Violence Against Asians Increasing in U.S.
A San Francisco gathering to mourn death of Vicha Ratanapakdee (Associated Press).
A recent string of attacks in the San Francisco Bay area against Asian Americans are causing many activists to voice their concern. This follows the release of two videos involving two elderly men who were violently shoved to the ground within eight days of each other.
A San Francisco television station published a video of Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84, who had been out for a morning walk in the Anza Vista neighborhood of San Francisco. The video shows Ratanapakadee pushed to the ground by a man who ran into him, resulting in fatal injuries. The authorities have charged Antoine Watson, 19, with murder and elder abuse.
The local television station caught another incident involving a 91-year-old man in Oakland on February 5 who was also shoved to the ground and sustained serious injuries. Authorities arrested Yahya Muslim, 28, as a suspect of the case. According to Muslim’s defense counsel, Muslim had a history of mental abuse, and there is no evidence of racial bias.
Despite there being no direct evidence of Asian-American discrimination in these cases, local leaders still have expressed deep concerns about the current treatment of their community. Carl Chan, president of the Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, says that his neighborhood is under attack. As of January 31, he has gathered more than 20 incident reports and videos of Asian-American owned small businesses getting robbed. Many of the videos show business owners and customers being assaulted.
Captain Bobby Hookfin of the Oakland Police Department commented, "They appear to be more violent, for whatever reason, and that's why we need to stop this now.” Hookfin says many cases go unreported by residents who fear retaliation. Oakland’s Mayor Libby Schaff also apologized to the victims of these “heinous attacks” and criticized the city council’s effort to reduce police funding by up to fifty percent.
According to the New York Police Department, the city recorded a record number of hate crimes against Asian Americans. Los Angeles and San Jose have seen such crimes double from 2019. In March and April alone, there were more anti-Asian hate crimes in multiple cities than the previous totals for all of 2019, says Brian Levin, a professor of criminal justice at California State University, San Bernardino.
Some activists have traced these increases back to former President Trump’s rhetoric during the COVID-19 pandemic. His use of the phrases “China Virus” and “Kung-Flu” heated the temperature of hate against Asians, according to some community leaders. On the contrary, other experts have discussed the difficulty in identifying sources of hate.
Lai Wa Wu, policy and alliance director for the San Francisco-based Chinese Progressive Association, suggested the former president’s comments are a potential factor, but the tensions are nothing new. Wu puts forward that investment in those communities and having “difficult and honest conversations” are the only ways to move forward and build common ground.