.

RUWITCH: The restaurant was attacked. And it wasn't the only one.

UNIDENTIFIED EMPLOYEE #2: On this street, Ocean Avenue, so many stores just hit by something happen like that.

RUWITCH: San Francisco's district attorney charged a man this summer who they believe was behind the racially motivated vandalism spree. Police Chief Bill Scott said last week it's part of a troubling trend. The city saw a six-fold increase in Asian hate crimes in 2021.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BILL SCOTT: We had eight in 2019. We had nine in 2020. And we had 60 in 2021. That is significant. That is concerning. And that is alarming.

RUWITCH: The problem, of course, isn't limited to San Francisco. The Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino collected data from a dozen major American cities. And it showed that anti-Asian hate crime increased more than 300% last year. The group Stop AAPI Hate records hate incidents ranging from racial slurs⁵ to assaults.

CYNTHIA CHOI: What we've established since the time that we started Stop AAPI Hate is that we're getting reports from all 50 states that there is a pattern. It's systemic. And it's pervasive⁶.

RUWITCH: Cynthia Choi is one of the leaders of Stop AAPI Hate.

CHOI: We also know that there is generally underreporting from our community.

RUWITCH: A national survey last fall, she says, found that 1 in 5 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders had experienced a hate incident in the prior year.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RUWITCH: A few miles from Chase Luck Bakery, hundreds of people came out to stroll through a Lunar New Year street fair in Chinatown over the weekend. Some played games and ate food. There was even a lion dance troupe⁷.

(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC)

RUWITCH: And organizers said the police presence was beefed up this year in response to the surge in hate crimes. Victoria Chang (ph) was there. And she was holding something red and shiny that she'd just bought.

VICTORIA CHANG: This is kind of, like, an auspicious⁸ pinwheel, just kind of something fun and kind of some good-luck charm.

RUWITCH: She said she was all too aware of the risks that AAPI communities face these days. And she says she thought twice before coming out to the street fair.

CHANG: I guess that was something I was considering. Like, is it still safe to come out here where it's, like, a big group of Asians? Would we be targeted?

RUWITCH: And that, she said, is discouraging, especially around the Lunar New Year.

CHANG: Because it's supposed to be just a happy event. And having to think, like - oh, will I be safe going out here? - definitely makes it a lot sadder.

RUWITCH: John Ruwitch, NPR News, San Francisco.

(SOUNDBITE OF NEIL COWLEY'S "JUST ABOVE IT ALL")

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

3 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

4 swap   

n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易

参考例句：

• I will swap you my bicycle for your radio.我想拿我的自行车换你的收音机。
• This comic was a swap that I got from Nick.这本漫画书是我从尼克那里换来的。

5 slurs   

含糊的发音( slur的名词复数 )； 玷污； 连奏线； 连唱线

参考例句：

• One should keep one's reputation free from all slurs. 人应该保持名誉不受责备。
• Racial slurs, racial jokes, all having to do with being Asian. 种族主义辱骂，种族笑话，都是跟亚裔有关的。

6 pervasive   

adj.普遍的；遍布的，(到处)弥漫的；渗透性的

参考例句：

• It is the most pervasive compound on earth.它是地球上最普遍的化合物。
• The adverse health effects of car exhaust are pervasive and difficult to measure.汽车尾气对人类健康所构成的有害影响是普遍的，并且难以估算。

7 troupe   

n.剧团，戏班；杂技团；马戏团

参考例句：

• The art troupe is always on the move in frontier guards.文工团常年在边防部队流动。
• The troupe produced a new play last night.剧团昨晚上演了一部新剧。

8 auspicious   

adj.吉利的；幸运的，吉兆的

参考例句：

• The publication of my first book was an auspicious beginning of my career.我的第一本书的出版是我事业吉祥的开始。
• With favorable weather conditions it was an auspicious moment to set sail.风和日丽，正是扬帆出海的黄道吉日。