The deadly rampage in Atlanta last week that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, is providing a test for Georgia's hate crime law. Robert Aaron Long is charged with eight counts of murder. But will the killings be labeled as a hate crime? Georgia passed hate crime legislation following the shooting death of Ahmaud Arbery last year. But some law enforcement officials have backed away from labeling the killings a hate crime, saying there is insufficient evidence of motivation.
Meanwhile, racism and violent attacks against Asian Americans are reportedly on the rise. Stop AAPI Hate, an advocacy group for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, finds more than 3,700 reports of anti-Asian verbal harassment, civil rights violations and physical assault over the last year.
In Cincinnati, a rally over the weekend looked to shed light on the harassment and violence. The Stop Asian Hate rally at the Freedom Center drew hundreds downtown.
Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss Anti-Asian discrimination under the pandemic and the killings in Atlanta are University of Pittsburgh Professor of Law and Professor of Law Lu-in Wang; University of Maryland Baltimore County Department of Psychology Professor Charissa Cheah, PhD; and Artist and University of Cincinnati DAAP School of Art Assistant Professor Xia Zhang.
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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