Two nonprofit organizations have teamed up to organize a series of workshops in Long Beach that will teach Cambodian elders skills they can use if they’re targeted in a hate crime.
“Two years ago when COVID hit, I think everybody’s aware there were a lot of negative actions, hate crimes and hate incidents against AAPIs [Asian American Pacific Islanders],” said Mariko Kahn, executive director at Pacific Asian Counseling Services.
The workshop will start with Pacific Asian Counseling Services teaching participants how to report a hate crime or a hate incident (a hateful act that is not necessarily a crime, such as yelling slurs at someone).
For the second half of the workshop, Cambodia Town Inc. will bring in martial arts instructor Kenya Prach to teach seniors over the age of 55 basic self-defense techniques to use in case they’re physically attacked. Prach is bilingual in English and Khmer, as will be the majority of the support staff facilitating the meeting.
This series of workshops was made possible by a grant from the State of California’s Stop The Hate program, which allocated $20 million to distribute to various organizations in the state working to address anti-Asian hate crimes.
According to Stop AAPI Hate, 11,467 hate incidents were reported nationwide from March 19, 2020 to March 31, 2022. California had the most reported hate incidents, with 4,333 reported over the two-year period.
According to the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, 2021 saw the most anti-Asian hate crimes in LA County in the last 20 years. During 2021, there were a reported 77 anti-Asian hate crimes, and in a quarter of these crimes the perpetrator blamed Asian people for the pandemic.
“We know that there is that potential of violence against Cambodians. Although I have to say it’s not specific to Cambodians because really, the people who are the attackers do not distinguish between the diversity of AAPIs, as long as you look Asian, you are someone they might attack,” Kahn said. “And of course they tend to attack older adults because they’re more defenseless. They can’t run away as quickly. They don’t have as much strength. So it’s a perfect target.”
Each of the six workshops will cover the same information, so participants are asked to only choose one date to attend. The workshops can accommodate 15 people at a time, and the first three classes are already full. There is still space for people to sign up for a workshop on the following dates:
- Saturday, Feb. 4 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
To register for one of the workshops, call 562-850-2345 or fill out an online form at https://forms.office.com/r/s95bqRgGCz. The workshops will be held at the Salvation Army located at 3060 Long Beach Blvd.