ROANOKE, Va. – A Virginia Tech professor said the nation is taking a big step in the right direction after President Joe Biden signed a bill to address hate crimes against Asian Americans.
The bill, referred to as the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, aims to improve hate crime reporting and expedite case reviews.
Vincent Wang, an associate professor and Virginia Tech APIDA Caucus co-chair, said he appreciates the legislation’s push for crime enforcement but said more work needs to be done.
Some police departments do not report if a crime was motivated by bias to federal authorities which may overlook some cases.
“But at the same time, what do we do about those cases that are not escalated to the level of hate crimes themselves?” he said.
According to a recent report from Stop AAPI Hate, reported hate crimes against Asian Americans rose 57% in one year.