Photo Courtesy of U.S. House of Representatives
Rep. Grace Meng
By Forum Staff
Congresswoman Grace Meng (D-Flushing) and Sen. Maisie Hirono (D-HI) recently called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to prioritize specific eligibility requirements for the newly created $5 million grant for Community-Based Approaches to Advancing Justice that was established through the Fiscal Year 2022 spending bill.
As community-based organizations have been critical in supporting victims and their families through the surge in hate crimes and incidents during the pandemic, this money will ensure that resources are flowing directly to the communities most impacted by such acts, the elected officials said.
Photo Courtesy U.S. Senate
Sen. Maisie Hirono
The services highlighted in the lawmakers’ letter to Garland for priority consideration are:
- Providing in-language victim/family support services: This encourages many different groups an increased ability to be successful in gaining access to legal, mental health and medical care services.
- Supporting data collection and reporting of anti-Asian bias incidents: Would help further promote organizations that actively help both law enforcement and those who wish to report hate crimes.
- Neighborhood safety programs: Would help organizations that provide de-escalation trainings, safety ambassador programs, mental health, first aid and self-defense training.
“One-year after the signing of the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, our communities continue to process and recover from the trauma of being scapegoated for the spread of COVID-19. That is why we are urging Attorney General Garland and the Department of Justice to prioritize grants to community organizations that are providing specific services for the communities who have been most impacted,” Meng said. “I have been in awe of the steps community organizations have taken to help the most vulnerable in our communities recover from and combat hate crimes and incidents. We must fight to ensure that our federal spending is flowing directly back into the community to provide care and support that is accessible.”
Meng and Hirono introduced the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act in March of 2021, and President Joe Biden signed it into law on May 20, 2021.
