Today, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) joined Reps. Ted Lieu (D-CA-33), Judy Chu (D-NY-27), and 147 House colleagues in a bipartisan letter calling on U.S. Attorney General William Barr to publicly condemn acts of anti-Asian bias stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic. The members also call for Barr to provide regular updates regarding the active steps the Department of Justice is taking and will take going forward to combat this hate.

“Asian Americans are not responsible for the spread of coronavirus in the United States; yet, since the start of the pandemic they have experienced continued harassment, violence, and discrimination,” the Members wrote. “As of June 3, the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council reported 2,066 incidents of coronavirus-related discrimination. These and numerous news reports have documented cases ranging from the denial of services at stores to verbal harassment on the subway to physical assaults.”

The Members continued, “We respectfully request that you, as head of the Department of Justice, forcefully condemn anti-Asian bias to send an unambiguous message to all Americans that discrimination against this community is un-American and will not be tolerated. Further, we would ask that you update us regularly as to what steps the Department has taken to address our concerns. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.”

Rep. Pascrell’s congressional district is home to some of the largest and most vibrant Asian-American and Pacific Islander populations in the United States. In March, Rep. Pascrell held a press conference with community leaders in Palisades Park to denounce racist stigmas being associated with COVID-19. He also co-sponsored legislation to combat hate crimes relating to the COVID-19 crisis.

The full letter to Attorney General Barr can be viewed here, and is supported by the following groups: American Federation of Teachers, Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Asian American Unity Coalition (AAUC), Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Los Angeles, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC, Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote (APIAVote), Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance (APALA) AFL-CIO, Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA), Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council (A3PCON), Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), Chinese American Arts and Culture Association of New York, Chinese American Citizens Alliance (CACA), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Committee of 100 (C100), Council of Korean Americans (CKA), Institute for Asian Pacific American Leadership and Advancement (IAPALA), Japanese American Citizens League (JACL), KAHAL, Korean American Associations of the U.S.A, Korean American Federation of Los Angeles (KAFLA), Korean American Grassroots Conference (KAGC), Laotian American National Alliance (LANA), National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA), National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum (NAPAWF), National Coalition for Asian Pacific Americans Community Development (National CAPACD), National Council of Asian Pacific Americans (NCAPA), National Korean American Service & Education Consortium (NAKASEC), National Urban League, OCA - Asian Pacific American Advocates, Southeast Asian Resource Action Center (SEARAC), Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), Taiwanese American Citizens League (TACL), Taiwanese American Professionals - Atlanta (TAP-ATL), Taiwanese American Professionals - Austin (TAP-ATX), Taiwanese American Professionals - Boston (TAP-BOS), Taiwanese American Professionals - New York (TAP-NY), Taiwanese American Professionals - Orange County (TAP-OC), Taiwanese American Professionals - San Diego (TAP-SD), Taiwanese American Professionals - San Francisco (TAP-SF), Taiwanese American Professionals - Seattle (TAP-SEA, The 1882 Foundation, The 1990 Institute, The 80-20 Initiative, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, United Chinese Americans (UCA), United States Heartland China Association