CHARLOTTE — Disturbing surveillance video showing a man using a metal bar to destroy the Korean-owned Plaza Sundries at the uptown transit center sent shockwaves through the city of Charlotte. As the attack took place, the owners said the suspect hurled racial slurs at them.
[PAST COVERAGE: Man caught on camera trashing Korean-owned convenience store in uptown Charlotte]
Councilwoman Dimple Ajmera said the incident served as a wake-up call for many in the Charlotte area.
“No one in our city should be afraid to open up their business or open up their work,” Ajmera said. “No one should be afraid to go to school or a grocery store.”
Ajmera said the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes worldwide inspired her to push for funding to combat them at the grassroots level.
“It is not America when people are afraid to go out of their homes,” she said.
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Ajmera helped secure $10,000 in the city’s budget for the Bengali Women’s Forum. The nonprofit will use the funds on training and education events for the Asian American Pacific Islander community.
“We feel insecure, especially for our children,” President Shanta Dutta said. “It’s really scary for us.”
Dutta said the funding will go a long way. She said many people are hesitant to report hate crimes and the money will help connect them with support groups and resources.
“I am really thankful and grateful,” she said.
The $10,000 will be included in the $1.9 billion Charlotte City Council budget that will be approved next month.
For more information on the Bengali Women’s Forum, click here.
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