Asian Americans Are Being Targeted With Hate

Racism is happening because of the coronavirus

Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans have been citizens of the United States for well over a century. After Chinese and Japanese immigrants arrived in the United States mostly in the 1800’s and the early part of the 1900’s, they established families. Their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and great great grandchildren have been and are American citizens.

They have faced their share of racism, especially with Japanese Americans being incarcerated in the American concentration camps of World War II. Some time later, they became known as the “Model Minority.” Now they are facing racism again as a result of the coronavirus which certain people are blaming on China (and on any persons of Asian background).

Videos have been taken of many racist rants against people who are ethnic Asian. The perpetrators of the violent attacks do not distinguish among the various Asian ethnicities and are randomly targeting any person of Asian extraction with whom they come in contact. Many of the racist rants are done by white women who are now being called “Karen.”

A young Asian American woman was simply exercising in a park when she was confronted by a racist woman who yelled, “Go back to whatever (expletive) Asian country you belong in… This is not your place. This is not your home. We do not want you here.’’ The same day that woman also accosted a man with a racist rant. Ironically, she got in her Japanese make automobile after her racist rant, and the incident happened in Torrance, California, where a Japanese restaurant has faced racism.

The Mitsui Restaurant has been a popular eating establishment for years. One of their specialties is the shrimp tempura which is lacy and crispy. It is served in generous portions in large bowls over warm rice. The Matsui Restaurant would have long lines for the Matsui special which was available whenever Yankees slugger, Hideki Matsui, would hit a home run.

Hideki Matsui is a former Japanese professional baseball outfielder and designated hitter who played professional baseball in Japan and Major League Baseball in the United States. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed. He is 6 feet 1 inch tall and won the World Series Most Valuable Player Award in 2009. He was born in Nomi, Japan, on June 12, 1974. [Wikipedia]

Matsui baseball memorabilia decorates the restaurant interior, but the chairs are empty because of the coronavirus. A large sign indicates takeout only. Business has been challenging since the pandemic started in March, but the restaurant never expected to be targeted by anti-Asian hate.

Security video footage taken from inside Matsui on the morning of July 13, 2020, shows a man throwing something at the restaurant, smashing two of the large plate glass windows. A delivery driver saw a man on a bicycle, throwing rocks at businesses. The man looked at him and said, “Oh, you’re Japanese. Japan started COVID. Japan caused 9/11.’”

The next day, a restaurant manager was driving in the area when he saw a man fitting the description of the suspect in a shopping plaza. The man shouted at him, “Are you Asian? Are you Asian?’” The man had a knife. Police later arrested a 36 year old man and charged him with assault with a deadly weapon. He was apparently the person who vandalized the Mitsui Restaurant and other businesses.

A week later, the windows had been repaired at Matsui Restaurant. Business is largely back to what constitutes normal these days. The restaurant is an embodiment of the American dreams of immigrants. The manager said the restaurant is surviving during the Covid-19 pandemic because of the loyalty of their customers. [Information was taken from a story in The Rafu Newspaper in Los Angeles.]

Racism is a huge problem for Black people in the United States. It has become a major problem once again for Asian Americans as well.

People have been asked to stop the spread of the Covid-19 virus by adhering to the guidelines of social distancing, wearing a mask, and washing hands regularly. Sanitizing is key to curbing the virus. People should also adhere to guidelines to stop the spread of racism. Be concerned for others, help others, and show more care and consideration for anyone who is facing racism.