SAN DIEGO - Neighbors and city leaders gathered in the Mid-City area to discuss mass shootings and threats against the Asian-American Pacific Islander community.
The Town Hall at the San Diego Police Department's Multi-Cultural Storefront was put on by the AAPI Initiative as a way to not just discuss but document those concerns.
“We need to look inside our own communities,” San Diego Resident Gil Ontai told NBC 7. “There’s a lot of quiet suffering going on, especially in API communities where we tend to cover that up.”
San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria spoke at the Town Hall and said hate crimes in the city are up 65 percent.
“When I talk to a lot of our AAPI community leaders, there’s a sense of fear, there’s a lot of concern and there’s a desire to try to understand how we can get past this and get back to something that’s far better than this,” Mayor Gloria said.
A recurring theme from the town hall was the need for community centers where neighbors could gather and discuss issues. Community organizers say we can expect more of these town halls to happen in the future..
Photo: Getty Images