San Francisco Coalition Releases Report on the State of Community Safety for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Communities
“Building Community Safety, Healing, and Cross-Racial Solidarity” documents a holistic model of responding to and supporting victims
San Francisco – The Coalition for Community Safety and Justice (CCSJ) released today an impact report highlighting its work building community safety, healing, and cross-racial solidarity in San Francisco. A collaboration among Community Youth Center (CYC), Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), Chinatown Community Development Center (CCDC), and Chinese Progressive Association (CPA), the coalition developed and implemented a holistic citywide model to respond and support victims, build community across racial identities — including between Black and Chinese residents — and strengthen the city’s public safety infrastructure.
“Community safety requires all of us working together so we can have supportive, healthy environments for ourselves and our communities,” said Janice Li, Coalition Director for the Coalition for Community Safety and Justice. “We came together as a coalition to harness our many decades of collective knowledge and on-the-ground community experience to strengthen San Francisco’s public safety infrastructure and ensure the diverse needs of our communities are being met.”
Now in its fourth year, CCSJ works with local and state governments, city, and community leaders to reimagine community safety and center victims and survivors in all its programs, proposals and solutions. A cornerstone of its model, CCSJ’s victim services, which is housed at Community Youth Center, provides victims with advocates who are culturally competent in seven languages and direct services including wellness checks, mental health support, legal assistance and support navigating the criminal legal process. Among the high profile cases the coalition responded to last year include the AA Bakery Stabbing in Chinatown. It also supported San Mateo County government agencies after the Half Moon Bay Mass mass shooting.
“We all want to feel safe, whether we speak different languages, come from different countries, or have different cultures,” said Eddy Zheng, President and Founder of New Breath Foundation. “Unfortunately, structural racism and increased violence against AAPI communities fueled by the former President and anti-China rhetoric has left us feeling vulnerable and unsafe, especially our elders. The Coalition for Community Safety and Justice focuses on centering victims and survivors, identifying cultural and language competency solutions, and engaging in movement building to create a safer San Francisco for all of us.”
The coalition measures its impact with numbers, dollars and examples including:
- Number of victims served since 2020 = 184
- Victim’s Compensation awarded since Victim Services program began = $80,000
- Languages spoken by CCSJ’s victim’s services team = 7 (Cantonese, Vietnamese, Cambodian,Thai, Mandarin, Tagalog, and Toishanese)
- Residents engaged in community safety programming at Ping Yuen and Tenderloin Family Housing = 1500+
- Participants in “Move the Chi” community healing events = 500+
As part of its long-term strategy to community safety and violence prevention, CCSJ is fostering a model that prioritizes healing and solidarity across racial identities. The coalition specifically engages working-class Chinese and Black community members to delve beneath the headlines and political rhetoric in search of genuine perspective on crime, violence, accountability and safety. Through community building events such as CCDC’s Summer in the Pings, the newly created annual Iftar ceremony at City Hall, and CPA’s intergenerational membership exchanges and fireside chats, community members learn that creating vibrant, safe communities is about making sure people feel seen, celebrated, and valued regardless of their race or ethnicity.
This year and in the coming years, Coalition for Community Safety and Justice will continue to work with city agencies, elected officials, community partners and the Chinese and AAPI communities to strengthen San Francisco’s capacity to mobilize healing and resources to AAPI communities in need. Among its priorities, the coalition is partnering with the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency to implement SB 434, a new state law aimed at reducing harassment on transit and planning Chinese language voter education forums ahead of the November elections.
Community members are encouraged to contact CCSJ’s victim services at 415-988-1299 if they or someone they know has been a victim of a crime.
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The Coalition of Community Safety and Justice was formed in 2019 in response to an increase in high-profile anti-Asian hate incidents. CCSJ provides community-based solutions to increase safety of the AAPI community in San Francisco. The Coalition partners with existing public safety systems to better serve and meet the needs of our communities. For more information, contact Coalition Director Janice Li jli@caasf.org.
