Amid the rise in anti-Asian hate crimes in Canadian cities, a new crowdfunded initiative aims to make a little bit safer for Asian-Canadians to make essential trips.
For Bay Area Asian Americans worried about walking alone, there s a new service
Iris Kwok
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A new service seeks to help Asian Americans walking aloneAekkarak Thongjiew / EyeEm/Getty Images
Akari Myo was walking home from the bus stop after working the closing shift at Boba Guys in Hayes Valley one March evening when she noticed something peculiar: three unfamiliar cars, parked on the street she lived on.
“Weird,” Myo thought. There usually weren’t that many cars. But she was almost home, and kept walking.
The running footsteps came from behind. Myo turned around, terrified. From the shadows had emerged a dark figure that was now rapidly approaching. The thief grabbed her shoulder bag and tried to pry it off her shoulder. Little did he know that Myo was prepared.
These Asian American women are chaperoning others who feel unsafe: It s uplifting to help
Cathy Free, The Washington Post
April 12, 2021
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Katrina Ramos, left, meets with Compassion in Oakland volunteers in Oakland s Chinatown in March.Compassion in Oakland.
In February, after a number of anti-Asian attacks in the Bay Area, Jess Owyoung s sadness quickly turned to outrage. I felt like it could have happened to my grandparents, said Owyoung, 37, a fourth-generation Chinese American who lives in the Bay Area.
She already felt traumatized by news stories she d seen about the nationwide rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, and knowing that similar violent acts had happened just a few miles from her home left her with a sick feeling, she said.
One service in the Bay Area has received more than 2,000 volunteer applications Katrina Ramos, left, meets with Compassion in Oakland volunteers in Oakland s Chinatown in March. (Compassion in Oakland) Cathy Free
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In February, after a number of anti-Asian attacks in the Bay Area, Jess Owyoung’s sadness quickly turned to outrage.
“I felt like it could have happened to my grandparents,” said Owyoung, 37, a fourth-generation Chinese American who lives in the Bay Area.
She already felt traumatized by news stories she’d seen about the nationwide rise of anti-Asian hate crimes, and knowing that similar violent acts had happened just a few miles from her home left her with a sick feeling, she said.
Compassion in Oakland is one of many grass-roots organizations that have sprung up in response to the rise in anti-Asian violence. Since the onset of the pandemic, hate crimes against Asian Americans are up 150%.