San Francisco hearing on anti‑AAPI violence: agencies, advocates call for coordinated plan and expanded victim services

The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee convened a long, wide‑ranging hearing on April 8 to examine violence and hate incidents targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) seniors and other vulnerable residents. The session brought community coalitions, advocates and multiple city departments together to describe trends, identify gaps and outline next steps.

Community data and coalition recommendations: Cynthia/Xin (co‑director, Chinese for Affirmative Action and Stop AAPI Hate partner) described the coalition's data and three‑pronged approach. "We have tracked from March of last year, through February, close to 3,800 incidents," the presenter said, and added that roughly 359 incidents were reported in San Francisco — about 39% of Bay Area reports. The coalition recommended establishing a citywide rapid‑response network with wraparound victim services, strengthening language access and advancing cross‑racial healing and restorative approaches.

Non‑law‑enforcement programs and capacity: Adrian Pan of the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs outlined the Community Ambassadors Program (CAP), a decade‑old, multilingual, non‑law‑enforcement street‑outreach and job‑training model. Pan said CAP operates roughly 25 ambassadors across Chinatown, Mission, Mid‑Market/Tenderloin and the Bayview/San Bruno corridor with an annual budget in the roughly $1 million to $1.5 million range and typical weekday hours near 8…