Community Watch Over Police Watch

In response to the recent murders in Atlanta and the rise of racist anti-Asian rhetoric over the past year, our flash briefing last week focused on how the public, institutions and organizations can support the AAPI community and push back against this disturbing cultural development. While increased law enforcement might be a traditional response to an uptick in such violence, there has been a national shift in the conversation from prioritizing law enforcement to more social services like mental health care, education, and community activism. Particularly against the backdrop of BLM protests against police violence, and our Elements of Culture like Icon Toppling and Distributed Trust, people are realizing that policing isn’t always the best solution. The shift to police de-escalation can also reaffirm solidarity between both Asian and Black communities. 

Panelist Van Tran, vice president, Experience & Digital Innovation at Kern, said, “The idea of having a police state environment is not something that anybody wants. I think there’s been suspicion even within the Asian community when it comes to police officers, especially when we haven’t felt heard in the past. It’s pretty nuanced so having more community support and alternative ways to solve become really important.“ Popular alternatives include community ambassador programs which have popped up in cities like Oakland and San Francisco. Oakland’s ambassadors program, established by the Asian Health Services group and the Asian Prisoner Support Committee, includes formerly incarcerated people who go to Chinatown regularly and engage with merchants and residents, while cleaning up trash and graffiti.

Watch the full Culture Briefing below