Police in Union City east of San Francisco are investigating acts of vandalism at two Filipino American community organizations and a popular Filipino restaurant, reports Patch.
The vandals hit Filipino Advocates for Justice, Filipino Community of Alvarado and Vicinity building, and Topping Too Restaurant. At the Filipino Community Building someone wrote f**k Filipinos. The same thing was scrawled at the restaurant, along with the initials AMS. AMS stands for Alvarado Middle School which is being renamed Iltliong-Veracruz Middle School in honor of Filipino American labor leaders Larry Itliong and Philip Veracruz..
“It is also disheartening that the vandalism is claimed by and against two ethnic groups that have roots in very similar experiences,” said Tracie Noriega of the New Haven Pilipino American Society for Education. “The formation of the United Farm Workers Union was grounded in inter-ethnic solidarity to fight oppression. It was in the spirit of unification that the Mexican and Filipino Farm Workers struck together for better working conditions. As a Filipino-American Community, we continue to stand with all of our neighbors in peace and unity.”
Police are investigating the incidents as hate crimes.