SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – Following a recent wave of hate crimes against the Asian community, there is a new effort underway to hopefully deter crimes and help victims.
On Thursday morning, the San Francisco Police Officers Association, the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce and Burma Superstar, which operates restaurants around the Bay Area, announced the creation of a new fund, the Crimes Against Asians Reward Fund, which has the goal of stopping crimes against the Asian community.
“Every Bay Area resident needs to feel safe. They need to feel safe at the local coffee shop. They need to feel safe at the grocery store. Unfortunately, at this time, in our AAPI community, it is not the case,” Josh Cabillo, with the San Francisco Police Officers Association, said.
The fund, which is starting as a fundraising website, has the goal of eventually providing rewards to people who report crimes.
“Number one, we believe that a lot of these crimes are being committed because there is little to no consequences. Second, we believe a lot of the AAPI are considered easy targets. Especially the elderly and for whatever reason, the community is known for not speaking up and we want to change that,” Nghia Tran, COO of Burma Love & Superstar Restaurants, said.
The fund is still in the early stages of being set up but organizers say eventually crime tips will be vetted by law enforcement and rewards could be given not only to those who provide information but to crime victims as well.
