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Rallies held in San Diego County in support of Asian American community

In response to the deadly Georgia shooting, local community activists held a rally downtown to combat anti-Asian violence.

SAN DIEGO — Over a dozen community leaders part of the San Diego multiracial coalition united downtown at Waterfront Park in support of Asian and Asian American communities.

"This kind of violence needs to be named as it is specifically racialized misogyny,” said Kuttin Kandi, Asian Solidarity Collective executive director.

There was outraged over the deadly shooting in Georgia Tuesday where eight people were killed, six were Asian women.

"They didn't deserve to be murdered, we know the weight of being exoticized and commodified,” said Christina Griffin-Jones of Black Lives Matter San Diego.

The group was from all backgrounds across San Diego County and many said they did not buy the alleged gunman's motive told to investigators in Georgia.

“This is the long legacy of racist gender violence that my grandmother, my Lola, had told me about experiencing from war at the hands of imperialism,” Kandi said, as she shared some of her family's story. 

Wanting to make a difference for their generation, local high school juniors Ara Lee and Joan Chong put together the "March to Stop Asian Hate."

“Hate against Asian people has always been brushed under the rug. We exist in a gray area, where some of us do have more privileges than other people of color, but we don’t necessarily have white privilege, and in my entire life, I have faced microaggressions just for being Asian,” said Joan Chong, a Pacific Ridge School junior.

The increase in acts of violence against Asians is alarming to San Marcos High School junior Ara Lee.

"Ever since I've seen the elderly like get beat up on the streets, I always like have this constant fear like wow, what if my grandfather was in that place,” Lee said.

California State University's Center for Study of Hate & Extremism reports hate crimes against Asian-Americans jumped 149% from 2019 to 2020 in 16 of America's largest cities.

“Hate against Asian people does exist, it’s just sometimes, you just don’t really notice it, but it is happening, and it does affect people you care about in your community,” Chong said.

Chong and Lee, both North County teens, hope to make an impact.

"I think it's a big deal just coming together and standing as a community is the best thing we can do. We hope everyone can come and bring signs, positivity and support because I think this is really necessary for our Asian community across the county,” Lee said.

The March to Stop the Asian Hate will take place Sunday March 21 at the Carlsbad Village sign at 11 a.m.

Credit: Ara Lee
Flyer for Carlsbad Stop the Asian Hate March

WATCH: San Diego's AAPI community wants to combat the violence

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