Asian American legislators and allies issued a statement Thursday condemning a recent comment by former New Britain Mayor Tim Stewart repeating racist tropes against Asians. The Asian American Pacific Islander caucus of Connecticut’s General Assembly released a statement saying all public officials, past, present and aspiring, should “foster an environment of respect, inclusivity and dignity for all.” Stewart made the comment in response to a Facebook post repeating disparaging comments made by former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance falsely alleging Haitians in Ohio have stolen residents’ pets.
“Hate speech, misrepresentation and manipulation of facts in all forms, especially when targeted toward our AAPI communities, are entirely unacceptable. Our diverse membership may hold differing political views, but these should be expressed within a culture of respect and civility. Stereotypical and biased comments, such as those linking members of our community to the eating of cats and dogs, are not political views – they are harmful and have no place in any discourse.
Such rhetoric demeans the communities it targets and fails to reflect the values we strive to uphold.” Members of the AAPI Issues Caucus include State Sens. Saud Anwar, James Maroney and Tony Hwang and State Reps.
Miryam Khan, Kate Farrar, Gary Turco and Rachel Khanna. The Asian Pacific American Coalition of CT also condemned Stewart’s comment. “In a city as diverse as New Britai.