SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) — When it comes to racial or social injustice, Steve Kerr does not hold back.
The Golden State Warriors head coach weighed in on the recent hate crimes against Asian Americans in the Bay Area and beyond.
A white gunman was charged Wednesday with killing eight people, most of them women of Asian descent, at three Atlanta-area massage parlors in an attack that sent terror through the Asian American community that’s increasingly been targeted during the coronavirus pandemic.
Kerr addressed the fatal attack, along with others, first in a string of tweets then followed in a press conference.
He called the climate of animosity toward Asian Americans “idiotic” and “devastating”.
Kerr also mentioned the importance of sticking by Asian Americans now more than ever during the pandemic.
He even threw a jab at former President Donald Trump.
“We have to be better than this. We must support our fellow Asian American countrymen&women, especially during this pandemic. It’s NOT okay to call COVID 19 the ‘Asian Flu,’ like our ignorant ex president did.”
Crime against Asian Americans in the Bay Area is on the rise.
On Wednesday, San Francisco police arrested three suspects in connection with the assault and robbery of a man at a laundromat in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Police say they are stepping up foot patrols to respond to crimes against Asian Americans.
“We are coordinating with our federal partners and local AAPI community organizations and stepping up our patrols in predominantly Asian neighborhoods. As you may know, the San Francisco Bay Area has been seeing an alarming spike in brazen anti-Asian violence in recent weeks.”
And while law enforcement is stepping up amid these series of crimes, public figures are stepping up to denounce racism against Asian Americans.
Former Warriors’ guard Shaun Livingston joined the #StopAsianHate hashtag across social media, along with others in the league.