Elderly Asian Woman Attacked in San Fransisco Donates $1 Million to Fight Anti-Asian Crime
A week after victimized by the racism violence, an Asian-American woman who was attacked in downtown San Francisco will be donating close to a million dollars to fight the ongoing anti-Asian violence and racism based on her own grandson.
Woman Suffered Injuries
While recovering from the vicious attack she suffered last week, which caused two swollen and bleeding black eyes, the grandson of the 75-year-old, Xiao Zhen Xie, set up an online fundraiser. John Chen initiated the cause in order to pay for his grandmother's medical bills.
Based on the statement of the San Francisco police, Xie was struck by 39-year-old Steven Jenkins at the 7th and Market streets on March 17, without any reason. A local news outlet initially reported that the 75-year-old Asian American defended herself by punching Jenkins.
Anti-Asian Attack
Videos regarding the incident showed Xie on a street corner with a bruised face while her attacker was laying on a stretcher. The said anti-Asian attack came a day after the shooting incident at Atlanta-area spas which killed eight individuals including six Asian women.
Despite not having clear evidence that the Atlanta massacre was racially motivated, several Asian-Americans saw the incident as the culmination of a string of attacks against Asians during the coronavirus pandemic. Also, after the usage of racial language by former President Donald Trump, like 'Kung flu' and 'China virus' to link the origins of the virus to China, there is a rise in verbal and assaults on Asian-Americans.
Moreover, the attack on 75-year-old, Xiao Zhen Xie is one of several violent assaults on Asian-American senior citizens in the Bay Area, which prompted volunteers to start their patrolling. The grandson of Xie, John Chen wrote on his GoFundMe page that his grandmother, who is living in San Francisco for almost 26 years, survived cancer but suffered again because of the violence. Xie had a bruise on her wrist, but what concerns Chen most is the emotional distress that he grandmother suffered, The Mercury News reported.
GoFundMe Donation
The story of Xie and her self-defense quickly spread on social media which instantly poured the donations in. In just a week, the GoFundMe set up by Chen gained more than $965,000.
According to Los Angeles Times, on Monday, Chen updated the status of her grandmother and shared that Xie had improved, not only because the swelling around her left eye had shrunk but also emotionally. Chen mentioned that her grandmother was determined in donating the rest of the funds to the Asian American community in battling the ongoing anti-Asian hate crimes and racism.
Chen wrote that her grandmother emphasized that the Asian-American community should not submit to racism and must fight to the death as long as they will eliminate it. Xie also insisted that the issue is bigger than her and needs to be resolved.
Meanwhile, Robert Rueca, the spokesman of the San Francisco police stated that Jenkin had assaulted an 83-year-old Asian man earlier Wednesday at the U.N. Plaza. The spokesman added that a security guard in the vicinity witnessed the attack and chased Jenkins. Later on, Jenkins was arrested and hospitalized for injuries not related to the attacks, CNN reported.
WATCH: Elderly Victim In San Francisco Anti-Asian Assault Recalls Fighting Back Against Attacker - from KPIX CBS SF Bay Area
RELATED ARTICLE: California Universities Condemn Hate Crimes on Asian-Americans, Increase Efforts to Curb Racism
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