Mayors, local leaders and Biden administration officials urged localities to address the increase of anti-Asian discrimination and violence in cities during a recent U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) meeting.

The calls follow last month's attack in Atlanta that left eight people dead, including six Asian women. More than 4,500 anti-Asian attacks have been reported since February 2020, according to the groups Asian Americans Advancing Justice (AAJC) and Stop AAPI Hate.

The leaders condemned the attacks during last week's meeting and discussed how local and federal actions can combat the racism Asian Americans are experiencing.

"We need to continue to speak out about these issues and to make sure that people understand that this is real," AAJC Executive Director John C. Yang said during the meeting. "Certainly if you talk to your Asian American constituents, this is not just in the back of their mind, it's in the front of their minds. And you should not be fearful of raising the topic because this topic is on their minds."

Anti-Asian hate crimes increased 150% across 16 major cities in 2020, while hate crimes overall decreased 7%, according to a recent analysis from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

As mayors look for immediate ways to address the violence on the local level, Yang advised leadership to continue meeting with Asian American constituents and speaking out about the violence during press conferences.

"They need to be seen right now," he said. "There's this feeling of suffering, and part of it is for them to have that ability to just recognize that people in positions of power are seeing them."

Read the full article about mayors addressing anti-Asian violence by Cailin Crowe at Smart Cities Dive.