Orange County residents are rallying in support of one of their Asian American family members who have been the target of racially-biased crimes that have been surging throughout California in recent weeks.
Haijun Si and his family have been harassed multiple times for several months as surveillance footage showed vandals ringing their home doorbells in the middle of the night. The suspects also banged on the doors, threw stones, and shouted racial slurs at the victims.
Racially-Biased Crimes
“This harassment started almost immediately upon them moving here, and the fact that it’s so clearly tied to their race is deeply upsetting,” Ladera Ranch resident Olivia Fu said.
Over the weekend, several community members held a cultural festival to show their support of the Asian American community, which Fu attended. “We need to stand in solidarity with the Asian community,” one speaker at the event said.
Many are anxious about the increasing number of brutal and violent attacks focused on Asian Americans. On Thursday night, one man was stabbed in New York’s Chinatown. Police have arrested a suspect and charged them with a hate crime.
A Chinese woman was the victim of a brutal crime outside a bakery when the suspect attacked her. In California, a 91-year-old Oakland man was brutally knocked to the ground.
“Sad, fearful, most of all outraged. This is 2021; it’s unacceptable, California Senator Dave Min, who attended the weekend community event, said.
Los Angeles authorities are investigating a potential hate crime that occurred at a Buddhist temple in Little Tokyo. Officials said the suspects knocked lanterns over, shattered one window, and set an entryway on fire, ABC7 reported.
Community volunteers in Orange County have set up a neighborhood watch to guard the Si family’s home and keep hateful individuals away. “We wanted to create an event that would show the best part of the community. The community together showing up for one another,” Priscilla Huang, one of the event’s organizers, said.
