Woman charged with hate crime in Walmart crowbar attack

4-year-old girl and her father were targeted because they are Asian



What the hell? This week in San Jose, a woman was arrested and faces hate crime charges after assaulting a 4-year-old girl and her father with a tire iron at a Walmart. Authorities say the attack was racially-motivated, and the victims were targeted because they are of Asian descent.

San Jose: Woman in Wal-Mart child attack targeted Asians, prosecutors say

20-year-old Maria Garate, who is described as a transient, faces one charge each of attempted murder and one count of assault with a deadly weapon -- both with hate crime enhancements -- after attacking a young Asian girl and her father while they were shopping at a Walmart store in East San Jose on Tuesday.

Garate reportedly approached the girl and hit over the head, then hit her father when he got in the way. According to prosecutors, the attack was "premeditated, willful and deliberate" and the victims were indeed targeted because they're Asian:

My Favorite Racist Costumes From the Fun World Catalog

Not too early to start thinking about your racist Halloween costume.



Last week, Walmart pulled a Osama bin Laden-themed Halloween costume from its website under pressure from members of the Sikh community who say the product is offensive to 9/11 victims and perpetuates stereotypes and spreads further ignorance about turbans and beards: Osama Bin Laden Halloween Costume Removal Demanded By Sikh Advocacy Group In Letter To Walmart And Amazon.

In letters to Walmart and Amazon, the Sikh Coalition -- the largest Sikh American advocacy organization in the United States -- requested removal of the product, saying the costume "perpetuates negative stereotypes about turbans and beards that have led to violence and discrimination against Sikhs and other minorities."

Think that's bullshit? Tell that to Prabhjot Singh, the Sikh Columbia University professor was assaulted last weekend in a violent hate crime, by attackers who called him "Osama" and "terrorist."

The Turban & Beard Instant Costume is manufactured by Fun World Costumes, which makes outrageous outfits of all varieties, including the super-fun racist ones. I skimmed through the Fun World website's wide selection of Halloween costumes, and picked out just a few of my racist favorites:

Man assaults Army officer at Walmart

This is a bizarre one... Last week in Albany, New York, police arrested a man for assaulting a member of the U.S. Armed Forces inside a Walmart: Army Captain assaulted at Wal-Mart.

On Thursday, 47-year-old Yiqiang Wu starting yelling at a uniformed U.S. Army Captain at the Walmart checkout register, making derogatory statements about the United States and his service to the country. He then struck him several time in the face. A surveillance camera caught video of the attack: