Georgia shootings heighten fear among Northeast Ohio Asian American community

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - The United States is experiencing an increase in violence against Asian Americans, according to experts.

Shootings at two spas in Atlanta and one in the suburbs Tuesday evening killed eight people, many of them women of Asian descent.

The attack is the latest tragedy to make headlines, but experts point to an uptick in racially-motivated violence starting in 2020.

Nearly 4,000 instances of violence toward Asian Americans were reported to Stop AAPI Hate between March 19, 2020 and February 28, 2021.

Stop AAPI Hate received 3,795 reports during that period. However, that number doesn’t reflect a true total due to underreporting, the California organization said in their national report.

Anchor Neeha Curtis spoke with Tessa Xuan, of the Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership, about the fear in Asian American communities in Northeast Ohio.

If you are in need of support, Ohio Progressive Asian Women’s Leadership - @teamopawl on Facebook - is holding an online event Sunday.

You can visit www.opawl.org for information. There is also a victim support fund if you would like to donate.

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