Rallies in San Diego and Carlsbad on Sunday denounced anti-Asian racism and violence in response to last week’s deadly shooting rampage in the Atlanta area. The shootings left six women of Asian decent and two others dead Tuesday.
The first rally drew hundreds to the Carlsbad Village Sunday morning. The event was organized by two North County students, according to news reports.
“We’re all here for the same reason, and that reason being that we, the Asian community, are tired of the violence our people and our elderly are experiencing,” San Marcos High student Ara Lee said in a speech recorded by The Coast News reporter Steve Puterski. “We are tired of the extreme and normalized racism against us. We are tired of it and we’re here to break our silence.”
Ara also condemned stereotypes that Asians are submissive, docile and successful because they are smart.
In San Diego, a caravan of about 15 cars drove through Clairemont and Kearny Mesa, rallying in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and — in light of the Atlanta shooting rampage — against anti-Asian racism. Messages written on car windows included “Black Lives Matter” and “Stop Asian Hate.”
“It is all caused by white supremacy,” organizer Susan Walsh said. “It all needs to stop.”
Roseanna Rosete, of Filipino and Mexican descent, said the anti-Asian violence stirred up emotions for her.
“Everything that I’ve gone through has surfaced now,” she said. “I’m so upset. I’m so hurt. I’m so frustrated.
“People lump Asians all together as one race — their eyes, or their (skin) color, or what they eat — and make so many hateful and hurtful remarks,” she said. “I want it to stop.”
Then there’s the violence. Rosete said she can’t believe some people think certain violent attacks against people of Asian descent are not hate crimes.
“They’re hate,” she said.
The caravan drove past the home of San Diego City Council President Jen Campbell in a show of support for the recall campaign against her. Bridger Langfur, a leader of the recall campaign, characterized Campbell as a roadblock in the fight against racial injustice. He pointed to her bid for council president against fellow Democrat Monica Montgomery Steppe, who Langful described as a champion of racial justice.
Campbell has criticized supporters of the recall campaign, calling them “elites and extremists who expect our elected officials to work toward their interests, instead of building consensus to move all of San Diego forward.”
The hour-long caravan began at the Clairemont Town Center and ended at the Cadman Recreation Center. The cars drove on thoroughfares such as Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, Convoy Street and Balboa Avenue. It marked the 18th caravan organized by Caravan for Justice SD since early July. The rallies have taken place in neighborhoods across San Diego County.