Some disturbing news about a verbal attack on Evan Low, vice mayor of Campbell, California... Last weekend, Low was on his way to a community festival when a woman came up to him and started going off on a violent tirade, yelling anti-gay slurs and telling him to "go back to China," among other things: Gay, Chinese Campbell Vice Mayor Verbally Assaulted.
Low, 29, was the city's first Chinese American, openly gay city councilman, mayor and now vice mayor. And he apparently can't enjoy Campbell's annual Oktoberfest without some racist, homophobic person, identified as Lisa Knox-Smith, getting all up in his business, right there on the street:
Low, 29, and a friend were walking through the Pruneyard on Saturday when Lisa Knox-Smith, a middle-aged meddler in city politics, allegedly approached Low and yelled, "Bang!" while forming her hand into the shape of a gun. Low says she then followed this up by screaming, "Die, fag!" and other obscenities over the next five minutes.It's apparently a misdemeanor to use words in public to provoke violence. I'm pretty sure this counts. According to police, they've been in touch with the district attorney's office, and they do plan to find charges -- once they locate her. They appear to be having some trouble tracking her down. More here: Evan Low Accosted for Sexual Orientation.
One of the first openly gay Asian American elected officials in the country, Low says he was stunned by the audacity of Knox-Smith, whom Campbell police know well and have yet to serve with a misdemeanor arrest warrant.
"At the time it felt like it wasn't real," Low says. "In hindsight, maybe I should've been more cautious, but it didn't kick in."
Thankfully, as Low gathered his bearings, other lovers of beer weren't having any of it. Several groups of people confronted Knox-Smith for her hysterical hate speech, Low says, while he called police with his cell phone. Possibly realizing she was in the wrong, or maybe fearing what police would say if she admitted pretending to shoot Low for being gay, Knox-Smith then jumped in a white Mercedes and drove off—but not before a woman with a baby stroller spit on her car. Nice job, mom.