Sketch by Jonathan Chang of Vicha Ratanapakdee who died after being shoved into a concrete sidewalk via Twitter
A coalition of Bay Area groups Tuesday announced a weekend of action against anti-Asian hatred.
Some 50 Asian American non-profits signed a statement describing their community as “traumatized, afraid and outraged.”
“We recognize that violence affects all of us and all of our communities. We must invest in long-term community-centered solutions that create spaces for cross-racial healing that address underlying causes and create ways for all to thrive. We believe that our strength is in unity, not division, and that our histories and our futures are intertwined. That is why we are committed to working with Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander communities for long-term shared vision and solutions,”
Supporters announced they will gather in Oakland Chinatown from 3-5 pm on Saturday. For more information, contact [email protected].
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A second day of action will be held the very next day in San Francisco at Civic Center Plaza from 11- 1p.m. You can get more information by emailing [email protected].
“From our Chinese, Vietnamese, Thai elders to Asian American youth, our community is fearful of being in public alone, simply going for a walk, or living their daily lives,” said Cynthia Choi, co-director of Chinese for Affirmative Action. “These incidents are stark reminders that urgent action must be taken to protect our AAPI community.”
The action follows the murder of 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee in San Francisco after a teen ran from across the street to shove him into the concrete sidewalk and kill him. Antoine Watson pled not guilty to the charge after being arrested in nearby Daly City.
In Oakland Yahya Muslim faces charges for pushing an Asian man into the ground, barely missing a metal bike rack. Police then say that same day, Muslim attacked a 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman.
“It’s difficult to shove a senior citizen to the ground if you see yourself in them, if you have a relationship with them. It’s difficult to racially profile someone if you’re not afraid of them, and can see that person as an
individual,” said Ener Chiu of East Bay Asian Local Development Corporation.
“We need to invest in community safety infrastructure and people who can bring those different communities into relationship.”
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