Guidebook created by Highland Park local helps report hate crimes
One Highland Park local created a guidebook to help people report hate crimes, whether they're victims or witnesses.
KOREATOWN (KABC) -- Esther Lim started worrying about her parents' safety last March.
Not only out of fear of getting sick but also due to the rise in racism and hate crimes against Asian Americans.
"I was so worried. What if they get attacked and they don't know what to do? Or the trauma that it will cause them in the future," said Lim.
Lim's parents are Korean immigrants and essential workers.
She tried to find a manual to try to teach them what to do if they were victims of a hate crime.
But Lim wasn't able to find much. So, she created her own guide called "How to Report a Hate Crime."
"I just needed to step up and just create these booklets so that everyone will become more aware that they have a backing, that they know their rights and that they have an option to report," Lim said.
The booklets are printed in Chinese, Korean and Japanese. And now she has translations in English, Vietnamese, Thai and Spanish.
"These are completely free. And I have a GoFundMe page right now to raise funds for new printing. But the first round of printing, it was all self-funded. So, it was a pretty penny and but it was worth it," said Lim.
Between March 19 and December 31, 2020, Stop AAPI Hate reporting center received more than 2,000 reported incidents of racism and discrimination targeting Asian Americans across the U.S.
Stop AAPI Hate was launched in March 2020 by the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council (A3PCON), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University.
"It's so unfortunate that like people had to die or be severely beaten up for people to actually realize that it's affecting our community," said Lim.
Lim is working on getting these guidebooks to more stores. But for now, you can find them at the California Marketplace in Koreatown.
