Law enforcement agencies widely criticised for handling of attacks on Asian Americans
- FBI under pressure to tackle anti-Asian hate crime
- Officer condemned for saying Atlanta shooter was ‘having a bad day’
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10.51am GMT
We’re not really Americans, we’re perpetually foreigners, and that idea plays out with women as being oversexualized. All of that had to have played out in this man’s own mind. In addition to the unspoken notion that Asian people are easy targets.
That’s Helen Kim Ho, a Korean American and a founder of the advocacy group Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Atlanta, speaking to the Washington Post. Of the discussion over the motives of the Atlanta shooting, they report:
The gunman’s intent seemed crystal clear to Asians living in Atlanta and across the nation who have long had to confront stereotyping, hateful harassment and even violence — and who say things have gotten even worse amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As soon as Crystal Jin Kim heard about the shooting, she reached out to her mother and father, who immigrated to the United States from Korea. In a text, she urged them “to be safe, to be careful, and to pray.”
10.45am GMT
The FBI and other police forces are facing criticism for levels of reporting of hate crimes that remain abysmally low, despite several attempts by Congress to highlight the outrages.
Asian American community leaders expressed dismay on Wednesday, a day after the shootings at three massage parlors, that the discrimination and harassment historically faced by their communities continued to be downplayed.
Related: FBI under pressure to tackle anti-Asian hate crime in wake of Atlanta shootings
10.36am GMT
Good morning, here’s our live coverage of US politics for the day. Let’s start with a catch-up on where we are, and a little of what is in the diary for Thursday.