At the home opener Friday, the San Francisco Giants held an important unifying moment. The team rolled out the welcome mat for an assault victim and stood with her against Asian-American hate. Jean Elle reports.
The Giants home opener Friday was more than a baseball game for a San Francisco family recovering from a violent attack.
The Giants organization invited assault victim Xiao Zhen Xie, also known as “Grandma Xie” to enjoy the game in a suite.
San Francisco City Supervisor Matt Haney visited with her at the game. He is applauding the Giants for not only hosting Grandma Xie, but also for standing with her and the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
He said it is telling fans everyone is welcome at Oracle Park.
“They made it clear at the start of the game that this is an inclusive space they don't tolerate racism or hatred of any kind,” he said.
As professional sports teams speak up against rising hate crimes Against the AAPI community, California lawmakers are raising awareness and toughening hate crime laws.
During a virtual town hall Friday, U.S. Senator Alex Padilla says he expects to call on the senate to vote against hate later this month.
Sports
“We're advancing a resolution that condemns all forms of anti Asian discrimination and calls on federal officials to address the rise in COVID-19 hate crimes,” he said.
Congressman Ted Lieu said he is introducing legislation to make it easier to file federal hate crime charges.
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“It changes the standard to say you can charge a hate crime at the federal level if race or another protected class was a contributing factor in defendants commission of the crime,” Padilla said. From congress to sporting events, It’s a united front against hate.
