The tragic killing of eight people at Atlanta area spas on Wednesday, six identified as Asian women, was just the latest incident to escalate tensions among Asian communities regarding a rise in racially-motivated attacks.
According to Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-Wash. 10th District), one of four Korean Americans to be elected to Congress, there needs to be a reckoning on accountability when it comes to hate crimes.
"I think part of the frustration that a lot of us in the Asian community have right now is that these crimes are happening, and there doesn't seem to be an urgency to respond to it," she told Cheddar. "And I think that's why we are being so intentional about speaking out, holding rallies, and making sure that people do not erase us or make us invisible."
Strickland, who is also half Black, said that she's "concerned for the safety of communities of color, in general," particularly after marginalized groups had to be subjected to divisive rhetoric from former President Donald Trump over the past four years.
"Eight people died, and six of them, Asian women. And so there are a lot of elements to this crime that warrant our attention," she said of the March 17 massacre. "This has been going on, again, really since COVID."
Demanding Accountability of People in Power
While forcing a change in people's hearts and minds is not necessarily realistic, Strickland said that she expects some legislation to come down the pipeline to address criminal hate incidents but noted that since most such crimes are heavily local matters, addressing them requires buy-in from the community.
"I would say to people who are in the cities, on the ground, in the neighborhood, stay local, make sure you hold people accountable, and don't let up," she said.
The congresswoman also addressed remarks by Captain Jay Baker, a spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff, who described the Atlanta spa shooter as "having a really bad day" prior to the massacre and whose own social media posts came to light, which included images containing anti-Asian rhetoric.
"When these crimes are committed, we don't want to see people in positions of authority or law enforcement, like the sheriff did, making excuses for it," she said.
"We want to send a message that when you commit a hate crime in the United States, regardless of who the victim is, people want accountability. They want there to be consequences and repercussions."
Strickland explained that the Asian community has to continue applying pressure to those in power in order for real solutions to emerge.
"People must feel empowered to speak out and they must feel comfortable speaking out but just speak out if you have something to say," she said.
President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" bill could mean cheaper electric bicycles and scooters as the nation attempts to shift away from gas-powered cars. Noa Banayan, the director of federal affairs at PeopleForBikes, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to provide some background on the E-Bike Act included in Biden's reconciliation bill that would provide tax credits for qualified purchases. "We want to make sure, from the bike industry's perspective, that this is a technology and a product that is available to the majority of Americans who want to lower their carbon footprint and get around town faster and do everything that they would normally do in a short car trip but by bike, because it's healthier, it's fast, it's efficient, you're not in traffic," she said.
It's being called the next big trend in crypto. A decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, is an internet community of different types of groups and businesses. The purpose is to allow people to commit funds to a specific cause in a safe way. Now, one social platform is creating a do-it-yourself kit for those who want to step into the space. Upstream Collective just launched the beta mode of its platform with the goal of putting all facets of running a DAO in one place. Alex Taub, co-founder and CEO of Upstream, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Walmart and Zipline have teamed up to launch a drone delivery service in Pea Ridge, Arkansas. The service delivers products to customers within a 50-mile radius of the store. Liam O'Connor, COO of Zipline, joins Cheddar News to talk more about the partnership.
A NASA spacecraft that will deliberately crash into an asteroid is preparing to launch this week. The goal of the DART mission, or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is to hit the smaller of the two asteroids, Dimorphos, with the spacecraft at about 15,000 miles per hour and see how the impact changes the asteroid’s trajectory. Joey Roulette, space reporter at The New York Times, joins Cheddar News to talk more about it.
After a pandemic pause where the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was closed to the public, the annual tradition is returning to the streets of New York with some new, yet familiar, faces. In addition to 10 marching bands, dozens of floats, 30 heritage balloons, and five other newcomers, one creature from a galaxy far, far away is joining the festivities, courtesy of toy manufacturer Funko. Coming in at 41 feet tall, 29 feet long, and 37 feet wide, the Funko Pop!-inspired Grogu balloon, from "The Mandalorian," will make his debut this year. Cheddar's Michelle Castillo reports.
AAA is expecting 80% more airline passengers and almost 10% more road trips in the pandemic’s biggest holiday travel surge. Melanie Lieberman, senior travel editor at The Points Guy, joins Cheddar News to detail what travelers are up against.
Protests across the country continued all weekend following the acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse. A jury found the 18-year-old not guilty of all five felony charges. Rittenhouse was accused of killing two people and wounding another during protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin last year. Jaha Howard, political strategist and civil rights advocate, joins Cheddar News to breakdown the verdict.
