Incidents of hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the increase, driven by the misconception that they are responsible for the coronavirus pandemic.  PBS writes of one racist incident in Texas:

Bawi Cung and his family were shopping at a Sam’s Club store in Midland, Texas, in March 2020 when they were attacked by a stranger who thought the Burmese-American family was Chinese and, in their mind, spreading the coronavirus to the community.

The attacker was echoing a false allegation rooted in racism — that Chinese Americans were responsible for the pandemic that was quickly ravaging the country. The racist theory emerged in the early days of the pandemic, fueled by former President Donald Trump’s use of the term “China virus” to describe COVID-19.

Several politicians are now pledging to investigate the rise in attacks against Asian American. ABC News writes that “California committed $1.4 million toward helping Asian Americans report hate incidents and tracking the attacks after a slew of cases — including the murder of an 84-year-old man — has rocked the nation in recent weeks.” 

Congresswoman Nadia Velazquez spoke on the House floor about the more than 2800 reported hate crimes against Asian Americans since the beginning of the pandemic.

ABC New York adds that New York Mayor Bill De Blasio “said the Human Rights Commission is working and meeting with Asian community leaders this week on the next measures the city needs to take.”

NBC News takes a look at how New York’s police department is responding to these attacks.