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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Asians account for five percent of Texas' population |
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and are the fastest growing racial group in the state; and |
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WHEREAS, Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there has been a |
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dramatic increase in the number of hate crimes and incidents of hate |
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directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs), with the |
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use of terms such as "Chinese virus," "Wuhan virus," and "kung-flu" |
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perpetuating this disturbing escalation; and |
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WHEREAS, The group Stop AAPI Hate began collecting incident |
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reports on March 19, 2020, and in under four months, it received 63 |
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from Texas alone; while shunning and verbal harassment, including |
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racial slurs and name-calling, accounted for most of the incidents, |
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physical assaults constituted 22 percent of reports from the state, |
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more than twice the national rate of nine percent; and |
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WHEREAS, One high-profile act of violence occurred on March |
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14, 2020, when a 19-year-old man, looking for someone to blame for |
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the COVID-19 pandemic, attacked an Asian American family with a |
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knife in Midland; the FBI called the case a hate crime; and |
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WHEREAS, In Houston's Chinatown, rumors spread on social |
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media falsely claiming that an Asian supermarket in the area was |
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shut down by the government due to coronavirus disease (COVID-19); |
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customers avoided the area, driving losses that reached 70 percent |
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for many Asian American businesses; businesses owned by Asian |
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Americans have also been targeted for vandalism during the COVID-19 |
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pandemic; and |
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WHEREAS, Nationally, Stop AAPI Hate received more than 2,800 |
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firsthand accounts of anti-Asian hate by the end of 2020; over 7 |
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percent of these involved Asian Americans over the age of 60; |
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attacks have continued to occur in 2021, leaving many seniors |
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afraid to walk in their own neighborhoods; two terrible incidents |
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captured on video include a vicious assault on a 91-year-old in the |
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Chinatown neighborhood of Oakland, California, and another on an |
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84-year-old San Franciscan, who later died; and |
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WHEREAS, The number of victims is likely higher than official |
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tallies, since many incidents are not reported to law enforcement, |
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due to past negative experiences with law enforcement or a lack of |
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faith in a response; nevertheless, Asian American families are well |
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aware of the growing frequency of violence and harassment, |
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prompting many to keep their children at home learning remotely, |
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rather than returning to schools as they reopen; and |
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WHEREAS, The pandemic has brought the problem of anti-AAPI |
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racism to the forefront, and it is imperative that this issue be |
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addressed; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby strongly condemn racism against Asian Americans and Pacific |
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Islanders; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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call on state law enforcement officials, working with federal and |
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local officials, to investigate and prosecute all credible reports |
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of hate crimes and incidents and threats against AAPIs in Texas; |
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and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the 87th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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express its support for public and private efforts to eradicate |
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anti-AAPI racism in all its forms. |