ASEAN Consuls General in San Francisco Expresses Crucial Importance of Hate Crimes Issue During Meeting with San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott

Philippine Consul General in San Francisco Neil Frank R. Ferrer (top left) attends a virtual meeting with San Francisco Police Department Chief William Scott (top right), with Indonesian Consul General Simon Soekarno (bottom left) Vietnamese Consul General Nguyen Trac Toan (center), and Singaporean Consul General William Chik (bottom right) via Zoom on 29 April 2021. (Photo from San Francisco PCG)

SAN FRANCISCO, 5 May 2021 - Consul General Neil Frank R. Ferrer and other Consuls General from ASEAN countries with missions in San Francisco (Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam), made a virtual call on San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) Chief William Scott on 29 April 2021 to discuss the incidents of hate crimes against the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, including nationals from ASEAN countries and provided a strong message to the SFPD that the issue of hate crimes is a matter of great concern to all ASEAN missions.

During the meeting, Chief Scott shared that while there has been an increase in hate crimes across the country, there has only been a small spike in San Francisco and noted that the SFPD is enhancing its community engagements to build trust among the public by mobilizing community groups to strengthen crime prevention efforts, particularly citing the city’s Community Ambassadors Program, in which civilians help the police protect neighborhoods.

Congen Ferrer expressed that he looks forward to tangible courses of action to assist the community regarding this issue considering that there are more than half a million Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the Bay Area. He also requested SFPD to track crime data against AAPI by ethnicity or nationality, at least during this period when hate crimes against Asians are on the rise.

Congen Ferrer and Chief Scott also agreed that it is important for SFPD and Consulates to partner and closely coordinate in informing and engaging with the public. Consul General Ferrer noted that Consulates may assist in reaching out to the public and providing translation services, if necessary, to help its nationals should they need assistance. END

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