apalc responds to hate crime graffiti incident

Here's the Asian Pacific American Legal Center's response to the racist and threatening graffiti, currently being investigated by police as a hate crime, that was found spray-painted on a county building in Santa Ana this week. It also includes news about two similar, yet unreported hate messages found at a bank and pet clinic in Anaheim Hills:

APALC CONDEMNS HATE MESSAGES TARGETING ASIAN, AFRICAN AND MEXICAN AMERICANS

Los Angeles - The Asian Pacific American Legal Center (APALC), a member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice, strongly condemns a rash of hate messages this past week directed at Asian and African Americans, as well as Mexican Americans, in Orange County. As a civil rights advocacy organization, APALC has fought against hate crimes targeting Asian and Pacific Islanders for nearly three decades, including past hate incidents in Orange County.

The first incident was reported to police in Santa Ana. A spray-painted message - which called for violence against Asian and African Americans - was discovered Tuesday on a sidewalk outside Orange County Housing Authority offices in Santa Ana, according to police.

The second and third incidents were found in Anaheim, also on Tuesday. Anaheim police said they discovered similar graffiti at a Chase bank, as well as at a pet clinic in Anaheim Hills. Those messages also called for violence against Mexican, Filipino, Chinese and African Americans.

Authorities think these attacks are connected to anti-Catholic graffiti found at two churches in Irvine and Anaheim.

"It's unfortunate that these hate messages have surfaced in Orange County, which has one of the fastest growing Asian American populations in the state," said Stewart Kwoh, president and executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center. "Calls for violence against any community are unacceptable."

The Orange County Hate Crime Victim Assistance Partnership, of which APALC is a member, offers resources and assistance to victims of hate crimes. Individuals can report incidents at the coalition's website, www.ochatecrimevap.org, or can call 1-888-NO-2-HATE.

Anyone with information about the graffiti are asked to call Santa Ana police at 714-245-8400 or Anaheim police at 714-765-1900.

I think that last part is particularly important -- knowing where to turn, and what responses are available when you're the victim of the hate crime. Sometimes it's not so obvious. In Orange County, you can contact the Orange County Hate Crime Victim Assistance Partnership at 1-888-NO-2-HATE.

Again, anyone with information about these incidents should call Santa Ana police at 714-245-8400 or Anaheim police at 714-765-1900.