With Anti-Asian racism, hate crimes, and incidents rising locally and nationally, Norfolk District Attorney Michal W. Morrissey, Representative Tackey Chan, QARI (Quincy Asian Resources, Inc.) CEO Philip Chong, local activists and Police Chiefs are inviting area residents of Asian descent to join them in a virtual forum on Tuesday, March 23, from 7:00pm to 8:15pm.
“Some in the Asian American community are nervous. They hear the hateful misinformation and rhetoric that has circulated nationally related to COVID,” District Attorney Morrissey said. A study from California State University at San Bernardino said that anti-Asian American incidents increased by about 150% since the beginning of the COVID crisis, and 133% in Boston.
“With more schools moving toward the return of full-time, in-person classes, there are parents nervous for their kids,” District Attorney Morrissey said. “I will be joined in this forum by the police chiefs in Wellesley, Brookline, Needham, Dover and Quincy. We want to answer questions from the community, and also to hear local concerns and what more local law enforcement can do to help.”
The current and former chief of Civil Rights prosecution for Norfolk County, current Assistant District Attorney Peter Tilley, and former chief Grace Lee, a Brookline activist and board member of the Asian American Task Force on Domestic Violence, will be making short presentations prior to the question period.
Dover Police Chief Peter McGowan, Needham Chief John Schlittler, Wellesley Chief Jack Pilecki, Brookline Police Chief Mark Morgan, and Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan will be available to dialog directly with people from their communities.
“The presentations from the hosts, the chiefs, and speakers will be very brief,” District Attorney Morrissey said. “Our central objective here is to listen, to learn, and to reassure the Asian American community that we recognize what is happening and we want to help.”
The event will be simulcast on the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office Facebook page and its YouTube channel, NORFOLKDATV.
To obtain the Zoom link, submit questions in any language, or request simultaneous translation to a specific language, send an email to Quincy Asian Resources’ CEO at Philip@QuincyAsianResources.org. Please submit questions in any language as soon as possible to allow time for translation. Live translation will be provided for as many requested languages as possible.
While this event focuses on Quincy as a major population center, in addition to the Wellesley-Dover-Needham-Brookline area, additional regional events are being contemplated. Note that Norfolk County includes 28 cities and towns, including Bellingham and Franklin (part of our local Macaroni Kid community).
The eight other towns in the Macaroni Kid Franklin/Milford/E. Blackstone Valley community are part of Worcester County and served by the Worcester County D.A.: Blackstone, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millville, Northbridge, Upton, and Uxbridge.
Note: there will be an online statewide Town Hall on Anti-Asian Racism on March 25th at 6pm.
