Cars owned by elderly Asian-Americans set on fire in Oakland, Calif.

[dalton99a]

https://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-2-asian-seniors-left-011827505.html

EXCLUSIVE: 2 Asian seniors left shaken after car fires in Oakland
Mon, March 29, 2021, 8:18 PM



One of the victims says there are only two homes owned by Asian Americans along the road where the incident happened. The rest, Latino.

Video Transcript

DION LIM: This is the sight two seniors woke up to around 3:30 on Saturday morning.

DION LIM: Raging flames, two cars set ablaze. Mr. Chang, who only wants to use his last name, owns one of them. The other belonging to his neighbor, who doesn't want to be identified. Both vehicles charred to a crisp. ...

DION LIM: At a time when so many Asian-Americans are feeling under attack, Mr. Chheng, who is Cambodian, and his neighbor, Chinese, can't help but feel like they were targeted. He says there are only two homes owned by Asians along this road, the rest Latino. Abe Santos lives across the street and says this was too close for comfort. ...

DION LIM: I asked Oakland Fire, who responded Saturday, if they think the fires were suspicious. Just over a week ago, I reported on an Asian man with disabilities who had his vehicle set ablaze in Redwood City. Oakland Fire doesn't currently have any evidence to confirm there was foul play. As for Mr. Chheng, who is an immigrant, the past year has already been so hard.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

1. No evidence to confirm foul play, huh?

Really?

REALLY?!?

[secondwind]

2. They did not say there is no evidence, they said

they don’t have any at the moment. I know it can be confusing.

[Hugh_Lebowski]

4. Seriously?

I'm well aware of what the word 'currently' means.

The EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY is two different cars, on different properties, bursting into flames at virtually the same fucking time?!?

How can anyone possibly say with a straight face that there's no 'evidence of foul play'?

ONE car is one thing. But two different cars? Same block? Same time?

You could say 'we don't have absolute proof of foul play, yet'.

But no evidence?

C'mon ... this isn't rocket science, Mr. Fire Department guy.

[Sympthsical]

3. Oakland? Sounds about right

Anti-Asian violence has been a thing there for as long as I've lived in the area. Glad it's getting a lot more play than it used to.

[Demsrule86]

7. No offence, but this quite recent...and due entirely to Trump and his minions.

Anti-Asian hate crimes increased by nearly 150% in 2020, mostly in N.Y. and L.A., new report says

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/anti-asian-hate-crimes-increased-nearly-150-2020-mostly-n-n1260264

[Sympthsical]

9. No offense, but I live here

Trump made it worse, but it's been bad for Asians and Asian-Americans here for a long time. No one cared until Trump opened his yap.

I'm just glad Asians are no longer being called "white-adjacent" by the wokesters on our side as an excuse to ignore or downplay the hardships they've had to endure for years (funny how that whole nonsense vanished all of a sudden, isn't it?)

People who think this is all Trump either never paid attention or never cared.

Or, as is likely with these things, both.

I live here. My social circle is overwhelmingly Asian. My partner is Asian. I know what I see with my own two eyes and hear with my own two ears. I do not get my information from Twitter. I know my experiences. I know their experiences.

As I said, I'm glad people are paying attention now. Shouldn't have taken Trump to do so, however. Blaming it all on Trump is a bit of partisan soothing - "It can't possibly be anyone else's fault except people I politically dislike!" If you look at the actual stats, I guarantee you won't like them one bit. Hint: Not all right-wingers.

[Demsrule86]

10. I looked up the statistics...Trump is causing this.

I have no doubt some existed before but nothing like this.

[Sympthsical]

12. He made it worse

But yes, it was very bad before. My ex was decked in the face at MacArthur Bart out of a clear blue sky one day. No reason. Just Asian in Oakland. Ask a lot of Asians about what Oakland is like for them.

And you'll never guess. Oakland? Not a bastion of Trump fans.

What is the point of this partisan bubble? You want to disagree that Asians have been getting a lot of crap for a long time and it was largely ignored by our side because sometimes our racial politics are incredibly stupid?

Trump made it worse. But we ignored it before him.

[dalton99a]

13. +1. Criminals have victimized Asians for years with impunity even in Blue cities

Basically arrests were made only in high-profile cases

https://abc7news.com/man-arrested-for-threatening-to-kill-asians-asian-threat-bay-area-east-former-gang-member-social-media-posts/10362628/
EXCLUSIVE: Former Bay Area gang member arrested after threatening to kill Asians online
By Dion Lim
Tuesday, February 23, 2021

[Sympthsical]

14. I saw that story and it chilled me

It was also utterly unsurprising. There's a deep anti-Asian sentiment in parts of the Bay Area, but it's a very uncomfortable conversation for some people to have. Mainly, because it would involve telling someone other than white people that they have a severe racism problem.

I suspect that's why Trump throwing gas on the fire suddenly made people perk up about anti-Asian violence. Suddenly white supremacy could be blamed in some way. Before that? Crickety crick cricket.

[czarjak]

5. But...

“We’re all children of the same god”?

[tanyev]

6. I am so sick and tired of this bullshit.

[msfiddlestix]

8. Wonder which district / neighborhood?

[Cha]

11. :(