A Letter to Our Community: Standing in Solidarity with Our Asian American Pacific Islander Community

To the community we proudly serve,

Over the last few weeks, we have seen abhorrent attacks against members of our Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community throughout the United States. The City of Santa Rosa expresses our deepest condolences to the AAPI community and stands in solidarity with our partners and allies in condemning these acts of violence. The AAPI community is part of the rich ethnic diversity of Santa Rosa and have contributed greatly to the cultural and economic vibrancy of the region.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been weaponized against AAPI individuals, with prominent politicians calling it the “China Flu” and inciting violence and animosity towards the AAPI community. As a result, the number of AAPI hate crimes have steadily increased in the U.S. and in local communities throughout the greater Bay Area.

Santa Rosa is committed to educating our Council, staff, and boards and commissions of the common humanity that we share and to promote peaceful means to communicate and interact with one another. This includes supporting open and respectful dialogue that allows learning the diverse history and culture of AAPI, including the historic oppression of AAPI in the U.S. and condemning these acts of racial violence. Santa Rosa and Sonoma County do have their own dark spots in its history with the unjust treatment of AAPI residents, including the destruction of Santa Rosa’s Chinatown neighborhood for redevelopment in the 1940s, and the eviction and relocation of Japanese American residents from Sonoma County to internment camps during World War II. In the decades since, we have worked to build positive relationships and opportunities with Santa Rosa’s AAPI community. We continue now to take additional steps to make Santa Rosa a welcoming place for all residents and work to increase diversity, inclusion, and equity within our organization to better represent the community we serve.

The City of Santa Rosa does not tolerate any acts of hate or violence towards any of our residents and will remain in strong support of our AAPI residents. I ask members of our community to stand with us in denouncing acts of hate and violence against members of our communities of color.

Together, we can build a better Santa Rosa for all.

Chris Rogers
Mayor