Fostering solidarity in the face of hate 

In response to a rise in anti-Asian violence both nationally and locally, and a rise in violent incidents involving our API elders, the Council came together to build the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice (CCSJ) in 2019. The Coalition, led by Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Chinatown Community Development Center, Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), and Community Youth Center (CYC), was formed to address the long-standing issues of safety within the API community and to address and prevent violence, racism, and xenophobia. 

A major focus for the CCSJ is ensuring culturally competent aftercare services, assistance, and referrals to other agencies for support. Understanding that the API community might be hesitant to report crimes or feel mistrust of governmental representatives, the Coalition designed direct outreach programs that were sensitive to the challenges for API victims.This work was driven by CYC who wanted to ensure people impacted by violence had contact with outreach workers in the community who could help them navigate the system while they healed from the trauma. Bilingual victim advocates helped individuals apply for victim benefits and get connected to any necessary services like legal assistance, mental health support, in-home support services, and victim assistance funds. CYC provides this in-depth case management in language and in culture, aiming to connect with victims by visiting them in the hospital or at home as soon as possible to ensure they have the support they need. The Coalition also created a need-based victim support fund which offered immediate financial assistance to vulnerable clients, ensuring as much stability for them as possible. 

Find out more about their work: https://www.ccsjsf.org/