San Francisco Mayor London Breed braved a downpour in Chinatown Wednesday to celebrate a recent drop in hate crimes against the city’s Asian American community ahead of upcoming Lunar New Year festivities, expected to draw thousands to the neighborhood.
Hate crimes against people of Asian descent droppedsignificantly from last year, according to San Francisco Police Department data, with just six hate crimes reported in 2022, down from 60 such incidents the previous year. Experts warn, however, that hate crimes, including those targeting Chinese-owned businesses, may be vastly underreported.
Breed cheered the downward trend, which her office has attributed in part to boosted law enforcement efforts and a community-led campaign against violent attacks on Asian elders.
“The Lunar New Year is a time to show appreciation for one another, to give thanks and to celebrate another year of hard work,” Breed said. “It’s also a time when we want to reiterate the city’s commitment to safety and a reminder to look out for one another.”
Community leaders said they expected Lunar New Year festivities would proceed as planned without robberies or violent attacks — assuming this year’s historic deluge tapers off. The activities will kick off with the Flower Fair on Jan. 14 and last through the annual Grand Parade on Feb. 4.
City efforts to coax revelers back to Chinatown come six months after a vicious attack on an elderly woman by four juveniles, and two years after violent attacks on Asian elders in San Francisco first began to gain widespread attention nationwide.
Such high-profile attacks had drastically reduced sales among neighborhood merchants, with many shoppers reporting feeling “scared to come to Chinatown,” said Malcolm Yeung, executive director of the Chinatown Community Development Center.
San Francisco is making “good progress” combating hate crimes against Asian people, which make up roughly a third of the city’s population, but a continued emphasis on public safety is needed to ensure that trend persists, said Parisa Safarzadeh, a spokesperson for the mayor.
Last year, Breed enacted new initiatives with its Street Violence Intervention Program to increase patrols and other safety measures in parts of the city hit hardest by crimes against the Asian community.
The drop in such hate crimes is a “healthy signal that we are doing is working,” Safarzadeh said.
Nora Mishanec is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: nora.mishanec@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @NMishanec
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S.F. leaders tout steep drop in anti-Asian hate crimes - San Francisco Chronicle
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