Dear John,

The New York Times is doing what it has always done: supporting the next US war by stoking fear and hatred of China. Instead of reporting the truth, they are twisting every positive story of China into one demonizing the entire country. We call on the New York Times to meet with CODEPINK to discuss why this is so dangerous!

In their most recent article, the New York Times took stories of China’s community-centered policing and radicalized it into a narrative about Xi Jinping’s plot for mass control. Sources linked back to positive Chinese articles about successful community conflict mediation, which the general American public is unable to read. One story spoke of how a community officer talked with two feuding neighbors for months to help them settle a dispute. The New York Times called this “silencing dissent.” 

 TELL THE NEW YORK TIMES TO MEET WITH CODEPINK TO DISCUSS WHY WE NEED TRUTH NOT DISTORTION AND LIES!

That same article also called into question Beijing's “repressive abilities” by referring to community volunteers who bring homeless people to shelters and chastise others for littering. Under a photograph of a mini police vehicle stationed outside an apartment complex in Beijing, they wrote, “Such visible signs of police presence can be unnerving.” Who is it unnerving to? Regular citizens or criminals? 

The truth is that crime rates in China are much lower than in the US*, and residents overwhelmingly report “feeling safer” with the presence of community officers. The US police force, which has a long history of violence and racism, and is reported to take longer to arrive on the scene in minority neighborhoods, can learn a lot from China’s organized community systems. 

Overall, these anti-China articles lack evidence and depth, and do nothing but stoke fear and Asian American hate in the US. We call on the New York Times to meet with our CODEPINK team to talk about why we need cooperation not hate. 

 TELL THE NEW YORK TIMES TO DISARM THE DISCOURSE AND MEET WITH CODEPINK!

And join our Summer of Friendship group to engage with your local community and advocate against war with China!

Peace and solidarity, 

Megan, Jodie, and the CODEPINK Team

Take further action:

• Join our community trip to China this November. You can also check out our China Travel Page for resources and tips. 
• Check out our Disarm the Discourse Toolkit to learn how you can protect yourself from the media’s push for war against China. 
• Contact [email protected] to schedule a meeting and learn more about China Is Not Our Enemy biweekly meetings, including our upcoming one on Monday, June 10th at 7pm ET. 
• Follow us on social media: Instagram | Twitter 

**See how US and China crime rates compare here.