Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders in Puget Sound face violence | Opinion

It might surprise Seattle residents to learn that nearly two in five of the city’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) residents have been the victim of a racially motivated incident within the past year, and nearly one in five have been physically attacked. These are just some of the findings from “AANHPI Perspectives: Seattle Safety Study,” a new research report commissioned by The Asian American Foundation (TAAF) that examines the safety concerns of AANHPIs living in the Seattle metropolitan area.

For Asian Americans in Seattle, concern about public safety and fear of anti-Asian rhetoric is not an entirely new phenomenon. I was born and raised in South Seattle, and spent a lot of time in the Chinatown-International District (CID) as a child. During college I was a docent at the Wing Luke Museum, and I served as a student consultant to the Northwest Asian American Theater and Chinatown BIA while at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business.

I heard many of these same concerns from community members back then, over 25 years ago. What AANHPIs are feeling now is really a culmination of years of deep-rooted prejudices, made worse by the hate and violence that boiled to the surface during the pandemic.

What is new is that today, rather than relying solely on anecdotal evidence, we have data that sheds light on the ongoing concerns of the community. We can use this information to develop solutions and hold policymakers accountable. That’s why my colleagues and I at TAAF felt it was important to release this study — to help identify gaps in public safety and areas for investment in city infrastructure and community resources that would help make the city safer for the AANHPI community.

It saddens me that so many of the people we surveyed have changed their daily habits and routines out of fear of becoming a victim, actually avoiding certain neighborhoods, groups of strangers or going out late at night. Women in particular are deeply concerned about public safety.

Investing in improvements in lighting and walking paths would go a long way toward making the streets safer. I also believe the community needs more events and programming like the popular CID Night Market. Festivals and street fairs draw more people to neighborhood streets and public spaces, bringing benefits to local businesses while fostering safety and unity.

Something that really stood out to me from the study is just how few AANHPIs report when they are the victim of an anti-Asian incident. About 54% of respondents not only didn’t report the incident, but they didn’t feel comfortable enough to talk about what happened with anyone at all, even friends and family. It’s heartbreaking, and that’s why it’s so important that locally based community organizations, who are the best qualified to provide culturally competent training in how to report incidents, get the resources that they need to provide this support to victims. In-language access to emergency services is also so important for the AANHPI community as well as other non-English speaking communities.

I’ve always wanted to make a positive impact on the AANHPI community in my hometown, and as Chief Programs Officer at TAAF I now have the opportunity to do so. We’ve been working closely with a variety of corporate partners like Starbucks and Amazon, as well as local government, to find the best way to encourage more investment in AANHPI communities. I’m excited to be working alongside the team at Seattle’s own Chinese Information Service Center (CISC), in addition to providing support to a network of community based organizations in Seattle. At a community convening TAAF co-hosted with CISC this month to launch the Seattle Safety Study, we were joined by some of these organizations including Filipino Community of Seattle, Korean Community Service Center, and UTOPIA Washington. I’m grateful that the Seattle AANHPI community has such dedicated guardians, helping to advocate for their safety.

At a time when we’re trying to cultivate a greater sense of belonging in AANHPI communities, people are feeling unsafe and withdrawing from public spaces, worried about being heard speaking their native language or taking public transportation to go about their daily lives. In a sense their humanity is being taken away, and it doesn’t feel very American. We know we can’t solve this alone. Addressing these challenges will take understanding, cooperation and a commitment to invest in the city and communities. I think AANHPIs, and the city of Seattle, are worth it.

Georgette Bhathena is the chief programs officer at The Asian American Foundation overseeing programming and strategy to achieve maximum impact. She has over 20 years of experience working across sectors in purpose-driven organizations.