‘Not acceptable, will not be tolerated’ says Strauss
Councilmember Dan Strauss (District 6 – NW Seattle) issued the following statement in response to a recent report that a Seattle man was charged with two counts of committing a hate crime:
“The acts of violence and aggression towards Asian & Pacific Islander (API) neighbors and community members in Ballard are not acceptable and will not be tolerated. Ignoring this won’t make it go away. We are seeing a trend here, around the city, across the region and nationwide, and it needs to be confronted and taken seriously.
“I stand in solidarity with members of the API community in opposing hateful acts which traumatize and alienate our friends, neighbors, small business owners, and colleagues in this City. We as Seattleites must unite against anyone who targets APIs or engages in racially-biased behavior.
“The Seattle Police Department (SPD) is committed to documenting and investigating all bias incidents and crimes. The Department encourages anyone who feels they have been victimized to call 911 or dial the tip line (206-233-5000) if they witness an individual incident or observe an ongoing event. The SPD is considered a national model for tracking hate crime, and with the increase in similar cases nationwide, I am grateful for their role in investigating this case and others.”