Text Only

Have you or people in your community been harassed, threatened, or attacked since the pandemic began, either in person or online? If so, what happened?

Seeing the behavior of people in my community has been the most disappointing aspect of this pandemic. Right after the school year began, people who wanted schools to be fully open were making plans to protest at School Board members' homes. The fear of that threat changed the School Board's decisions; in essence, they changed their school operating plans to assuage their anger. Personally, as an Asian American, I have feared being threatened or attacked in public. Living in an area with a history intertwined with white supremacy groups makes that threat even more plausible. However, I am only half-Asian, and I don't know how many people can discern my heritage by looking at me. Online attacks and harassment has been rampant. Both the School District and local Health District stopped posting anything COVID-related to their Facebook accounts due to high volumes of comments that were outright mean and disrespectful.