By Holly Werris
SACRAMENTO, CA – Gov. Gavin Newsom this past week reinvigorated his hate crime awareness initiative in the face of rising violence towards minority communities in California, including several high-profile attacks, such as the murder of a shopkeeper in Southern California for hanging a pride flag.
The increased state funding to support diverse communities includes $91.4 million to 173 local organizations in an effort to prevent hate crimes through supporting victims and offering resources.
A media campaign called “CA vs Hate” has also been launched, said the governor. It features a new hotline and website to hard-to-reach communities by running in languages such as Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog and Tongan.
The CA Dept. of Education has also issued a letter to public school leaders reminding them to fulfill their legal obligations to not promote discriminatory viewpoints.
“An attack on any of our communities is an attack on everything we stand for as Californians,” said Newsom, adding, “As hate-fueled rhetoric drives increasing acts of bigotry and violence, California is taking action to protect those who are targeted just for being who they are.
“We’re bolstering our support for victims and anti-hate programs and tackling ignorance and intolerance through education to prevent hate from taking hold in our communities,” he added.
Previous actions taken by Newsom include creating the Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education, launching the CA vs Hate hotline, and investing $44.6 million into the Stop the Hate program.
“It was amazing to observe so many older Cambodian adults taking such a talkative part in our Stop the Hate workshops,” said Mariko Kahn of Cambodia Town, a recipient of funding from Stop the Hate.
Khan added, “We provided materials and a presentation in Khmer, which was essential for this target population, especially since older adults are frequently attacked. They loved the self-defense instruction so they could protect themselves. Doing these group workshops is much more effective than a brochure or remote session. The Stop the Hate grant made this possible.”
“With the Stop the Hate funding, Little Tokyo Service Center was able to provide safety workshops and de-escalation trainings that are helping to keep Little Tokyo seniors safe and allowing them to remain socially active in the community,” said Yasue Katsuragi of the Little Tokyo Service Center.
Prevention and intervention services to stop hate crime reached more than two million people from 2021-2022, with more than 14,000 people being helped with direct services, said the governor’s office, adding Newsom also formed the Commission on the State of Hate, the first commission to record hate crimes and recommend policy in California.
