LOS ANGELES (NewsNation Now) — Following a string of attacks targeting members of the Asian American community across the country, a crowd of dozens or so gathered at the Los Angeles State Historic Park near Chinatown on Saturday afternoon to raise awareness about the increase in hate crimes against Asians in the United States.

Activists with the group called Stand for Asian Solidarity, which organized Saturday’s rally in L.A.’s Chinatown, say anti-Asian sentiments have surged in some corners over the last year, with Asians being blamed for the spread of coronavirus.

The group cited a report by Stop AAPI Hate, a reporting center launched last March, that has documented over 3,000 self-reported anti-Asian crimes and incidents since the start of the pandemic.

Stop AAPI Hate was established by the Asian Pacific Planning and Policy Council, Chinese for Affirmative Action and the Asian American Studies Department of San Francisco State University in response to a rise in xenophobia and bigotry related to the coronavirus, according to the group’s website.

“The Asian American community has reached a crisis point that cannot be ignored,” Congresswoman Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said.

Chu and members of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus are denouncing the increasing numbers of anti-Asian hate crimes across the country.

“What started as dirty looks and verbal assault has escalated to physical attacks and violence against innocent Asian Americans,” Chu said.

Some of these hate crimes were caught on tape, including a moment when an Asian American woman was attacked in Queens, New York; Congresswoman Grace Meng’s district.

NewsNation affiliate KTLA contributed to this report.