Multnomah County DA urges Asian Americans to call cops if they're targeted with bias crimes during

COVID-19 pandemic

The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office on Monday launched a “We Need to Know” social media campaign to encourage people of Asian ethnicity to call police if they believe they’ve been the victims of hate crimes prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Multnomah County prosecutors also are urging victims of any protected class to call police if they’ve been targeted with bias crimes for any reason. Prosecuting people who victimize others because of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or national origin has been a priority of the DA’s Office, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors are particularly concerned that bias crimes against Asian Americans could increase as Oregon continues to reopen, people increasingly interact and some individuals might place blame on people of Asian ethnicity because the novel coronavirus first surfaced in China.

“We need to know about bias crimes in our community so law enforcement can investigate these matters and if appropriate, refer them to our office for prosecution,” District Attorney Rod Underhill said in a news release.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/multnomah-county-da-urges-asian-americans-to-call-cops-if-theyre-targeted-with-bias-crimes-during-covid-19-pandemic/ar-BB14gZlt