Dear Editor,
Re: “Rap song sparks safety concerns: Activists,” News, Oct. 19.
The above article about safety and the Chinese community seems to fail to address the actual issue.
The activists in the rally expressed their concern about how the song reinforced the stereotype that the “Chinese community is rich and always carries lots of cash.”
Yet, when challenged with the stats that Richmond has a relatively low crime rate compared to neighbouring municipalities, the activists used another stereotype and claimed “the figures are skewed due to assertion that people in the Chinese community, particularly in Richmond, are more reluctant to report incidents — such as robberies and break-ins — to police due to cultural differences.”
Furthermore, Wendy Yuan reinforced the concern with another stereotype by stating, “there is also a myth in some Chinese cultures that if the money is stolen, but you don’t get hurt, then it was the money that stopped you from getting injured. They are linking this song directly to the break-ins.”
Despite the arguments, banning the song does not seem to address the actual issue: the lack of trust and communication between the Chinese community and our police.
The frustration associated with the song has brought the much-needed attention to what is hurting the Richmond community. I sincerely hope that instead of rallying around the idea of banning a song, Chinese community advocates will work with Richmond RCMP on how to create valuable opportunities to cultivate trust and appreciation between the Chinese community and RCMP.
Furthermore, the Chinese community advocates can also try to develop free, conversational English lessons for individuals. The idea of starting a community group that specializes in helping Chinese immigrants with communicating with the RCMP will also help.
Everyone deserves to work, live, and thrive in a safe community. However, safety is everyone’s responsibility. Therefore, instead of asking the government to ban a song that is spreading stereotypes, we should learn to work together and build collaboration and communication within our dynamic Richmond community.
Only by working together, can we truly protect ourselves, our loved ones, and one another.
Henry Yao
Richmond
