Reporting incidents and crimes is an important method to combat anti-AAPI hate.
L.A. vs. Hate is a county-led program encouraging L.A. residents to report hate in their communities. By calling the L.A. vs. Hate hotline at 211, residents can report hate to the County Human Relations Commission. 211 is NOT affiliated with law enforcement, and reports are not shared with law enforcement.
After filing a report, callers can be directed to care coordinators offering connections to local agencies for support services, such as mental health counseling and legal services. The hotline is open 24 hours a day and available in 140 languages.
When reporting to 211, callers have the option to report anonymously. Reports are only shared with partner organizations working on prevention and healing and the LA County Commission on Human Relations.
It’s also possible to report on behalf of someone else. According to the organization Stop AAPI Hate, third parties are critical in documenting hate, with an estimated 1 in 6 people reporting on behalf of someone else between 2020-22—including friends, relatives, and even strangers.
Reporting hate is extremely important, said Kiran Bhalla, project director at AAPI Equity Alliance, which oversees the Stop the Hate grant in L.A. County. She’s encountered some who view hate incidents simply as part of life in the U.S., not to be questioned. “Part of the work of [the Stop the Hate] grant is saying ‘No, that’s not normal. That is not acceptable. That needs to stop,’” she said.
Since 2020, over 11,409 hate acts have been reported to STOP AAPI Hate, a national coalition working with communities to document hate since the start of the pandemic.
Between 2020–22, STOP AAPI Hate received 4,117 reports of hate acts from California alone—nearly six reports per day. The majority included verbal harassment, physical injury, threat of harm, property damage, and following or stalking also prevalent. In 343 instances, an AAPI person reported being coughed at or spat on.
The data included reports by people who identified as Cambodian, Central Asian, Chinese, Filipinx, Latinx, Hmong, Indian, Japanese, Korean, Lao, Pacific Islander, Taiwanese, Thai, and Vietnamese, among others.
Non-physical incidents can include overt slurs and racist references. “I was walking up the stairs to [a] restaurant in the…suburbs and this individual said, ‘Hey, Osama Bin Laden,’” a man from Georgia reported to STOP AAPI Hate. “I asked him, ‘What did you say?’ and he said, ‘F–k you.’”
Another report came from a man in Michigan, who went to the dentist for an appointment. When he returned to the parking lot, he found his car had been keyed with the words “Do not B Asian.”
“Because things are being reported, we’re finally beginning to understand the magnitude of the type of incidents that are going on,” said Mariko Khan, board secretary of the nonprofit Cambodia Town.
If folks report to hotlines and websites like L.A. vs. Hate (or its statewide counterpart, CA vs. Hate) and STOP AAPI Hate, policymakers pay attention and put funding towards these programs, Bhalla added. But if the issue is not treated seriously, “it doesn’t come to light, we don’t put resources to it, and the problem just continues to fester.”
This resource is supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library in partnership with the California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.