HELP! I'VE BEEN MUGGED AND I CAN'T GET UP.

A Chicago area civic group has repurposed Life Alerts for use in the streets.

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Just another day in #Chicago

Agency Hands Out Hundreds of Personal Alarms in Chinatown After Recent Attacks https://t.co/P1pwuG2Kfd

— Stephen Karlson (@StephenKarlson) October 20, 2022

Here are the main points.

"With all these crimes happening recently, I think that you know a lot of people are always trying to stay proactive," said Vivian Zhang, advocacy manager for the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.

National data shows hate crimes against Asian Americans jumped 339% last year.

Last December in Chinatown, a 71-year-old man was shot to death while walking to buy a newspaper. This April, a 61-year-old father was beaten and left for dead during a robbery and carjacking near Chinatown. Just last month, an Asian American was attacked on a Red Line train.

"I think especially with any of the recent incidents happening in a lot of public and open spaces, we do need to build some sort of community where people feel safe and comfortable," said Lisa Liang, youth and volunteer coordinator for the Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community.

The Coalition for a Better Chinese American Community has given away hundreds of personal alarms for free.

"Anytime there is like a major tragedy in the news, you know, it does take a toll on people’s mental health. And so one of the things that I like about this is it makes me feel better that people have this piece [c.q.] of mind," said Zhang.

The report comes from an NBC affiliate, so of course they have to refer to the "hate crimes," although the carjackings and muggings are just another mostly peaceful day in Chicago.  More Life Alerts are available to residents of Chinatown.