Atlanta shooting hearing: Grace Meng gives tearful testimony as Chip Roy ‘glorifies lynching’
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The House Judiciary Committee heard from Asian American leaders and activists about the rise in discrimination and violence against their communities since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Advocates have blamed former president Donald Trump for stoking discrimination against Asian Americans with his inflammatory rhetoric while in office.
The hearing comes just days after the shooting spree that claimed the lives of eight people at three spas in the Atlanta area — six of them Asian women.
In shocking moments early on in the proceedings, Representative Chip Roy defended his use of the term “Chicom”, railed against the Chinese Communist Party, and appeared to glorify lynching.
His comments were noted by several with Representatives Grace Meng and Ted Lieu calling him out during their remarks. Ms Meng gave particularly emotional testimony rebuking the GOP for putting a “bullseye” on Asian Americans’ backs with their rhetoric.
Lawmakers joined experts on hate crimes in giving testimony. The actor Daniel Dae Kim, known for roles on Lost and Hawai Five-O, also appeared. Mr Kim has been outspoken about the problem of violence against Asian Americans.
Hearing back from recess
The hearing is back on track with the first testimony coming from Representative Doris Matsui of California where she represents a district including Sacramento.
Ms Matsui was born in the Poston War Relocation Center internment camp in Arizona, a facility where the US government held Japanese American citizens during the Second World War.
She is speaking passionately about the experience of Japanese Americans and relating it to the anti-Asian sentiment that has escalated since the beginning of 2020.
More reaction to Chip Roy
Representative Ted Lieu
Sherrilyn Ifill, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund
GOP lawmaker accused of racism at Asian hate crime hearing
Republican US Rep Chip Roy raged at members of Congress for “policing rhetoric” during a hearing on Asian American violence and discrimination, held just days after several Asian American women were killed in a shooting rampage in Atlanta.
He referred to “Chi Coms” and his opposition to the “patently evil” Chinese Communist Party for the country’s response to the Covid-19 crisis, adding that he “shouldn’t be worried about having a committee of members of Congress policing our rhetoric” as a House Judiciary subcommittee held a hearing to discuss the rise in abuse and hate speech and attacks directed towards Asian Americans.
Alex Woodward reports.
GOP lawmaker accused of using racist term defending Trump at Asian hate crime hearing
Republican US Rep Chip Roy raged at members of Congress for "policing rhetoric" during a hearing on Asian American violence and discrimination, held just days after several Asian American women were killed in a shooting rampage in Atlanta.
Rep Judy Chu says attacks result of one year of Covid and four years of Trump
Representative Judy Chu, who represents Pasadena, California, tweeted before her testimony: “The last time there was a Congressional hearing on anti-Asian hate was 1987. It shouldn’t have taken 3,800 hate incidents and the shooting of 8 people in GA to get here. We all must be united in rejecting bigotry to Stop Asian Hate.”
In her testimony, Ms Chu, chair of the Asian Pacific American Caucus, said that recent attacks are the aftermath of one year of hateful language amid Covid-19 and four years of hate against people of color and immigrants from former president Donald Trump.
Biden to meet with Atlanta Asian American leaders
President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with Asian American community leaders in Atlanta, Georgia on Friday.
Representative Young Kim, a California Republican, says she stands in solidarity with Democrats who speak out against AAPI hate crimes.
Ms Kim notes that while the investigation into the Atlanta shooting is still ongoing, the attack comes at a time where violence against Asians is “on the rise.”
In her testimony, Senator Tammy Duckworth of Illinois, a veteran, spoke about the history of discrimination targeting Asian Americans, despite their immeasurable contributions to America.
Ahead of her testimony, Ms Duckworth tweeted: “The attacks, stabbings, shootings—we’ve seen similar veins of this discrimination against our fellow Americans before.”
“From segregation to immigration to the internment of Japanese Americans during WWII. Uproot this racism. End the prejudice. “
Passionate testimony from Rep Grace Meng of New York
Representative Grace Meng of New York gave passionate testimony to the hearing.
She began by saying: “The topic is discrimination and violence against Asian Americans. Some of us seem to be going a little off-topic, I’m not sure why.”
“Our community is bleeding. We are in pain. And for the last year, we’ve been screaming out for help.”
She called out Republicans for offering thoughts and prayers after the Atlanta shootings but voting against a resolution condemning anti-Asian racism.
Responding to Chip Roy’s earlier comments. She said it was OK to criticise other nations but “you don’t have to do it by putting a bulls-eye on the backs of Asian Americans across this country, on our grandparents, and on our kids.”
“This hearing was to address the hurt and pain of our community and to find solutions, and we will not let you take our voice from us,” she said.
In the second panel of speakers, the expert witnesses, John C Yang president of Asian American Advancing Justice spoke about how Asian Americans are suffering from “two viruses” — racism and the pandemic.
Manjusha Kulkarni, cofounder of Stop AAPI Hate, notes the majority of the hate incidents they’ve recorded do not involve a hate crime but finds the level of verbal harassment and deliberate avoidance of AAPIs recorded in public spaces “worrisome”.
Erika Lee, Professor of History and Asian American Studies at the University of Minnesota, spoke further about the long history of violence against Asian Americans — lynchings and forced expulsions of Chinese immigrants in the late 19th century, all the way up to attacks on Muslim, Middle Eastern, and South Asian Americans after 9/11.
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