There were eight anti-AAPI hate crimes reported to the San Francisco police in 2019 and nine in 2020. In 2021, there were 60. These numbers are considered preliminary until the California Department of Justice makes its final determination on hate-crime statistics throughout the state, police said.

San Francisco’s police chief, Bill Scott, said at a Tuesday news conference that one man was believed to be responsible for half of the incidents reported last year. Scott said the man who was not named, was arrested in August and could face enhanced hate-crime charges.

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“We will do everything we can to make those arrests, to hold perpetrators accountable,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed (D) said Tuesday. “I’m angry about the violence that has continued to impact many of the people who are part of our Asian community but especially our seniors,” she added.

The United States is no stranger to anti-Asian racism. As early as 1882, the Chinese Exclusion Act banned Chinese immigration for 10 years. (Monica Rodman, Sarah Hashemi/The Washington Post)

Reports of anti-Asian hate crimes increased more than any other category of hate crime last year, according to the preliminary police report. The city recorded a slight decrease in reports of hate crimes against Arabs or Muslims and Latinos. Anti-Jewish hate crimes were up, from five to eight reports in 2021.

At the news conference, Scott said law enforcement would be present at public celebrations of Lunar New Year, which officially begin next week and will include the yearly parade the city is known for. “If anybody thinks that San Francisco is an easy place to come in and terrorize our Asian communities, you are sadly mistaken — and you will be held accountable,” Scott said.

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2021 saw an alarming rise in hate crimes against the API community — an increase of 567% since 2020. Over the last year, we’ve invested in senior escort programs, community patrols, and foot beats to protect all of our API residents. We need to do more.https://t.co/02oGRdcYNd

— London Breed (@LondonBreed) January 25, 2022

The jump in hate-crime reports comes against the backdrop of a rise in anti-Asian hate across the United States that some experts say is fueled in part by the coronavirus pandemic.

In a survey conducted in April 2021 by the Pew Research Center, 81 percent of Asian American adults said violence against them is increasing. Nearly half said they experienced at least one of five types of situations — ranging from feeling like someone was about to attack them to being blamed for the pandemic or being the subject of a racial slur — since the start of the pandemic. Only 32 percent reported that someone expressed support for them in that same period.

California is home to four of the five cities with the largest share of Asian Americans in the United States. In San Francisco, a spate of attacks against the elderly in the streets of Chinatown, many caught on camera, fueled fear and put pressure on city officials to do more to prevent them.

The post San Francisco says anti-Asian and Pacific Islander hate crimes up 567% in early knowledge appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

Anti-Asian hate crimes in San Francisco spiked 567 percent in 2021 as police say a one-man crimewave was responsible for more than half the attacks.

Hate crimes targeting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the California city, jumped to 60 last year from just nine in 2020 and eight in 2019 – although officials believe the actual numbers are much higher because people are reluctant to report to the police.

‘That is significant, that is concerning and that is alarming,’ police chief Bill Scott said at a press conference in San Francisco’s Chinatown on Tuesday as he announced the police department would have a presence at next week’s Lunar New Year celebration while advising the community to remain vigilant.

Scott said 31 of the 60 reported attacks were committed by one man. He did not name the culprit but police later pointed to the arrest last August of 36-year-old Derik Barreto who rode around San Francisco on a scooter, vandalizing Chinese-owned businesses for five months until he was captured.

He faces 33 charges including 31 hate crime enhancements the DA’s office brought based on statements he allegedly made to police implying he targeted Asians.

Barreto is scheduled to appear in court for a hearing on January 31, according to court records.

Police believe that 36-year-old Derik Barreto (pictured), who was arrested last August, is responsible for 31 of the 60 incidents reported last year – more than half of the total number. From April to August he is alleged to have targeted Chinese-owned businesses and faces 33 charges including vandalism and burglary and 31 hate crime enhancements which the DA’s office brought based on statements he made to police

Preliminary numbers indicated hate crimes targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander in San Francisco went from nine in 2020 to 60 in 2021

In August, pFrancisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced Barreto was facing 33 charges, including hate crime allegations, for 27 separate incidents of vandalism and burglary targeting 20 primarily Chinese-owned businesses, CBS San Francisco reported.

The Democratic DA, whose progressive policies have been blamed for the overall spike in crime in the city, said Barreto rode around San Francisco on a scooter and shattered the windows of 20 separate stores using a slingshot, pipe, or hammer during a string of racially motivated offenses between April and August 2021.

Barreto is charged with 27 felony counts of vandalism, four felony counts of second-degree burglary, one misdemeanor count of possession of burglary tools, and one misdemeanor count of possession of a concealed weapon.

He will face 31 enhanced hate-crime charges after comments Barreto allegedly made to police suggesting he intentionally targeted businesses he believed to be Chinese-owned and that he was motivated by the perceived race and nationality of the victims, the San Francisco Standard reported.

‘Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a deeply concerning increase in the incidence of hate and violence against the AAPI community. We will not stand for it and we will do everything in our power to stop it,’ Boudin said.

Reports of anti-Asian hate crimes in San Francisco increased more than against any other group, and even without accounting for Barreto’s crime spree would still have seen a 200 percent jump last year. There were just eight reported in 2019 in the city, where nearly 35 percent of its population of 300.00 is Asian.

Hateful attacks against the AAPI community surged nationally during the pandemic, fueled in part by then-President Donald Trump’s calling COVID-19 a derogatory nickname that insulted China.

In San Francisco, Anti-Jewish hate crimes also saw a slight increase from five to eight reports in 2021, while reports of hate crimes against Arabs or Muslims and Latinos decreased slightly, preliminary police reports indicated.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks at a news conference about crime against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in San Francisco, California, US January 25, 2022

‘That is significant, that is concerning and that is alarming,’ San Francisco’s police chief Bill Scott said at a press conference in Chinatown on Tuesday about the increase in hate crimes

Scott’s press conference came on the same day Anh Lê, an elderly Asian American man who was attacked two years ago in San Francisco and left with PTSD, announced he was suing the city’s District Attorney’s Office about allegedly mishandling his case.

Lê was walking through Chinatown when he sustained a ‘brutal’ assault by a father and son, who beat him with a baseball bat and threatened to kill him.

The 69-year-old, who is Vietnamese American, was able to escape and call 911. His attackers were arrested later that day by SFPD officers, on November 2, 2019.

The father was identified as Jimmy Tanner Sr. His teenage son had taken a baseball bat out of his mother’s bag after Lê told him to be careful while he was riding his bicycle on a busy sidewalk, and had nearly crashed into him.

Tanner Sr.’s teenage son hit Lê repeatedly with the bat, before his father held up a glass bottle and threatened to kill the elderly man. According to NextShark, Tanner Sr. was detained for battery, felony elder abuse and terrorist threats.

However, the San Francisco District Attorney refused to prosecute either Tanner Sr. or his son with a hate crime, and agreed to a lenient plea deal with the father.

In order to avoid jail time, Tanner Sr. pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor battery charge. He received a year of probation over the incident.

Lê says the Office of District Attorney Chesa Boudin never informed him of a lenient plea deal cut with his attackers or the lack of a hate crime charge until after the fact.

He is now arguing that the office of DA Boudin has systemically refused to uphold the rights of Asian Americans victimized by racial violence.

‘The San Francisco District Attorney’s Office allowed the adult male attacker to plead to a misdemeanor with one year probation, restitution to the victim and (a) criminal protective order,’ Mr Lê said during a news conference on Tuesday.

Anh Lê was walking through Chinatown when he sustained a ‘brutal’ assault by a father and son who threatened to kill him and beat him with a baseball bat. San Francisco District Attorney refused to prosecute either Tanner Sr. or his son with a hate crime, and agreed to a lenient plea deal with the father, with telling Mr Lê

‘They did this without consulting me, without any input from me at all, and in violation of my rights as a victim.’

During the conference, the man said the attack was ‘the most brutal, terrifying and humiliating experience of my life.’

The Stop AAPI Hate coalition out of San Francisco State University tracked more than 10,000 incidents of hate from March 2020 through September 2021.

In San Francisco and elsewhere, video clips of Asian Americans being attacked and robbed on public streets alarmed the community so much that frightened seniors stayed home.

Most recently, former San Francisco Bay Area resident Michelle Go died in New York City after a mentally disturbed man pushed her in front of a subway.

Officials there say there is no indication the man was motivated by racial bias, but Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are still rattled.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at Tuesday’s news conference they have expanded the crime tip line to include more languages ​​and are sharing safety tips for Lunar New Year celebrations.

But he also acknowledged his department is only part of a criminal justice system that includes prosecution and judges.

Statistics do not show the whole picture because not everyone reports incidents. Also, prosecutors are unable to tack on hate crime enhancements without a clear statement of bias by the alleged attacker.

This has frustrated some victims and their families, who see the charge as a sign of accountability.

The post Anti-Asian hate crimes rose 567% in San Francisco in 2021: One man liable for 31 assaults  appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mayor of San Francisco expressed despair over the increase in reported hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders last year, up an astonishing 567% from the previous year, according to preliminary figures released by the police department on Tuesday .

Mayor London Breed pledged continued support for the community, saying she suspects actual numbers are much higher because people are reluctant to report to the police. The initial count shows 60 victims in 2021, up from nine in 2020. Half of last year’s victims were allegedly targeted by one man.

It would have broken her heart if the grandmother who raised her had been attacked “in the way that we see so many of our seniors of the AAPI community being attacked,” Breed said at Tuesday’s press conference. “But that didn’t happen. Because as a community we protected one another. And that’s what we have to do now more than ever.”

Hateful attacks against the AAPI community — Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — surged nationally during the pandemic, fueled in part by then-President Donald Trump’s calling COVID-19 a derogatory nickname that insulted China. The Stop AAPI Hate coalition out of San Francisco State University tracked more than 10,000 incidents of hate from March 2020 through September 2021.

In San Francisco and elsewhere, video clips of Asian Americans being attacked and robbed on public streets alarmed the community so much that frightened seniors stayed home. Most recently, former San Francisco Bay Area resident Michelle Go died in New York City after a mentally disturbed man pushed her in front of a subway. Officials there say there is no indication the man was motivated by racial bias, but Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are still rattled.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at Tuesday’s news conference they have expanded the crime tip line to include more languages ​​and are sharing safety tips for Lunar New Year celebrations. But he also acknowledged his department is only part of a criminal justice system that includes prosecution and judges.

Statistics do not show the whole picture because not everyone reports incidents. Also, prosecutors are unable to tack on hate crime enhancements without a clear statement of bias by the alleged attacker. This has frustrated some victims and their families, who see the charge as a sign of accountability.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who faces a recall election in June, has come under fire from some Asian American victims.

On Tuesday, lawyers for Anh Lê filed a federal lawsuit against Boudin, saying his office has systemically refused to uphold the rights of Asian Americans victimized by racial violence. Lê says the DA’s office never informed him of a lenient plea deal cut with his attackers or the lack of a hate crime charge until after the fact.

Rachel Marshall, a spokeswoman for the DA, said in a statement that Boudin has been a “steadfast advocate” for improved services and support for the AAPI community. He has added multilingual advocates to his office and launched an AAPI elder abuse steering committee, she said.

The mayor at Tuesday’s news conference declined to comment on the lawsuit.

The post San Francisco studies huge enhance in anti-Asian hate crimes appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The mayor of San Francisco expressed despair at the increase in reported hate crimes against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders over the past year, up a staggering 567% from the year before, according to preliminary figures released Tuesday by the Police Department have been released.

The Mayor of London Breed vowed to continue to support the community and said she expected the real numbers to be much higher because people were reluctant to report to the police. The first count shows 60 victims in 2021, up from nine in 2020. Half of last year’s victims were allegedly assaulted by a man.

San Francisco Mayor London Breed speaks during a briefing outside City Hall in San Francisco on December 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File)

It would have broken her heart if the grandmother who raised her had been attacked, “in the way that we see so many of our seniors in the AAPI community being attacked,” Breed said at Tuesday’s news conference. “But it didn’t come to that. Because we protected each other as a community. And we need to do that now more than ever.”

Hateful attacks against the AAPI community — Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — increased nationwide during the pandemic, fueled in part by then-President Donald Trump calling COVID-19 a derogatory moniker that offended China. San Francisco State University’s Stop AAPI Hate Coalition tracked more than 10,000 incidents of hate from March 2020 to September 2021.

In San Francisco and elsewhere, video clips of Asian Americans being assaulted and robbed on public streets alarmed the community enough to keep terrified seniors at home. Recently, former San Francisco Bay Area resident Michelle Go died in New York City after a mentally ill man pushed her in front of a subway train. Officials there say there is no indication the man was motivated by racial prejudice, but Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders remain unsettled.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at Tuesday’s news conference that they’ve expanded crime tips to include more languages ​​and are sharing safety tips for the Lunar New Year celebrations. However, he also acknowledged that his department is only part of a criminal justice system that includes prosecutors and judges.

Statistics don’t tell the whole picture because not everyone reports incidents. Also, prosecutors are unable to ameliorate hate crimes without the alleged attacker demonstrating a clear bias. This has frustrated some victims and their families, who see the charges as a sign of accountability.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who faces a recall election in June, has come under fire from some Asian-American victims.

On Tuesday, attorneys for Anh Lê filed a federal lawsuit against Boudin, saying his office systematically refused to uphold the rights of Asian Americans who have been victims of racial violence. Lê says the prosecutor’s office only informed him afterwards of a lenient deal with his attackers or the lack of hate crime charges.

Rachel Marshall, a spokeswoman for the DA, said in a statement that Boudin has been a “staunch advocate” for improved services and support for the AAPI community. He has added multilingual attorneys to his office and created an AAPI Elder Abuse Steering Committee, she said.

The mayor declined to comment on the lawsuit at Tuesday’s press conference.

The post San Francisco experiences huge enhance in anti-Asian hate crimes appeared first on Los Gatos News And Events.

In San Francisco and elsewhere, video clips of Asian Americans being attacked and robbed on public streets alarmed the community so much that frightened seniors stayed home. Most recently, former San Francisco Bay Area resident Michelle Go died in New York City after a mentally disturbed man pushed her in front of a subway. Officials there say there is no indication the man was motivated by racial bias, but Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders are still rattled.

San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said at Tuesday’s news conference they have expanded the crime tip line to include more languages ​​and are sharing safety tips for Lunar New Year celebrations. But he also acknowledged his department is only part of a criminal justice system that includes prosecution and judges.

Statistics do not show the whole picture because not everyone reports incidents. Also, prosecutors are unable to tack on hate crime enhancements without a clear statement of bias by the alleged attacker. This has frustrated some victims and their families, who see the charge as a sign of accountability.

San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who faces a recall election in June, has come under fire from some Asian American victims.

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