Livermore Stands Up To AAPI Hate: 'When Will The Violence Stop?'

LIVERMORE, CA — Demonstrators gathered in Livermore Sunday to decry violence and hate directed against Asian American and Pacific Islander residents of Tri-Valley.

Some 200 people came, organizer Kyoko Takayama said. Groups such as the Livermore Filipino American Organization, Students for Social Change Granada High School, Tri-Valley for Black Lives and Livermore Indivisible were among the attendees, she said. Several elected officials also attended the event, including Livermore Mayor Bob Woerner and Vice Mayor Trish Munro.

A second Tri-Valley demonstration in support of AAPI residents took place in Dublin on Sunday afternoon, organized by groups including the Tri-Valley Asian Association. Alameda County Supervisor David Haubert of Dublin encouraged Asian Americans to report crimes committed against them and warned that criminals will be prosecuted.

Ian Quindipan of Students for Social Change and Livermore's youth commission was among the speakers at Sunday's Livermore rally. He recalled a time when his peers called him "Ching Chong," asked if he ate dogs or cats, spoke gibberish and pulled their eyes back to mock him.

"As an Asian American, the recent mainstream anti-Asian hate has opened my eyes to the injustices of not only the world, but of my childhood," he said. "I grew up learning to deal with things the way they were. I became so desensitized to the same problems we face today."

Quindipan asked, "When will the violence stop? When will we stop fearing? What more must be done?"

Denise Bridges of the local nonprofit Open Heart Kitchen spoke of a less visible way that Tri-Valley's AAPI residents are struggling: food insecurity. Tri-Valley has one of the Bay Area's highest food insecurity rates in the Bay Area, she said.

Open Heart Kitchen saw a 60 percent increase in demand in the past year for its meal programs, Bridges said. Volunteers served 542,000 meals last year. "Now, more than ever, the Asian American Pacific Islander community needs to be seen and heard," she said.

Foothill High School teacher Heather Richey said she was inspired to organize the event after reading posts from Asian American and Pacific Islander social media contacts about violence, pain and a sense of invisibility. A former student wondered where were the allies who stood last year in support of Black lives, she said.

Other speakers included Mel Chiong of Livermore Indivisible and Emily Wilson of Tri-Valley for Black Lives. Demonstrators chanted, "Unity, community, this is what we stand for"; "Two, four, six, eight, put an end to Asian hate"; and, "Hey, hey, ho, ho, Asian hate has got to go."

Watch a video of the rally here.