The Asian American community is on high alert after a year of festering anti-Asian sentiment has led to an increase in violence against the community. The discrimination which has been growing since the start of the pandemic reached a peak last week after the deadly shooting spree of three Asian spa businesses that left eight individuals dead, six of whom were Asian women. As the nation pieces together what many have labeled a hate crime, the Asian American community is grappling with the growing threats that have been targeted at the most vulnerable in the community, the elderly.

Attacks Against Asian Americans on the Rise

Many point to the previous administration for being the catalyst of this anti-Asian sentiment. President Trump had coined the pandemic early on as the “Chinese virus.” He even went as far as to call it “Kung Flu” in some instances.

One of the nation's leading advocacy groups for violence against the Asian community, Stop AAPI Hate, has been tracking instances of harassment and violence against individuals in the Asian American Pacific Islander communities since the start of the pandemic. The data collected so far shows an alarming amount of incidents with 3,795 anti-Asian acts committed between March 19, 2020, and February 2021. The group highlights that these are just the incidents that get reported as many more go unreported.

Stop AAPI Hate highlights that verbal harassment makes up the majority of anti-Asian discrimination at 68% of reported instances while shunning - actively avoiding Asians - makes up a startling 20% of instances. Physical assault is at a steady 11%, but fears that this number could rise soon are felt by the community - especially the elderly - as violent crimes and assaults against them have risen.

Asian Communities on High Alert

This past week the Asian community saw a national outcry after one woman, 76-year-old Xiao Zhen Xie, was physically attacked in San Francisco while waiting at a red light. Her assailant, a 39-year-old man, punched her in the face without warning. The attack left her face swollen and bruised. Xie shared with CBS News through her daughter, Dong-Mei-Li who translated, that her mom felt "very traumatized, very scared and this eye is still bleeding." Xie adds, "The right eye still cannot see anything and (is) still bleeding and we have something to absorb the bleeding."

A similar attack took place Friday night against a 66-year-old Asian man in Manhattan's Chinatown. Much like Xie, this elderly man was punched in the face and was left with a swollen, bleeding eye. The assailant quickly fled the scene and has yet to be arrested.

With the rise of Anti-Asian sentiment and vicious attacks targeting the elderly, community members have stepped up to help their Asian-American neighbors. In Oakland Chinatown, Jacob Azevado led the efforts to protect his community by offering to walk through the city with Asian seniors who were afraid to walk alone. His act of kindness quickly developed into the Compassion in Oakland program. This volunteer program encourages safety throughout the neighborhood and has specifically focused its efforts on the elderly in the Asian American community. Azevado shared with CNN, "This is important because this community just needs healing. All of us need to come together if we hope to make this a safer community for the years to come.”

Presidential Response to Asian American Discrimination

Soon after President Biden took office, he passed an executive order that vowed to tackle racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. the memorandum reads in part, “The Federal Government must recognize that it has played a role in furthering these xenophobic sentiments through the actions of political leaders, including references to the COVID-19 pandemic by the geographic location of its origin. Such statements have stoked unfounded fears and perpetuated stigma about Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and have contributed to increasing rates of bullying, harassment, and hate crimes against AAPI persons.”

In an effort to raise awareness of the growing violence, a House Judiciary Committee was called and Asian-American lawmakers aired their concerns about the growing violence and discrimination against their community. The hearing was scheduled just days before the 21-year-old gunman Robert Aaron Long went on a shooting rampage that targeted Asian businesses. Questions have since surrounded investigators and authorities as to whether or not this case will be charged as a hate crime. The shooter has denied that his actions were race-related, even though the circumstantial evidence strongly indicates otherwise.

Since the shooting, the UN chief shared in a statement through a spokesperson, “The world has witnessed horrific deadly attacks, verbal and physical harassment, bullying in schools, workplace discrimination, incitement to hatred in the media and on social media platforms, and incendiary language by those in positions of power.”