Attacks on older Asians stoke fear as Lunar New Year begins

Police are stepping up their patrols and volunteers are increasing their street presence after several violent attacks on older Asians stoked fear in San Francisco Bay Area Chinatowns and subdued the celebratory mood leading up to Lunar New Year.

A worker cleans a street in the Chinatown district in San Francisco, Jan. 31, 2020. [Photo: AP]

City officials also have visited Chinatowns in San Francisco and Oakland this week to address residents' safety concerns and condemn the violence. They vowed to combat a problem that has been simmering since the start of the coronavirus pandemic but sparked new outrage after two unprovoked attacks were caught on video within a span of days and spread widely online.

In one, a young man shoved Vicha Ratanapakdee to the ground on Jan. 28 as he was taking his morning walk in San Francisco's Anza Vista neighborhood. The 84-year-old Thai man's head struck the pavement, and he died two days later in a hospital. Prosecutors charged a 19-year-old with murder and elder abuse.

On Jan. 31, a security camera caught a man in a hooded sweatshirt barreling into a 91-year-old Asian man in Oakland's Chinatown, causing him to fall face-first into the pavement, narrowly missing a bike rack. Police arrested the suspect and said he had assaulted a couple on the same block later that day and another on Feb. 1.

In just the last two weeks, authorities recorded 18 crimes against Asian Americans around Oakland’s Chinatown, said Nancy O'Malley, district attorney for Alameda County.

Community advocates said the attacks have left many older Asians fearful about going out to shop for Friday's start of the Lunar New Year, the most important holiday in several East Asian countries that marks the beginning of the Chinese lunar calendar. Shops and restaurants are typically bustling in Chinatowns this time of year, but the pandemic and safety concerns have dampened the festive atmosphere.

“There's a huge amount of sadness and rage in the community,” said Alvina Wong, director of the Asian Pacific Environmental Network. “Folks are on edge and tense and don't know when the next thing is going to happen. They see what's happening in other cities, and it's not stopping.”

(Story includes material sourced from AP.)