Victims outraged at police failure to arrest “Torrance Karen”

By Louis Chan, AsAmNews National Correspondent

Three Asian Americans in Torrance near Los Angeles jointly expressed frustration and anger after police elected not to arrest a woman accused of physically attacking one of them and hurling racial slurs and F bombs at all three of them.

The trio issued a joint statement Thursday accusing the police, Mayor Patrick Furey and City Attorney Patrick Sullivan of not “treating these actions seriously.”

The suspect has been identified by police as Lena Hernandez, who many have labeled “Torrance Karen.” Karen is a slang term used to describe middle-age and racist White women who use their privilege to get their way.

The last attack happened on June 10 in front of the victim’s two children, boys ages 2 and 11.

“My 11-year old heard the whole thing loud and clear,” said the male Japanese American who spoke to AsAmNews and asked only to be identified as victim number three. “He was shocked and scared. This hate crime was directed at an 11 year old who experienced racism for the first time in his life and he’s having trouble sleeping. How do you explain this to kids? Do you say this happens everyday and get used to it.”

The incident occurred as the father and his two boys were sitting in their car in the parking lot of Wilson Park.

“I play the game in which you get f*cked to death,” Hernandez can be heard saying on video. “You are f*cked. You kids are f*cked.”

The second incident occurred the same day in the same location, Wilson Park. Hernandez became upset because she felt a Filipino American woman was blocking the stairway while exercising.

“Go back to whatever f*cking Asian country you belong in. This is not your home. We don’t want you here,” she’s heard saying again on video.

The first incident occurred back in October at the Del Ammo Mall. Hernandez is accused of pushing and striking the victim. The victim, Kayceelyn Salminao filed a police report back then, and is angry police did not arrest Hernandez back then.

Victim number three agrees.

“The failure of them to act on the first incident basically allowed the second and third attack to happen,” he said. “Silence cannot be the answer anymore.”

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