CITY of ALBUQUERQUE
TWENTY FOURTH COUNCIL
COUNCIL BILL NO. R-21-229 ENACTMENT NO. ________________________
SPONSORED BY: Lan Sena, by request
RESOLUTION
title
Denouncing Xenophobia, Anti-Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Sentiments And Condemning Harmful Rhetoric, Racist Acts, And Hate Crimes Targeting Asian-Pacific Americans Stemming From People’s Reaction To The COVID-19 Pandemic (Sena, by request)
body
DENOUNCING XENOPHOBIA, ANTI-ASIAN AMERICAN PACIFIC ISLANDER (AAPI) SENTIMENTS AND CONDEMNING HARMFUL RHETORIC, RACIST ACTS, AND HATE CRIMES TARGETING ASIAN-PACIFIC AMERICANS STEMMING FROM PEOPLE’S REACTION TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
WHEREAS, Article VIII of the City Charter states that, “The Council shall preserve, protect and promote human rights and human dignity... and shall prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin or ancestry, age or physical handicap”; and
WHEREAS, stigmatization represents a serious threat to our collective emergency response to the pandemic. It furthers dangerous and false information about how COVID-19 spreads, misinforms people’s perception of risk and repeats mistakes in our own history during past emergencies when racist and xenophobic sentiment targeted vulnerable groups; and
WHEREAS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (“CDC”) asserts that stigma associated with COVID-19 may currently be affecting persons of Asian descent, people who have traveled, and emergency responders or healthcare professionals; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) has indicated that attaching locations or ethnicity to the disease is dangerous. The official name for the disease was deliberately chosen to avoid stigmatization - the “co” stands for Corona, “vi” for virus and “d” for disease, and 19 for the emergence of the disease in 2019. It is not a “Chinese virus,” “Asian virus” or “Wuhan virus”; and
WHEREAS, the Stop-AAPI Hate Reporting Center has reported 3,795 incidents between March 19, 2020 to February 28, 2021 involving anti-AAPI discrimination including incidents of verbal assault, shunning, physical assault, Civil Rights violations and online harassment; and
WHEREAS, the Pew Research Center has reported that 3 in 10 Asian Americans have experienced racial slurs since the beginning of the pandemic; and
WHEREAS, AAPI immigrants and health care workers cannot be made the scapegoats of COVID-19 and Asian Americans do not represent a greater risk of spreading COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization (“WHO”) states that stigmatized groups may be subjected to social avoidance or rejection, denials of healthcare, education, housing or employment, and physical violence, and also indicates that stigma can result in more severe health problems and difficulties controlling a disease outbreak by driving people to hide the illness to avoid discrimination, preventing people from seeking health care immediately, and discouraging them from adopting healthy behaviors; and
WHEREAS, there has been recent increase in violence against Asian-Americans due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, including AAPI students of all ages; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identified suicide as the second leading cause of death among 12-18 year olds; and
WHEREAS, national data from the 2013 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System reported that 8.0% of American youth had at least one suicide attempt within the twelve months preceding the survey; comparatively, 11.8% of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youth and 9.5% of Asian American (AA) youth had at least one suicide attempt; and
WHEREAS, among males, Asians were the most likely to attempt suicide compared to other groups; and similar pattern was seen for feeling sad or helpless almost every day for two or more weeks in a row; and
WHEREAS, the City has a duty to speak out against all forms of discrimination and especially now, as stigmatization of our fellow Americans during the pandemic will only hurt our recovery efforts; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to assure its vulnerable communities that the City supports them, will do all it can to maintain and improve their quality of life, and does not tolerate acts of hate, discrimination, bullying, or harassment; and
WHEREAS, the City Council wishes to reaffirm and declare that Albuquerque is a safe place for AAPIs, as well as for all ethnic, racial, and religious groups, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities; and
WHEREAS, this City Council believes in the human dignity of all
Albuquerque residents, regardless of immigration status, and recognizes the importance of immigrants’ many contributions to the social, cultural, intellectual and economic fabric of the City; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque is made up of diverse individuals, both native born and immigrants, whose collective cultures, religions, backgrounds, orientations, abilities and viewpoints join to form a highly pluralistic community which prides itself on being a place which welcomes persons and families of all walks of life; and
WHEREAS, the City of Albuquerque has a strong tradition and mission of embracing and valuing diversity and the City Council believes that it is similarly important to support diversity and to provide services to all persons in the City regardless of their race, disability, national origin, gender identity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, economic or immigration status (in addition to any other protected classes under local, state, or federal law); and
WHEREAS, on April 6, 2018, the Albuquerque City Council adopted Resolution R-18-7 Albuquerque as an Immigrant Friendly City wishing to assure its vulnerable communities that the City supports them, will do all it can to maintain and improve their quality of life, and does not tolerate acts of hate, discrimination, bullying, or harassment; and
WHEREAS, the City Council is greatly concerned about public safety in Albuquerque and the mission of the Albuquerque Police Department is to protect the safety of the public against crimes committed by persons whoever they may be.
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL, THE GOVERNING BODY OF THE CITY OF ALBUQUERQUE:
SECTION 1. That the City Council does hereby denounces stigmatization, hateful racism and xenophobia during the COVID-19 pandemic, against particular groups of people, notably AAPI immigrants and healthcare workers.
SECTION 2. That the City Council does hereby proclaim its renewed and ongoing commitment to be a diverse and inclusive community free from racism, so all who live, work, and play in Albuquerque feel welcomed. Albuquerque strongly stands against hate, bias, or violence based on race, nationality, gender, disability, or religion, and urge all residents to unite together in solidarity with our AAPI neighbors.
SECTION 3. That the City Council encourages the City to partner with community-based organizations, advocacy groups, as well as other appropriate officials and agencies across the county, to protect AAPI residents and victims of discrimination and to curb hate acts related to COVID-19 for other groups, including, but not limited to all ethnic, racial and religious groups, and LGBTQIA communities, and people with disabilities.
SECTION 4. That the City Council joins cities, counties, and states across the country in affirming its commitment to the safety and well-being of citizens, non-citizens and visitors with ancestry from the Asia Pacific region and in combating racist acts targeting AAPIs.
SECTION 5. That the City Council encourages the City to partner with the County of Bernalillo, healthcare providers and community-based organizations to educate the public on mental health services for those who have been traumatized or otherwise stigmatized by anti-AAPI hate.
Section 6. That the City Council encourages City staff to continue to work with the City of Albuquerque’s Office of Civil Rights in documenting and investigating incidents of anti-AAPI discrimination and promote respect for all residents in businesses and public areas.
Section 7. That the City Council calls upon all counties, cities, and local governments across the United States to adopt similar commitments to reaffirm their solidarity with AAPI communities and commit to combating hate and improving health equity.
Section 8. That the City Council encourages City Departments to ensure that eligible minority-owned and disadvantaged small businesses continue to have fair access to the City’s resources, such as the Small Business Relief Fund, and are directed to language assistance where needed.
Section 9. That the City Council urges the City to partner with community-based organizations to highlight AAPI stories and uplift the contributions of AAPI-owned businesses and AAPI-led organizations.
Section 10. That the City Council urges the City to engage youth who are both victims and perpetrators of AAPI hate through a restorative justice framework to prevent youth criminalization and further harm to the City’s communities.
Section 11. That the City Council recognizes that it is the policy of the City to ensure that all information, such as public health information and emergency and disaster relief resources, is disseminated effectively to Limited English Proficient (“LEP”) communities.
Section 12. That the City Council supports the equal treatment of all persons and states that all persons who live within the City should have full access to all City services with respect and dignity, including public safety services and programs, regardless of their race, disability, national origin, gender identity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, ethnicity, economic or immigration status (in addition to any other protected classes under local, state, or federal law).
Section 13. The Chief Administrative Officer shall communicate these policies to all City employees within 30 days of this resolution.
Section 14. SEVERABILITY. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, phrase, or portion of this resolution is held to be invalid or unconstitutional by the decision of any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining portions of this resolution.
Section 15. COMPILATION. This Resolution shall be incorporated in and made part of the Code of Resolutions as “Anti-AAPI Hate Policy.”
X:\CL\SHARE\CL-Staff\_Legislative Staff\Legislation\24 Council\R-229final.docx