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12.16.2007

robberies targeting asian restaurants

Beware, to Asian restaurants in the Bay Area... According to police, there have recently been at least 11 armed robberies at restaurants in Berkeley, Antioch, El Cerrito, San Leandro, Union City and Oakland. While no firm link has been established between all the cases, the restaurants have all been Asian, from sushi to Chinese: String Of Bay Area Robberies Target Asian Restaurants And Customers. The suspects have been described as a pair of African American males, between their teens and late 20s. Investigators apparently haven't been able explain why these Asian restaurant would be targeted. Could it be because the robbers perceive Asians to be easy targets? I thin the most recent victim, Albert Lou, has it right when he suggests there is "a perception that the Asian community would be less likely to report the crime or talk about it." Basically, they think we're a passive community that's just goin to lie down and take it. Well, hell no to that. Be vigilant, stay alert, keep an eye out, and most importantly, speak up.