Anti-Asian Hate Crimes On The Rise In Washington

SEATTLE, WA — Anti-Asian hate crimes are on the rise in Washington and across the country. Now, state leaders and local law enforcement say they are doing what they can to stamp out hate.

“Washington is a place where all people should feel safe and included," said Gov. Jay Inslee in a statement Tuesday. "This is a welcoming state and I have a zero-tolerance policy for hate and racism. We must all condemn the acts of hate and violence displayed in the rising incidence of anti-Asian hate crimes in both Washington state and across the country. This is wholly unacceptable and must not stand."

Last April, three men marched through Seattle's Chinatown-International District, slapping businesses with jingoistic, racist stickers. The Seattle Police Department says the incident was one of 14 Anti-Asian hate crimes their officers investigated last year — up from nine in 2019 and six in 2018.

"The Seattle Police Department has heard from residents, business owners, and community residents across the Chinatown-International District and throughout our city," said Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz in a video statement released Friday. "People are particularly fearful about an increase in crimes targeting the Asian community. SPD officers are working tirelessly to address all crime, including hate crimes and to raise awareness around anti-Asian incidents."

But Seattle isn't the only place seeing that rise in anti-Asian hate. The King County Prosecutor's Office tried 39 hate crimes in 2019. That number ballooned to 59 in 2020. Already they have filed charges for seven hate crimes in 2021. The office says the increase was largely driven by a rise in attacks on Asians and Asian-Americans.

Some speculate that the rise comes from the mistaken belief that Asian countries and Asian Americans are somehow at fault for the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Due to COVID, we have seen hate crime cases come in against Asian-Americans," said Leandra Craft, a King County deputy prosecuting attorney. "Obviously, there have been hate crimes reported before against Asian-Americans, but we haven't seen hate crime cases where [they] are targeted because of maybe someone's fear of COVID. That is a new fact pattern that hasn't happened until 2020."

Craft notes that anti-Asian sentiment not the sole reason for the increase in hate crimes, but it is part of that increase.

"Unfortunately, I will say there is anecdotal evidence of an increase in hate crimes against Asian-Americans," Craft told KUOW.

Governor Inslee expressed similar concerns about Asian community being unfairly blamed for the pandemic in his statement Tuesday.

“We saw this ugly trend surge a year ago, when COVID-19 first emerged in our state. One year later, we have a vaccine for the virus – but racism is still running rampant," said Inslee.

Washington's rise in hate crimes has been just part of a surge of hate sweeping the country. Stop AAPI Hate, a non-profit that tracks incidents of hate and harassment against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the United States, received 2,808 reports of anti-Asian hate crimes between March 19 and Dec. 31, 2020. Of those, 126 were attacks on Asian Americans 60 years old or older.

The bulk of the documented incidents, 70.9%, included verbal harassment, but 8.7% involved physical assaults and 6.4% involved attackers intentionally coughing or spitting on victims.

Regardless of the type of attack or harassment, Washington's leaders say hatred has no place in the Evergreen State.

"I stand in solidarity with members of the Asian community who continue to experience fear and intimidation," said Inslee. "They deserve better, and we must do everything in our power to make their safety and security a priority and to eliminate racism in Washington."

In Washington state, for an incident to be considered a hate crime it must a criminal act motivated by bias. That can include a physical attack, destruction of property or a threat. Hate crimes are class C felonies and can be punished by up to five years in jail and a $100,000 fine.

"Victims deserve support and justice," said Inslee. "There are systems in place to ensure offenders face consequences for their unconscionable actions. I encourage victims to come forward and report their experience to local law enforcement."