The Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, also called CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, is a New York City-based organization that advocates for left-leaning causes like defunding the police, 1 rent cancellation, 2 and the COVID-19 pandemic-era eviction moratorium. 3 The organization organizes public housing residents. It is supported financially by large liberal foundations, including the Tides Foundation, 4 the North Star Fund, 5 and the AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. 6
Background
CAAAV was founded as The Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence in 1986. 7 I It mobilizes Asian-American political power in New York in favor of left-leaning campaigns and has consistently claimed to represent the interests of Asian-American New Yorkers who reside in public housing. 8 It refers to “the real estate industry” as its “opposition.” 9
Activities
Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence produces reports, including one in 2015 that criticized the New York Public Housing Authority for failing to provide adequate services for public housing tenants who do not speak English. 10 A 1997 report accused the city’s taxi industry of racism and identified police brutality as the primary threat facing New Yorkers of Asian descent. 11
In 2019, CAAAV claimed credit for the defeat of Amazon’s plans to build its second headquarters in Queens. 12 The organization opposes business development and new housing that it claims will harm low-income New Yorkers, while supporting expanded subsidized housing. 13
The Committee created a 2020 voter guide in English, Chinese, and Bangla. 14
CAAAV blamed a 2021 mass shooting in Atlanta on “white supremacy, imperialism, patriarchy, and racial capitalism.” 15
CAAAV hosted a summer 2022 picnic that was attended by New York state Assemblywoman and then-congressional candidate Yuh-Line Niou (D). 16
Funding
In addition to its support from prominent grantmaking foundations, in 2019, the Committee reported receiving $119,000 in funding from government grants. 17 It received $50,000 from the Mertz Gilmore Foundation in 2019. 18
References
- “#DefundTheNYPD and Fund Communities!” CAAAV. CAAAV. June 2, 2020. https://caaav.org/defundthenypd-and-fund-communities.
- “CAAAV’s The Future Is Ours To Build Fundraiser!” CAAAV. CAAAV. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://caaav.org/caaavs-the-future-is-ours-to-build-fundraiser.
- “#DefundTheNYPD and Fund Communities!” CAAAV. CAAAV. June 2, 2020. https://caaav.org/defundthenypd-and-fund-communities.
- Tides Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2020. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://www.tides.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/2020_Tides-Foundation_Form-990-Public-Disclosure-1.pdf.
- “Rapid Response: Fighting Back Against Amazon’s HQ2.” North Star Fund. North Star Fund, January 23, 2019. https://northstarfund.org/2019/01/rapid-response-fighting-back-against-amazons-hq2/.
- “CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities.” AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. AAPI Civic Engagement Fund. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://aapifund.org/members/caaav-organizing-asian-communities/.
- Bae, Minju. “CAAAV: Decades of Organizing Asian Communities.” Minju Bae. Accessed November 11, 2022. http://gamma.library.temple.edu/baeminju/neatline/show/caaav-map.
- Vick, Rachel. “Advocates Denounce NYCHA Hearing on Public Housing Reform.” Queens Daily Eagle. Queens Public Media, July 26, 2021. https://queenseagle.com/all/its-disrespectful-advocates-denounce-nycha-hearing-on-housing-reform.
- “CAAAV Strategy and Shifts.” CAAAV. CAAAV. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://caaav.org/strategy-and-shifts.
- “No Access: The Need for Improved Language Assistance Services for Limited English Proficient Asian Tenants of the New York City Housing Authority.” CAAAV. CAAAV: Organizing Asian Communities, September 2015. https://caaav.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/CAAAV-full-housing-report-v11-HIGH-RES.pdf.
- “CAAAV Voice: Organizing Communities to Fight Police Brutality, Volume 9, Number 1, Winter 1997.” CAAAV. CAAAV Voice, 1997. https://caaav.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Voice_Winter_1997.pdf.
- “What We Accomplished in 2019: We Beat Amazon out of Queens!” CAAAV. CAAAV. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://caaav.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/What-We-Accomplished-in-2019-1.pdf.
- Stark-Miller, Ethan. “Chinatown Advocates Rally Against Building Proposed Lower East Side Towers Under 421-A Tax Break.” amny. Schneps Media, April 11, 2022. https://www.amny.com/news/chinatown-advocates-rally-against-building-proposed-les-towers-under-421-a-tax-break/
- “CAAAV 2020 Voter Guide.” CAAAV. CAAAV, 2020. https://caaav.org/caaav2020voterguide.
- “CAAAV Condemns Atlanta Shootings and Anti-Asian Violence.” CAAAV. CAAAV. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://caaav.org/caaav-condemns-atlanta-shootings-and-anti-asian-violence.
- Yuh-Line Niou, Twitter post, August 21, 2022, 1:07 p.m. https://twitter.com/yuhline/status/1561399705401442305
- Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, Inc, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://apps.irs.gov/pub/epostcard/cor/133526938_201912_990_2022030819703803.pdf
- Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990), 2019. Accessed November 11, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/display_990/132872722/05_2021_prefixes_13-13%2F132872722_201912_990PF_2021050718080566