Disney Plus Expresses Support for AAPI Orgs Amid Rising Violence Against Asian Americans

The Walt Disney Co. streaming service Disney Plus on Wednesday expressed support for civil rights organizations advocating for Asian Americans amid a wave of violence against people in the AAPI community.

In a statement posted on Twitter, Disney shouted out the organizations Asian Americans Advancing Justice and Stop AAPI Hate. “The celebration of the Lunar New Year has been marred by the continued wave of violence against Asian-American Pacific Islanders across the United States,” the statement read. “We have spent the last week learning and listening to our friends, colleagues, and partners who are most affected. We stand with our AAPI family and want to amplify the voices of organizations that fight for civil rights and stand against hate: Asian Americans Advocating Justice – AAJC and Stop AAPI Hate.”

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A growing wave of violence against Asian Americans began to draw increased media attention in recent weeks after several high-profile attacks of older people were caught on video. In one incident earlier this month, Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old San Francisco resident originally from Thailand, was killed by a person who attacked him for no apparent reason. Antoine Watson, 19, was later arrested and pled not guilty to charges of murder and elder abuse.

Earlier this month, actors Daniel Dae Kim and Daniel Wu offered a $25,000 reward for information that would lead to the arrest and conviction of the person who attacked a 91-year-old man in Oakland’s Chinatown Jan. 31. Oakland police later arrested a 28-year-old man, Yahya Muslim, who was charged in a series of related attacks.

On Monday, California Gov. Gavin Newsome signed into law a bill that approves $1.4 million in funding to the Stop AAPI Hate reporting center, which gathers reports on anti-Asian discrimination across the United States.

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