Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department sent out a statement announced its unyielding support for the nation’s Asian American and Pacific Islander communities and denounced all violence against them.
Particularly addressing the shooting that took place in Georgia Tuesday night, the LAPD called the murders of eight people, six of whom were of Asian descent “horrific.”
The deparment went on to say that there were no known threats of shootings or other violence against the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community members in the City of Los Angeles and they were actively working with community leadership within the AAPI community to improve the department’s response to hate crimes and hate incidents.
“The department has further expanded this outreach since February in response to the outgrowth of hate. These shocking shootings yesterday are an example of why it is so important for us to listen to our community partners and work with them on how we can better serve their needs,” the LAPD statement read.
Because of the shooting in Georgia, LAPD has augmented the deployment of patrol officers and Senior Lead Officers on high visibility patrols on foot and in marked police vehicles in local AAPI communities.
“We ask the public to remain vigilant and if you see something, say something—it is everyone’s duty to report unusual activity in our communities and places of business. Hate crime and hate incidents are a matter of great concern for the LAPD and we ask the members of our AAPI communities to report hate incidents promptly to the police.”