The non-profit organization Stop AAPI Hate is working to bring awareness to the rise in attacks against Asian and Pacific Islander Americans. The group just released data from thousands of incidents that were reported to the group throughout the United States last year. Now the group is calling on all Americans to join efforts to end discrimination against AAPI people, said Cynthia Choi, co-founder of the organization.
With President Donald Trump publicly blaming China for the spread of COVID-19, The non-profit reporting center was founded in 2020 as reports of crimes against Asian people began to increase. According to the data, nearly 3,800 incidents were reported to the group between March 2020 and February 2021, and Choi alleged that even this number is a vast misrepresentation of the entire picture.
"We’ve pretty much said from the very beginning that we know that people are underreporting on our site, and there’s definitely been an historic underreporting to law enforcement and government agencies, which is one of the reasons we started this reporting center," she said.
Though it's still too early to compare the entirety of 2020's stats to just two months of data from this year, Choi said incidents aren’t getting less intense. They are simply being reported less frequently for a myriad of reasons. She also noted that the incidents aren’t just limited to Asians being subjected to verbal and physical assaults on the streets, but they're "pervasive and systemic" and not all "hate crimes." According to the report, more than 35 percent of reports of discrimination happened at the site of businesses.
For Asian women, the issue has been even more prevalent as women, in general, tend to experience more harassment than men, and Choi said a short-term goal is to spread awareness about the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center so it has more data that would help establish plans to bring an end to these kinds of attacks.
"It’s very concerning that this is happening from across the country where we see reports from all 50 states including DC. We’re seeing, again, that these types of acts are really penetrating everywhere," she said.
Right now, the center accepts reports in 12 different languages.
The group also provides an outlet for people that do not identify as Asian to pitch in and use their reporting tool as well.
"We also have resources for people who are concerned about being directly targeted and also for those who witness individuals being targeted, not just Asians, but other groups that are being targeted because of what they look like, their gender — and how to do that safely," Choi said.
In order to qualify for one of the coveted first retail licenses in New York's adult-use cannabis program, you'll have to have a conviction on cannabis-related charges or have an immediate family member who does. It's part of the latest effort by New York lawmakers to create a diverse and inclusive industry — but some advocates still have reservations. Amber Littlejohn, the executive director of the Minority Cannabis Business Association, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss. "We definitely applaud the state of new york, but ultimately the devil will be in the details as to whether or not this actually works out to create equity in the cannabis industry," she said.
Ryan Shearman, chief alchemist and co-founder at Aether, and Henry Elkus, founder of Helena, join Cheddar News to talk about the completion of an $18 million Series A funding round led by Helena.
Pete Davidson is heading to space. The “Saturday Night Live” star will be among the six passengers on the next launch of Jeff Bezos' space travel venture, Blue Origin.
David Daley, senior fellow for FairVote, joins Cheddar News to discuss the Supreme Court denying the GOP's challenge to congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania.
Actor Bob Odenkirk and his son Nate joined Cheddar News senior reporter Michele Castillo to talk about their new podcast collaboration, "Summer in Argyle," at South By Southwest 2022. The audio drama follows a mysterious death at a hot dog eating contest in the small town of Argyle, Ohio. "My son Nate wrote this as a podcast for him and his friends to do, and I said it's pretty damn funny," said Bob. "Why don't we work on it some more and make it really sharp, and then we'll get a bunch of pros to record it and it turned out great."
Sketchers is yet another retailer to announce its entrance into the realm of the metaverse. The footwear company will be launching virtual clothing as well as an experiential store in Decentraland.
When Russia invaded Ukraine in late February of 2022, many expected a quick, decisive takeover by the Russian army. That didn’t happen. As of the date of recording this video, much of Ukraine - including the capital, Kyiv - continues to resist Russian forces. The reasons why are complex and change day-by-day, so to help break it down, Cheddar spoke to two military experts. Watch the video to see their four key takeaways from the Russian invasion so far, and how it could come to an end.
Cryptocurrencies had a monumental year in 2021 and is showing no signs of slowing down. Cheddar breaks down everything you need to know this tax season if you are investing in crypto.
