Asian American Woman's Home Vandalized in Hate Crime

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



"I wear my mask if I want F**KING ASIAN you create the virus"
In San Francisco, police are investigating a hate crime in the city's Sunset District, where a man vandalized an Asian American woman's home and left a letter saying, "I wear my mask if I want FUCKING ASIAN you create the virus." The hate incidents were apparent set off by an altercation in which the woman, who was outside her home with her infant twins, asked a passing man to wear a mask. The man later returned multiple times to throw a water bottle, then an egg and then to leave not only the letter but a mask with writing on it, which said "keep America without Asian." Police are investigating the incident as "racially motivated." Ya think?

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Vancouver. What in the fuck. pic.twitter.com/PKykQ55SAF

— Angry Asian Man (@angryasianman) October 23, 2020

Woman Pushed Off Vancouver Bus After Spitting on Man
Metro Vancouver Transit Police are investigating after a video was posted on TikTok showing a woman who appears to have been pushed off a bus after she spit on another passenger. In the video, the bus is stopped when a woman, who is standing in the aisle and not wearing a face mask, appears to spit on a man. The man, who is wearing a face mask, appears shocked and disgusted, gets up from his seat and appears to push the woman twice. After the second push, the woman can be seen falling onto a sidewalk. I can't say I condone physical violence, but hell, I'm not gonna fault this guy for losing his cool in the moment.

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Steven Yeun Could Become the First Asian American Best Actor Nominee
With Hollywood's upcoming awards season starting to take shape, A24 has confirmed that Steven Yeun will campaign as a lead actor for his performance in Minari. Co-star Yeri Han will also campaign for best actress, while his cast mates Alan S. Kim, Will Patton and Yuh-Jung Youn will look for consideration in the supporting categories. If nominated for best actor, Yeun would be the first Asian American to ever be recognized in the category. Written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung, Minari tells the story of a Korean American family who searches for a better life when they move to a small farm in 1980s Arkansas. The film is scheduled for release sometime by the end of this year.

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Jeremy Lin Drops First Ever Signature Shoe with Xtep
Chinese sports retailer Xtep has released the Jeremy Lin's first signature shoe: the Xtep JLIN ONE.

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Kelly Marie Tran Shirt
I don't care what anybody says. I'm totally rocking this Kelly Marie Tran shirt.

"Let my buildling burn. Justice needs to be served."

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Their Minneapolis Restaurant Burned, but They Back the Protest
A restaurant caught in the crossfire of unrest in Minneapolis has sent a powerful message to its followers on social media. Gandhi Mahal, a family-owned Bangladeshi-Indian restaurant, was severely damaged by fire on Thursday night amidst protests over the arrest and killing of George Floyd. Hafsa Islam, whose father owns the restaurant, wrote a Facebook post sharing about the destruction, but then shared something she heard her father say over the phone: "...let my building burn. Justice needs to be served. Put those officers in jail."

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Can You Identify the Suspect Who Assaulted This Elderly Woman?
In Metro Vancouver, police are searching for a suspect who assaulted an elderly Asian woman last month. The RCMP released video of the incident, in which a woman walks toward an elderly woman using a walker, comes up from behind and trips her leg. The woman then quickly walks away as the 84-year-old victim falls to the ground. Fortunately, the victim wasn't seriously injured. It's unclear from the video, but police say it's "possible" the suspect, who has dark brown hair, could also be Asian. Whoever the hell it is... what kind of shitty person does this?

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Trump Courts Asian American Vote Amid Coronavirus
Hilarious. Donald Trump's re-election campaign is debuting its "Asian Americans for Trump" initiative in a virtual event tonight... as if his destructive, racist rhetoric hasn't had a major role in the rise of anti-Asian sentiment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asian Americans for Trump? That's a no from me. That's a hell no.

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Couple Who Met in Japanese Incarceration Camp Die Within Days of Each Other at 90
Joseph Yamada and Elizabeth Kikuchi were born two days apart, but they didn’t meet until they were 11, when both were sent with their families to a World War II incarceration camp in Poston, Arizona. Then they became mostly inseparable. After the war, they went to San Diego High School together, then to UC Berkeley. They married, raised a family, and left their marks on San Diego in landscape architecture and community service. They both died this month just days apart. They had each recently turned 90.

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A Salute to Asian Pacific American Filmmakers
In celebration of Heritage Month, IMDb created this cool video montage taking a look back at cinematic history and celebrating Asian Pacific American filmmakers and their visionary work. Lots of great films in there.

Suspect Identified in Hate Crime Attack on 92-Year-Old Man

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Suspect Identified in Hate Crimes Assault of Elderly Man in Vancouver
Police say they have identified a suspect, based on numerous tips from the public, in the hate-crime assault of a 92-year-old Asian man in Vancouver. No word if an arrest has been made yet. On March 13, the elderly victim, who suffers from severe dementia, wandered into a convenience store and the suspect began yelling racist remarks at him, including comments about COVID-19. Once outside the store, the suspect shoved the man, which caused him to fall and hit his head. The suspect then fled before police arrived. Here's hoping they catch this piece of garbage and nail his ass.

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Surprise, Surprise. Trump's New HHS Spokesman Tweeted Racist Shit
And literally nobody is shocked to learn that Michael Caputo, the new spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services, made racist and derogatory comments about Chinese people, among other things, in a series of now-deleted tweets. Caputo, a longtime New York Republican political operative who worked on Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, remarked that "millions of Chinese suck the blood out of rabid bats as an appetizer and eat the ass out of anteaters." He followed up at another user, "Don't you have a bat to eat?" and tweeted at another user, "You're very convincing, Wang." Seems like he'll fit in quite well with this administration.

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The Loh Down on Science: Special Pandemic Edition
=Hosted by Sandra Tsing Loh, The Loh Down on Science is a daily radio “minute” (90 seconds) of humorous yet informative current science. In light of recent events -- you know, the deadly global pandemic thing -- they're launching a limited radio/podcast series called The Loh Down on Science: Special Pandemic Edition, featuring three-minute family friendly radio/podcast/audio modules covering a range of pandemic science. Topics will include: The science of herd immunity. The wonders of soap. The curious story of Lady Montagu, English aristocrat and early vaccine adopter. Could a mad scientist create a virus in a lab? (Well, not a very good one.) Why are our house cats going nuts? The surprising healing powers of copper. Can you harness your home computer, when you're sleeping, to join an army of computers crunching data to find COVID-19’s Achilles Heel? Hint: Yes! It's been done to solve Ebola!

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Hollywood
What if you could rewrite the story? The new Netflix limited series Hollywood follows a group of aspiring actors and filmmakers in post-World War II Hollywood as they try to make it in Tinseltown -- no matter the cost. Each character offers a unique glimpse behind the gilded curtain of Hollywood's Golden Age, spotlighting the unfair systems and biases across race, gender and sexuality that continue to this day. Darren Criss stars as a white-passing biracial Filipino American director, while Michelle Krusiec guest stars as real-life Chinese American screen icon Anna May Wong. The series premieres May 1 on Netflix.

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Family Meal: A Virtual Dinner Party and Conversation
On May 1, I'll be participating in a fun little live event with some cool folks to help kick off AAPI Heritage Month. Seed & Spark presents Family Meal: A Virtual Dinner Party and Conversation. We've brought together a group of Asian American podcasters to have a frank conversation on anti-Asian racism in the time of COVID, while we eat our favorite dish. Participants will include Jeff Yang, Dino-Ray Ramos, Rebecca Sun, Taz Ahmed and myself. It's happening Friday, May 1 at 8pm PT/11pm ET. For more details, go here.

Lululemon Fires Employee Over 'Bat Fried Rice' Shirt

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



Lululemon Fires Employee Over 'Bat Fried Rice' Shirt
The athletic-wear company Lululemon has issued an apology after its art director posted a racist "Bat Fried Rice" shirt design on social media. Trevor Fleming shared a link on Instagram to the design first shared by artist Jess Sluder, featuring a Chinese take-out box decorated with bat wings and the words "no thank you" on the back. Fleming has reportedly been fired. But the real crime? The damn shirt was selling for $60.

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92-year-old Asian Man Assaulted in Vancouver Hate Crime
Police are searching for a man who assaulted a 92-year-old Asian man with dementia last month in East Vancouver. On March 13, the victim, who suffers from severe dementia, wandered into a convenience store, where staff were trying to assist him. That's when this guy started yelling racist remarks (including comments about COVID-19), draged the elderly man out of the store, then shoved him, causing him to fall to the ground and hit his head.

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Coronavirus Reminds Asian Americans Our Belonging is Conditional
"You can’t stand up for some and not for others. And like the virus, unchecked aggression has the potential to spread wildly. Please don't minimize the hate or assume it's somewhere far away. It's happening close to you. If you see it on the street, say something. If you hear it at work, say something. If you sense it in your family, say something. Stand up for your fellow Americans."

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Korean Drama Podcast: Season 2
The Korean Drama Podcast is back! After a long hiatus, the mildly popular podcast I used co-host is back for a second season. While Will, Joanna and I won't be back as your guides, we've handed off the reins to an awesome new set of hosts, Steven Lim, Kathy Yamamoto and Kim Cooper, who will be watching, re-capping and reacting to the 2010 series Secret Garden. I'm looking forward to following along with them.

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Submit Your AAPI Heritage Month Online Event Calendar Listing
With May coming up, and the community basically under lockdown and unable to gather, Jeff Yang and I are compiling a public calendar of online events taking place for Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Do you have an online event scheduled or know of one? Email us your event details at theycallusbruce@gmail.com or fill out this form. And if you're reading this and finding out for the first time that May is Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month -- yes, we get a month -- consider yourself informed. Now you know what's up.

The Trump Effect jumps over the border... into Canada

Richmond residents find racist pamphlets in their mailboxes.



Because America is not big enough to contain the current state of hate, it seems that the Trump Effect has hopped its way over the border... into Canada. This week in Richmond, which has a large Asian population, racist pamphlets taking aim at Chinese people were distributed to several homes.

Racist flyers turn up in Richmond mailboxes

The flyers, which declare "Step aside whitey, the Chinese are taking over," appear to be an attempt to draw white recipients to an "alt-right" website. The author's grievances include "being marginalized in the community your forefathers built" and living amongst "neighbors who refuse to speak your language." That would probably be Chinese people they're alluding to.

Awesome photo of "Umbrella Dad" goes viral

Father's soaked shirt is giving folks the feels.



This awesome photo of a dad shielding his kid from the rain is my favorite thing on the internet today. They're calling him "Umbrella Dad." The photo, taken in Flushing (other commenters have been claiming it's Vancouver), was posted online three days ago and went viral on Reddit after folks got the feels from seeing a combination of the dad's totally soaked shirt, the kid's cool lion backpack, a juicebox in his hand and a spring in his step. Thanks, Dad.


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Who is putting these "Chinese Driver" stickers on their cars?

Community members in the Vancouver area say the decal is a racist stereotype.



C is for Chinese Driver? In Canada, a fake "Chinese Driver" decal being sold in the Vancouver area are getting some negative attention from community leaders who say the stickers are racist.

Chinese driver signs find disapproval in Richmond

The sticker is similar in size, shaping and lettering to decals required by British Columbia for drivers in the graduated license program. Except for, you know, "Chinese Driver" spelled out underneath.

The joke being, of course, that Asians are not particularly good behind the wheel of an automobile. It appears that someone is making a buck from one of our favorite persistent Asian stereotypes.

Reality show seeks "Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver"

Casting call and open auditions on June 26. Because you can make reality show about anything.



Got this passed along to me... Asians of Vancouver! A production company is looking to cast you for a new reality show. But you can't just be any Asian girl. They're looking for the Ultra Rich Asian Girls of Vancouver.

Vancouver Reality Show Seeks 'Ultra Rich Asian Girls'

HBIC TV is described as a new reality show about "the Luxurious Lifestyles of the Ultra Rich Asian Girls in Vancouver." Because, hey, at this point, you can make a reality show about anything. The producers of HBIC TV plan to hold open auditions in Vancouver on June 26.

Here's the video announcing auditions:

Man caught urinating on Komagata Maru memorial

Vancouver police investigating the incident as a possible hate crime



Happy Monday. In case you needed a reminder of the awful people in this world... In Vancouver, police are investigating a possible hate crime after a man was photographed urinating on a memorial to an infamous incident in the city's immigration history, after trying to pick a fight with an Indian tourist and his friend.

Man who urinated on Vancouver memorial may have committed a hate crime

The incident occurred last Monday at the Komagata Maru memorial, which pays tribute to 356 Indian immigrants who were infamously denied entry to Canada in 1914 after spending two months confined to the Japanese vessel anchored in Vancouver's Coal Harbour. Long story short, Vancouver was mad racist towards yellow and brown people back then. Some things never change.

The man allegedly tried to start a fight with the tourist and his friend near the memorial, then proceeded to pee on the monument, which is an enlarged photograph of the Komagatu Maru's Sikh passengers.

Boy peeing in mall trash can sparks internet outrage

When you gotta go, you gotta go.



Thank you to the bajillion of you who sent me this photo of a kid peeing into a trash can.

The photo, which recently blazed its way through social media last week, shows a woman holding a young boy urinating into a garbage bin in the middle of the Richmond Centre Mall in British Columbia. And yes, the boy and the woman are Asian: Boy peeing in B.C. mall trash bin photo sparks online debate.

Of course, the photo sparked fierce online debate about cultural norms and public etiquette. Some commenters were quick to assume that the little urinator and his mom were from mainland China, where they asserted that public pissing and pooping were quite common. So taking a leak into a mall trash can? No big thing.

Tribunal finds restaurant guilty of racial discrimination

The Shark Club is ordered to pay Indian complainants $10,000 each for denying them entry.



News of discrimination out of the Vancouver area... The B.C. Human Rights Tribunal recently ruled that a restaurant in Langley racially discriminated against three patrons of Indian descent when they were denied entry: Human rights tribunal finds men were racially discriminated against by Langley Shark Club.

Surinderjit Rai, Manjit Gill and Manjinder Gill tried to get into a graduation party at the Shark Club two years ago, but were told they could not join the rest of their party already in the restaurant and given bogus excuses by the doorman about reservations and tickets, while white customers were not given the same treatment.

The tribunal ordered to the Shark Club to pay the three complainants $10,000 each for injury to dignity and self-respect:

Customer kicked out of McDonald's for limited English skills

Somebody call corporate. They've got an asshole running this restaurant.



Today's edition of racist restaurant news... In Vancouver, a woman is demanding an apology from McDonald's after a manager refused to serve her because they apparently couldn't understand her English: McDonald's customer says she was booted due to English skills.

51-year-old Hai Xia Sun, who is a Chinese immigrant, says she was mistaken given a mocha coffee after she ordered a hot chocolate. When she tried to correct the mistake, the McDonald's manager allegedly berated Sun and her friend over their limited English skills, ordering her to get out of line and leave. Really?

Yes, it's true. Like a lot of people who eat at McDonald's every day, English is Hai Xia Sun's second language. But that definitely doesn't justify treating some like s$%t over a friggin' mocha.

Surveillance video shows missing woman acting strangely

In Los Angeles, police have released a video of the Vancouver tourist who has been missing since January 31, and something is definitely not right: Video shows B.C. woman missing in L.A. acting strangely.

The surveillance video shows 21-year-old Elisa Lam, who was last seen by staff at the Cecil Hotel in downtown Los Angeles, exhibiting strange behavior in the hotel elevator. Lam appears to press every elevator button, seems to be hiding from someone, and is later seen communicating with someone off-camera. Here's the footage:

Missing: Elisa Lam, last seen January 31 in Los Angeles

In Los Angeles, police are asking for the public's help in locating a missing Vancouver tourist who disappeared nearly a week ago while traveling alone around Southern California: Missing Vancouver woman sought in Los Angeles.

21-year-old Elisa Lam, a student at the University of British Columbia, arrived in Los Angeles on January 26 and was last seen January 31 by staff at the downtown Cecil Hotel. Investigators believe her disappearance is suspicious and may involve foul play.

Lam is 5-feet-4, weighs about 115 pounds and has black hair and brown eyes. She speaks both English and Cantonese and used public transportation like Amtrak and local buses.

Anyone with information about Elisa Lam's whereabouts is asked to call police at (213) 486-6890 or (877) 527-3247. Anonymous tips can be called in at (800) 222-8477.

More here: LAPD seeks public's help in finding missing Canadian tourist.