Resolution 2021-31678 RESOLUTION NO. 2021-31678
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, STRONGLY
CONDEMNING ALL MANIFESTATIONS AND EXPRESSIONS OF
RACISM, XENOPHOBIA, DISCRIMINATION, ANTI-ASIAN
SENTIMENT, SCAPEGOATING, AND ETHNIC OR RELIGIOUS
INTOLERANCE AIMED AT ASIAN AMERICANS AND PACIFIC
ISLANDERS.
WHEREAS, there are 23,000,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
("AAPI") in the United States, constituting 7 percent of the population of the United States;
and
WHEREAS, over 2,000,000 Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are working
on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic as first responders and in health care, law
enforcement, transportation, supermarkets, and other service industries; and
WHEREAS, the use of anti-Asian terminology and rhetoric related to COVID-19,
such as the "Chinese Virus", "Wuhan Virus", and "Kung-flu" have perpetuated anti-Asian
stigma; and
WHEREAS, the World Health Organization (the "WHO") and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (the "CDC") recognize that naming COVID-19 using
geographic terms or linking it to a specific ethnicity perpetuates stigma; and
WHEREAS, on February 27, 2020, the Secretary of Health and Human Services
stated, "Ethnicity is not what causes the novel coronavirus" and that it is inappropriate
and inaccurate to call COVID-19 "the Chinese virus"; and
WHEREAS, the use of inflammatory and xenophobic anti-Asian rhetoric during
the COVID-19 pandemic has put Asian American persons, families, communities, and
businesses at risk and has resulted in Asian Americans being harassed, assaulted,
scapegoated, and murdered; and
WHEREAS, since January 2020, there has been a dramatic increase in reports
of hate crimes and incidents against those of Asian descent in all 50 States and the
District of Columbia; and
WHEREAS, according to a recent report, there were nearly 3,800 reported
cases of anti-Asian discrimination related to COVID-19 between March 19, 2020 and
February 28, 2021; and
WHEREAS, experts consider the true number of incidents to be much higher due
to underreporting; and
1
WHEREAS, since the start of 2021, there has been a surge in anti-Asian attacks
targeting predominantly elderly Asian Americans; and
WHEREAS, on January 30, 2021, an 84-year-old Thai man, Vicha Ratanapakdee,
died from injuries sustained from an unprovoked assault while on his routine morning walk
in San Francisco, California; and
WHEREAS, in January 2021, a series of attacks occurred in Oakland's Chinatown
targeting Asian American seniors, and victims included a 60-year-old man and a 55-year
old woman, who, in separate incidents, were violently shoved to the ground; and
WHEREAS, in February 2021, a 61-year-old Filipino man who was attacked and
slashed across his face on a New York City subway, a Filipino woman in her eighties who
was punched in an unprovoked attack while riding a trolley in San Diego, and a 52-year-
old Asian woman who was attacked and forcefully shoved while waiting in line outside a
bakery in Flushing, New York; and
WHEREAS, a disproportionate number of attacks, approximately 68 percent, also
have been directed at Asian American women, including a hate crime that took place on
March 16, 2021, in Atlanta, Georgia,where 8 people, including 6 women of Asian descent,
were shot to death at 3 businesses; and
WHEREAS, the recent rise of violence against the AAPI community is part of a
larger history of violence against communities of color and community-centered
solutions must be found that stop the violence in all communities; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission strongly condemn and denounce
acts of racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against AAPI communities and urge
everyone to combat racism, xenophobia, and intolerance against Asian Americans and
work to ensure that all members of AAPI communities— no matter their background, the
language they speak, or their religious beliefs— are treated with dignity and equity.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City
Commission hereby strongly condemn all manifestations and expressions of racism,
xenophobia, discrimination, anti-Asian sentiment, scapegoating, and ethnic or religious
intolerance aimed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 629 day of/lid,
Dan Gelber, Mayor
ATTEST:
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APPROVED AS TO .
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Rafael E. Granado, City C erk �`
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FORM & LANGUAGE �i�coRPORATED;
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(sponsored by Commissioner Micky Steinberg) ,,� H 26rg_
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City Attorney `r Date
Resolutions -C7 T
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Rafael Paz,Acting City Attorney
DATE: April 29, 2021
SUBJECT:A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, STRONGLY CONDEMNING ALL
MANIFESTATIONS AND EXPRESSIONS OF RACISM, XENOPHOBIA,
DISCRIMINATION, ANTI-ASIAN SENTIMENT, SCAPEGOATING, AND
ETHNIC OR RELIGIOUS INTOLERANCE AIMED AT ASIAN AMERICANS
AND PACIFIC ISLANDERS.
RECOMMENDATION
Pursuant to the request of Commissioner Micky Steinberg, the above- referenced Resolution is
submitted for consideration by the Mayor and City Commission at the April 21, 2021
Commission meeting.
SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA
N/A
Applicable Area
Citywide
Is this a"Residents Right Does this item utilize G.O.
to Know" item, pursuant to Bond Funds?
City Code Section 2-14?
No No
Legislative Tracking
Office of the City Attorney
Sponsor
Commissioner Micky Steinberg
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
❑ Resolution
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