SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. (KRON) – This year’s Lunar New Year celebrations were already being dampened by COVID-19 but now a rash of violent attacks against Asian seniors here in the Bay Area has people on edge during what is normally a joyous holiday.
Supervisors Gordon Mar and Myrna Melgar along with a San Francisco police captain walked Taraval Street near 19th Avenue and dropped in on some of the Asian-owned businesses along the corridor to wish them a Happy Year of the Ox and to address the heightened awareness in the community about safety.
“There has been a heightened awareness in the community about safety,” Myrna Melgar said.
There have been some high-profile violent attacks against elderly Asian victims in several cities across the Bay Area.
Just a few weeks ago, 84-year-old Vicha Ratanapakdee died at SF General Hospital from injuries sustained after an attack in San Francisco’s Anza Vista neighborhood.
“Unfortunately this year, a time of year many Asian communities are not feeling joy and celebration and it’s a moment where there’s a lot of concern, fear, and even outrage over the growing number of incidents, violence, crime and hate being targeted at Asian communities, particularly our vulnerable seniors,” Gordon Mar said.
Captain of Taraval Station had a few tips regarding the Lunar New Year tradition of giving red envelopes with money inside.
“As far as having like red envelopes openly displayed, I wouldn’t do that, I wouldn’t openly display them. If there’s any way to display them and go inside the bank and do the transaction, that might be a little safer than to be standing out using an ATM where you are pretty visible to anyone who might be watching that ATM and use the buddy system, bring somebody with you,” Captain Nick Rainsford said.
Supervisor Melgar called on non-Asian businesses to watch out for their neighbors.
This week, several supervisors including Mar and Melgar called for a hearing on crimes and violence targeting Asian Americans which is expected to be held sometime next month.