Connecticut Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of local activists in New Haven on Thursday to stand up against attacks Asian Americans. The rally was prompted by the recent mass shootings at Asian-owned massage parlors in Georgia and violence in New York City.
Tong says it’s a fearful time for many in the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.
“It’s scary, really scary to think that you’ve been targeted,” Tong said.
He commended Mayor Justin Elicker for bringing together New Haven’s diverse community to declare that there’s no home for hate in the city.
“I don’t know if there are too many places where the mayor can call together a community like this and faith leaders to stand together and feel loved and feel embraced,” Tong said.
Christine Kim, of New Haven, said the Asian community had been silent in the past but is now speaking up.
“We are here, and we are growing and we will not be silent or invisible any longer,” Kim said.
The rally took place outside a downtown Laotian and Thai restaurant, where the owner and some employees say they had experienced some bias attacks last year.
