Anti-hate crime bill to be put on vote in the U.S. Senate

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said that lawmakers who oppose to a bill to combat a rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans should be ashamed. 　

In Manhattan’s Koreatown on Monday, the senator of New York said so in a press briefing to condemn the recent hate crimes against Asians. He urged everyone to stop Asian hate, saying that it was against American values. “We will vote on the bill on Wednesday,” he said. 　

“This should not be a bipartisan issue,” he said. “And I dare any senator to vote against this legislation. If they do: Shame on them.” 　

The bill introduced by Democrat Senator Mazie Hirono and Representative Grace Meng would allow the federal government to speed up the investigation on hate crimes and strengthen support toward law enforcement authorities. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell supported the bill, but some Republican lawmakers including Senator Ted Cruz were against it because it would only become a tool of the Democratic Party to spread their message with no discernable preventative effect on hate crimes. 　

“We are finally taking action in congress,” said Meng at the press briefing. “Combating hate should not be a partisan issue. It’s about the safety of all Americans. People are telling their grandparents and their parents not to go outside. People are telling their children not to go play outside, even though the weather is nice. And it's been over a year of these sorts of feelings.”


Jae-Dong Yu jarrett@donga.com