A Cincinnati-based Asian business group is raising a red flag that national tensions with China could once again spill over into suspicion and harassment of people of East Asian descent, both locally and across the country. Leaders say the post-COVID wave of bias, from vandalism and threats to frightening acts of violence, is still very much on the minds of business owners and community members.
The Asia Chamber, a Cincinnati organization with a national reach, issued an open letter warning that high-profile disputes with China risk “harassment of Chinese Americans — and really any Americans of East Asian descent,” as reported by WKRC. The warning landed just hours after a prime-time presidential address that alleged Chinese access to U.S. voter records.
In that speech, President Donald Trump claimed China carried out “what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history” and alleged that Beijing obtained about 220 million U.S. voter files, according to ABC News. He used those allegations to push Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a voting-security package he said would tighten registration and ID rules.
Local memory of pandemic backlash
Community advocates say the pandemic years offered a stark lesson in how political rhetoric can turn into real-world harm. A national report from Stop AAPI Hate documented nearly 11,500 hate acts reported between March 2020 and March 2022, a figure community groups say shows how quickly harassment can spike when AAPI communities are blamed or scapegoated.
“It involved violence, vandalism, and burglary,” Leo Chan, who runs the Asia Chamber and has spent about two decades working with Cincinnati’s Asian business community, told WKRC, recalling what he described as a post-COVID peak in the Tri-State. Chan pointed to the January 2023 incident in Evendale, when shots were fired into Tokyo Foods, as an example of how heated accusations can embolden dangerous behavior.
2023 shooting recalled
On Jan. 22, 2023, Evendale police say a man fired several rounds into Tokyo Foods at the Evendale Plaza on Reading Road. No one was injured, but the shooting rattled customers and spurred local support efforts, according to WLWT. Investigators later said they did not find clear evidence to classify the case as a hate crime, underscoring how difficult it can be to prove motive even when a community feels under attack.
What leaders are urging
Business and cultural leaders are calling for restraint from public figures and urging residents to report harassment, document incidents and support victims. Neighborhood organizations and chambers, they say, are coordinating to assist affected businesses, elders and workers who feel exposed as national tensions escalate.
For Cincinnati residents worried about harassment, the Asia Chamber is stressing vigilance and measured public dialogue while community groups continue tracking national rhetoric alongside local incidents. Anyone who experiences or witnesses bias is encouraged to contact local law enforcement and use community reporting resources.
