Hate crimes against Asian Americans increased sixfold in San Francisco over the last year, city officials announced Tuesday.
Reported hate crimes against Asian American Pacific Islanders jumped 567%, from nine incidents in 2020 to 60 in 2021, Mayor London Breed and the police said during a press conference.
“I am heartbroken, I am frustrated, I am angry about the violence that has continued to impact many of the people who are part of our Asian community, but especially our seniors,” Breed said. “Although a number of communities have been impacted by hate crimes in San Francisco, none more than the AAPI community.”
MORE THAN 9,000 ANTI-ASIAN INCIDENTS SINCE START OF PANDEMIC, NONPROFIT GROUP SAYS
Notably, more than 30 of the 60 incidents were committed by the same perpetrator, who was arrested last August, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said. He did not name the person but said the individual is facing hate crime enhancements in his charges for the alleged incidents.
Breed noted she believes that the actual number of hate crimes against the AAPI community is higher than the reported figures and said the city needs to lower its hate crimes. She touted a senior escort program in which people accompany senior citizens when they travel to ensure their safety, as many of the attacks have targeted the elderly.
Hate crimes also increased against other groups in 2021. Hate crimes against the LGBTQ community increased by 50% to 15 reported incidents, against Jewish Americans by 60% to eight incidents, and against African Americans by 27% to 14 incidents, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Hate crimes against white people, Hispanics, and Muslims all declined from the previous year, the outlet reported.
A report from the nonprofit group Stop AAPI Hate indicates that hate crimes against Asian Americans increased nationally in 2021 from the prior year. It found that there were 4,599 reported incidents from March to December 2020. From January to September 2021, there were 5,771 reported hate crimes against the community.
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Crime increased across the board by about 12% in 2021, according to data from the department. Homicide in the city increased by about 17%, from 48 incidents to 56 in 2021. Assault also increased by about 9%. The city has a population of about 875,000 people, according to the latest census report.
Representatives for the San Francisco Police Department did not respond to the Washington Examiner’s request for comment.
