Angered by Asian American Attacks, Hundreds Rally in San Jose to Demand Change
SAN JOSE (KPIX) -- A grassroots anti-hate rally brought out a very large crowd in San Jose Sunday afternoon. Rally participants said they were fed up with the model minority label and they would no longer stay silent.
State assemblyman Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley) fired up the crowd by asking "what is our collective response to being called a model minority, being silent? What do we say? F** that! No more."
Speakers and rally-goers said they were tired of being the pandemic scapegoat.
"We don't have a choice of being silent anymore," said Amy Nguyen with the organization Vietnamese American Roundtable.
They were uniting to stand up and speak out against the increased violence targeting the Asian-American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
"This is a movement," proclaimed Nguyen. "And we are going to be the change."
"They're sick and tired of being sick and tired so we're here to come together to stand up," said rally organizer Adam Juratovac.
More than a thousand people filled the San Jose city hall plaza. The "Stop Asian Hate" event was started by Juratovac who simply was worried about his mother's safety.
"She was afraid to go to the stores after-hours," Juratovac said.
His Korean mother worried someone would attack her simply because of her skin color.
"That's a different kind of fear and that's one that we can't stand for ... one where there's a lot of people like me in the community who want to care for our elders and we're here to stand up and let them know they're not alone," Juratovac said.
Among the elected leaders standing up with the crowd was retired South Bay congressman Mike Honda.
"We're not going to put Clorox on it and whitewash it. We expect action and tangible results and that means curriculum in schools and actions by policy makers," Honda said.
That was what the rally-goers were demanding: policies to prevent future attacks. They hoped their voice, anger and frustration would be heard -- not just at the plaza -- but heard by communities across the country.
State assemblyman Low screamed out, "can you hear us? F** this 'model minority bulls**!'"