Mayor speaks out on anti-Asian rant in Milpitas

A video of an anti-Asian incident in the Bay Area city of Milpitas has caught the attention of Mayor Richard Tran.

Tran was so outraged by the video he too shared it on social media.

“By sharing the video it is to expose someone or to bring accountability. We’re not looking to end their careers or livelihoods but we’re actually looking to make teaching moments,” Tran told ABC7 News.

Tran said he brought the incident to the attention of Milpitas Police which promised to look into it.

“F*ck, what are you doing in this country,” the man can be heard saying from inside his vehicle to the couple.

“What am I doing in this country?” an Asian woman identified only as Junie says in response. “I am an American citizen. I am an American citizen. That’s why I’m in this country. What are you doing?”

The couple is speaking out about the anti-Asian incident for the first time.

“I was very anxious, I had a lot of anxiety,” Junie said to KRON-TV. “I was actually very scared kinda shaken up by it.”

“I mean when we had posted this video it was just simply to kinda bring awareness to the situation and bring awareness to racism especially in this time,” Junie continued.

Her fiance Minh has since apologized for using an anti-gay slur during the incident. He says he has since heard from others who have also had similar incidents with the same man.

“My fiance and I don’t want anything bad to happen to him…. We’re not looking to press charges or open up a case of anything like that. We simply want an apology. He just needs to know it’s not okay.” Junie told ABC7News.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the website stopapiahate has documented more than 2500 anti-Asian hate incidents.

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