An Account of Asian American Hate Crimes in the Past Week
By: Serene Hwang
A 91-year-old Asian man in the Chinatown area of Oakland, California was violently pushed to the ground in a racially charged attack on January 31, 2021. The unidentified assailant went on to attack another 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman. Fortunately, the victims were able to receive treatment from the hospital and survive. The suspect has yet to be identified but Oakland police suspect them to be a man in his 20's.
84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee was a victim of hate crime on Thursday, January 20th in Daly City, San Francisco. As Thai Americans during the Covid-19 pandemic, his family was no stranger to anti-Asian remarks. However, this hate culminated in a fatal attack that took the life of Ratanapakdee. A video released last Monday showed 19-year-old Antoine Watson shoving Ratanapakdee to the ground. Both him and 20-year-old Maylasia Goo, who was reported to be an accessory to the crime, were arrested. Ratanapakdee’s family mourn the loss of a gentle and beloved member.
A 64-year-old Vietnamese grandmother was robbed in San Jose, California on February 5th. Multiple suspects blocked her car and proceeded to get into her vehicle in broad daylight. They took off with her purse, which contained $1,000 in cash, her keys, and various possessions. The suspects have not been caught yet but police warn about future attacks on the Asian community as Lunar New Year approaches.
On the same day as the robbery in San Jose, 61-year-old Noel Quintana was slashed across his face on a Manhattan train. The Filipino man recounted how his assailant continuously kicked his backpack and, when asked to stop, violently attacked his face with a knife. Quintana was treated with multiple stitches at Bellevue Hospital. Police are still searching for the suspect.
These are just a couple of the innumerable anti-Asian hate crimes that have occurred in the past few weeks, but the American government refuses to recognize the issue. How many more parents and grandparents must we lose before justice is served?