Two Asian American candidates running for office in Milpitas near San Jose, CA have been targeted with hate crimes.

The Milpitas Beat reports that Bill Chuan who’s running for city council found the words “no Asians” scrawled on his signs.

Vandals also plastered the word “No” across signs promoting the candidacy of Hon Lien for mayor.

“It is sad to see in a city that is so diverse, we still experience hate crimes. I was in shock and disbelief at what had just happened.” said Lien to Fox2.

Chaun told the San Jose Spotlight that the acts of hate only inspire him to fight harder to oppose discrimination.

“I’m not going to let this stop the campaign,” he said in a brief video posted to Facebook. “We move forward. We can’t let hate divide us. We have to come together and show love.”

Hate crimes against Asian Americans received lots of attention during the pandemic.

But acts of anti-Asian hate go back centuries.

“California has been home to the most severe discriminatory laws against Asian Americans,” San Jose State University Sociology Professor Hien Do told San José Spotlight. “The 1882 (Chinese) Exclusion Act began in California, the internment of Japanese Americans also was in California. So, it’s not like we’re immune to it.”

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