Connecticut Attorney General William Tong started to field reports of anti-Asian harassment and discrimination when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
He said an executive action signed by President Joe Biden this week may help cut down on anti-Asian sentiments. Tong said Biden took a strong stance and made a formal condemnation of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
“What it says to me is that people are a little bit safer today and won’t have to wonder as much whether they’re going to be attacked in a store, or yelled at, or physically abused, or harmed,” Tong said.
Tong is the first Asian American to hold statewide office in Connecticut.
He said he appreciates that Biden not only condemned violence against Asian Americans. He said he is glad Biden does not use the same rhetoric the previous administration did to try and associate the virus with Asia.