A Vancouver band said it has had enough of seeing acts of racism during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Son of James released a song called “I Found It All Inside,” featuring people all across B.C.’s Lower Mainland while social distancing at home.
“I think the way it all came together, I think it became even more powerful. And we all did it from home,” leader singer Shon Wong told Global News.
Wong is second-generation Chinese Canadian and said the seemingly random acts of violence against Asian people in Vancouver inspired this song.
Vancouver police are still investigating what appears to be an unprovoked assault of a young Asian woman on April 12.
Police said she was waiting at a bus stop near Granville and West Pender streets when the suspect approached and punched her in the face.
Get daily BC news
“We are investigating this as a stranger assault and the motive is unknown,” said Sgt. Aaron Roed. “If this is a hate crime, we will be investigating it as that.”
Wong said he was stunned to see that attack.
“What if that was my sister? That’s somebody’s daughter, who didn’t deserve it all,” he said.
“What was her crime? Being born Chinese?”
Metro Vancouver Transit Police are also investigating a case in which a man allegedly assaulted a bystander who stood up for two Asian women after the man had made racist comments to them.
“Right now, it’s such a weird thing, because right now in Vancouver there’s a whole race of people being held responsible for a virus we had nothing to do with,” Wong said.
“It’s all those random acts of hate that really spawned it for me.”
The Son of James band is also using the hashtag #elimin8hate, which is part of the Vancouver Asian Film Festival.
Wong is also speaking out against Vancouver musician Bryan Adams, who made headlines Tuesday over a profanity-filled tirade on Instagram in which he blamed “bat-eating” and “virus-making” people for the coronavirus.
Wong said Adams, who has since apologized for the outburst, didn’t have to say a race or nationality for people to know he was talking about Chinese people.
“If I were to pull 10 people off the street from Vancouver and said ‘draw someone who you think would eat a bat,’ what do you think that person is going to look like?” Wong said.
“Draw me someone who would work or sell in a wet market, what do you think that person is going to look like? Draw me someone who you think started this virus? What’s that person going to look like?”
Wong added: “He’s just ignited a subconscious feeling that everyone kind of already had.”