The California man, his wife and 5-year-old daughter were visiting Portland for the July 4th weekend. They were riding a rental four-wheel bicycle together along the Columbia River when Kesterson began yelling anti-Asian slurs.
The verbal onslaught of anti-Asian slurs turned into a physical altercation when Kesterson allegedly began punching the father, who wants to remain unnamed out of fear of retaliation.
“We felt we might be killed,” explained the victim by phone during an arraignment hearing Tuesday. “This is a very horrible experience for us and if he’s released, we believe a lot of Japanese and other Asians will be injured.”
“He hit my head more than 50 times,” the victim told KGW. The attacker also punched his daughter in the head. Fortunately, her bicycle helmet absorbed the blow. His wife was not injured in the attack.
Within minutes, Kesterson was apprehended due to the intervention and assistance of numerous bystanders.
The father was hospitalized, treated for his injuries and released. The daughter was unhurt but suffered from the trauma. The family has since returned to their California home.
“We are grateful for the swift intervention of the people in the vicinity of the attack who represent the true hearts of Portland residents,” stated Portland JACL chapter president, Jeff Matsumoto. "These people are the heroes who made sure that the violence did not escalate."
“Like the vast majority of Portland residents, we are appalled at the racist attack that occurred as yet another example of anti-Asian bias and hatred which we call upon all our fellow citizens to condemn and intervene when they see it happening.”
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news and views from an AANHPI perspective, follow @DioknoEd on Twitter.
No comments:
Post a Comment