Elderly woman dies after being shoved into train

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• DANDAN FAMILY
• Corazon Dandan was shoved into an oncoming train.

It was 11 p.m. and Corazon Dandan had just finished her shift at a downtown San Francisco hotel and was waiting for a train to take her home to Dally City. ThenTevor Belmont, a man she did not know, decided to push her into an oncoming train. 

The 74-year old Dandan's head hit the moving train and she fell to the platform. Onlookers and the police rushed to her aid. She was taken to San Francisco General Hospital where she died.

Police of the Bay Area Rapid Transis District quickly responded and arrested the alleged assailant, Trevor Belmont, who was still on the boarding platform. He was booked into jail Tuesday morning on charges of murder and elder abuse. BART polce say he is a homeless man known in the area.

“It is a tragic way of passing away, that is the most painful part,” nephew Dr. Alvin Dandan told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Although the family tried to get Corazon Dandan to retire from her job she held for 40 years, she enjoyed her job as a telephone operator at a San Francisco hotel and the people she worked with.

Hate attacks against Asian Americans have risen dramatically since the pandemic and although the threat of COVID19 has lessened, theunprovoked  hate incidents continue especially against Asian elderly who are perceived as easy targets and less likely to fight back.

Local authorities have been criticized for not doing enough to ensure the safety of San Francisco residents and workers. That belief led to the recall of the former District Attorney and is a major criticism of current Mayor London Breed, who is facing challenges in the November election.

"The nature of this incident at Powell Street BART Station was tragic and truly shocking. I would like to express my deepest condolences to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues. Unprovoked attacks, especially on our most vulnerable, are unacceptable and will not be tolerated," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.

"San Francisco residents, workers, and visitors should be able to freely move about and utilize our public transportation systems without fear. My office will now do everything in our power to ensure that there is justice in this case," Jenkins added.The elder Dandan “took the same route every day” to and from work, Dr. Dandan told the Chronicle. 

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