'This affects all of us': Marches, rallies against Asian hate crimes see widespread participation
Kaanita Iyer, USA TODAY
·1 min read
Hundreds of people took to the streets this weekend to demonstrate against violence toward Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders following the shooting in Atlanta last week that killed eight people, six of them women of Asian descent.
Marchers gathered in major cities nationwide, including New York, Washington, Chicago, San Fransisco and Tusla, Okalahoma.
There has been a significant increase in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders nationwide during the pandemic, including an uptick of 6 percentage points in online harassment, such as the use of racist and xenophobic slurs. In one recent incident, a 75-year-old woman was punched by man in the streets of San Francisco.
"We are Americans, we are mothers, we are friends, we live here," said Ling Liu, who marched in Indianapolis on Saturday. "We love our community. This affects all of us, and we don't want any violence against anyone."
Here are some photos from events around the nation:
Protesters hold signs as they march along Market Street before a rally to show solidarity with Asian Americans at Embarcadero Plaza on March 26, 2021 in San Francisco, California. Hundreds of people marched through downtown San Francisco and held a rally at Embarcadero Plaza in solidarity with Asian Americans who have recently been the targets of hate crimes across the United States. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
People participate in a rally against anti-Asian violence on March 27, 2021 in the Flushing neighborhood in the Queens borough of New York City. On March 16th, eight people were killed at three Atlanta-area spas, six of whom were Asian women, in an attack that sent terror through the Asian community. (Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)
People hold signs as they gather at a rally against Asian hate crimes, Saturday, March 27, 2021 at Chinatown in Chicago.
People participate in an 'Anti Asian Hate' rally in Chinatown in Washington, DC on March 27, 2021. The rally comes on the heels of last weeks shooting deaths of six women of Asian descent at multiple massage parlors in the Atlanta area. (Photo by ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
A woman sheds a tear during a vigil and rally against Asian hate crimes, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Chicago's Horner Park. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
People hold signs in solidarity during a vigil and rally against Asian hate crimes, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Chicago's Horner Park. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
Social activists hold signs as they march from San Gabriel City Hall to Alhambra City Hall in California on March 26, 2021, during an anti-Asian hate rally. The protesters were joined by leaders from the respective cities in the San Gabriel Valley, home to one of the largest Asian American communities in the United States. (Photo by Frederic J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)
Paulo Tan holds his son, Justin, 10, both of Tulsa, while listening to a speaker during a Stop Asian Hate rally at the Center of the Universe on Friday, March 26, 2021 in Tulsa, Okla. (Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP)
Two women remain in silence at a vigil and rally at Chicago's Horner Park on Friday, March 26, 2021, for the eight people killed in a shooting in Atlanta, Georgia. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
Protesters, led by Jade Nguyen of Tulsa, walk across a bridge towards Guthrie Green during a Stop Asian Hate rally at the Center of the Universe on Friday, March 26, 2021 in Tulsa, Okla. (Ian Maule/Tulsa World via AP)
A child lights a candle at a makeshift memorial during a vigil and rally against Asian hate crimes, Friday, March 26, 2021, at Chicago's Horner Park. The event is organized by local Chicago organizations led by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (AP Photo/Shafkat Anowar)
Contributing: Jessica Guynn, Aleszu Bajak and John Bacon, USA TODAY; Natalia E. Contreras, Indianapolis Star
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