Oakland mayor and FilAm City Council president clash over Chinatown policing

Oakland Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas felt she was blamed for lack of police in Chinatown

During a press conference last week about the recent attacks against Asian elderly in Oakland's Chinatown, Mayor Libby Schaff appeared to blame the recent increase in Chinatown crime on the defunding of the police department, when she pointed a finger at Filipino American City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas.

Bas told Oaklandside that recent cuts to OPD, which removed police officers from some parts of the city, including Chinatown, were made by Schaaf and City Administrator Ed Reiskin in December—not by her and the rest of the council.

“The mayor’s office and the city administrator unilaterally made these cuts without consulting community, without consulting labor. They made the decision to pull the community resource officers from the whole city, not just Chinatown,” Alvina Wong, Asian Pacific Environmental Network’s Campaign and Director, told Newsweek.

“Crimes against Asians have been horrific, and “anti-Blackness is on the rise because we live in a system rooted in white supremacy,” she tweeted.

Bas and Councilwoman Carroll Fife pushed back, pointing out that recent cuts to Chinatown police presence were made by the mayor’s administration, and accusing Schaaf of sowing division between Black and Asian communities, according to Oaklandside.

Bas, who represents Chinatown, told KTVU this week that many members of the Chinese and Vietnamese communities feel as though public safety isn't working for them.

"Some communities are feeling overpoliced. That's their truth," Bas said. "And others are feeling under-policed. That's their truth."

Bas said that the crimes against Asians have been horrific, and she also agreed that she has seen "anti-Blackness" on the rise "because we live in a system rooted in white supremacy."

Both communities have been victimized, said Oakland Councilmember Carroll Fife, who is Black and whose district includes downtown and West Oakland.

"And there's a whole bunch of trauma on both sides," she said. "Oakland is a tinderbox."

As tensions mount, several groups have decided to work together instead of falling into stereotypes and blame.

"The tension between the Asian and Black communities is building right now and we cannot repeat history," tweeted Michelle Kim of Oakland. "Asians - we can fight anti-Asian racism without being anti-Black or pro-police. Black folks - people condemn anti-Asian rhetoric within your own community and amplify our pain."

Asian American communities tired as hell and won't put up with racist attacks anymore

SCREEN CAPTURE / KTVU

Asians With Attitude are ordinary citizens who began patrolling Oakland's Chinatown
to prevent further violence against Asians Americans.

A blanket of weariness and anger is muffling the usual noisy and joyous celebration of the upcoming Lunar New Year.

Chinatowns and other Asian neighborhoods on edge because of the rash of  unprovoked attacks against Asian elderly, fueled by almost a year of rising anti-Chinese rhetoric spewing forth from the Trump White House looking for a scapegoat for the coronavirus.

A suspect has been arrested in a series of assaults against elderly victims in Oakland’s Chinatown, new Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong announced Monday.

The suspect was identified as Yahya Muslim, 28. He was charged with assault, battery, elder abuse and a special allegation of offenses while out on bail, according to Alameda County Sheriff’s Office.

The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office said Muslim also has two prior felony assault convictions.

In his first press conference minutes after being sworn in as Oakland’s new police chief, Armstrong appeared at a news conference in Chinatown to announce the arrest of Muslim for the violent attack on a 91-year old man caught on video. He is also accused of assaulting two other elderly individuals the same day.

“Today we’re sending a message to those that commit crime in this city that we will pursue you and we will arrest you,” said Chief Armstrong. “We all need to band together to take a stand and say this violence is unacceptable.”

Oakland PD and San Francisco police announced additional patrols in their respective Chinatowns. Earlier, New York City had formed the Asian Hate Crime Task Force to combat a year-long rise in attacks against Asian Americans.

The recent attacks in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose and New York City brought the level of awareness beyond the Asian American community.

SCREEN CAPTURE / KTVU

Actor Daniel Wu spoke out against the anti-Asian attacks at the Oakland press conference.

A viral video shared by Nobel Peace Prize nominee Amanda Nguyen of the incidents and the anger and frustration of Hollywood celebrities Daniel Wu and Daniel Dae Kim. The two actors teamed up to offer a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the Oakland Chinatown attacks, brought the attention of mainstream media to the anti-Asian racism, something the AAPI communities have been keenly aware of since the pandemic took hold in the U.S.

In March 2020, the FBI warned that because of the coronavirus, that attacks against Asian Americans will likely rise.

The FBI was proven right. Over 2800 incidents of anti-Asian physical attacks, harassment, bullying and verbal assaults have been reported since February on online sites such as Stop AAPI Hate since the coronavirus hit U.S. shores. The number of actual cases is probably much higher since no one knowns how many incidents go unreported. 

"We're being smashed in as a one-two punch. There's low-level petty crime that's happening to our community. We're being targeted as easy targets," said Bay Area native Wu. "But at a bigger scale, racist rhetoric from the pandemic has targeted us as being 'the reason for coronavirus,' and so Asians across the board have been targeted by racial slurs, being attacked, being pushed around, being spat on."

Because of the health restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Chinese New Year and Lunar New Year celebrations in Asian communities have been cancelled, including the parades, restaurant banquets, family gatherings and large celebrations that usual accompany the event that normally brings out the Chinese themed floats, lion and dragon dancers and firecrackers.

SCREEN CAPTURE / TWITTER

A 91-year old man was violently pushed to the pavement in Oakland, CA.

Over 40 AAPI organizations representing the Asian ethnicities and nationalities signed onto a statement condemning the attacks. The joint statement issued Tuesday  cautioned against relying on more policing as a solution and noted that some of the attackers were also people of color.

"We must invest in long-term community-centered solutions that create spaces for cross-racial healing that address underlying causes and create ways for all to thrive," stated the joint letter. "We believe that our strength is in unity, not division, and that our histories and our futures are intertwined. That is why we are committed to working with Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Pacific Islander communities for long-term shared vision and solutions to stop the violence in all our communities."

San Francisco Mayor London Breed that she is "heaertbroken" over the assaults. “Sadly, the perpetrator in some cases has been African American,” Breed said. “And as an African American woman, as the mayor of your city, I am here to hold everyone accountable.”

Cross-racial discussions are essential “to address that fear in order to move forward together,” said John Yang, president and CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Interracial coalition building should be part of the strategy to combat bias, he said.

In an October statement, Manjusha Kulkarni, executive director of the Asian Pacific Policy and Planning Council said: “Our data and evidence of the real-life stories confirm that Asian Americans are facing increasing racist and xenophobic attacks, catalyzed by rhetoric from the president and other government leadership.”

In response to a questio during the Tuesday press briefing, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said: 

"I’m not aware that he’s seen the videos, but he is concerned about the discrimination against, the actions against the Asian American community, which is why he signed the executive order and why he has been outspoken and making clear that, you know, attacks — verbal attacks, any attacks of any form are unacceptable, and we need to work together to address them.

"But obviously, the executive order is something he did very early in his administration — it’s still early, but even earlier — because he felt it was so important to put a marker down."

In the first week of his administration, President Biden singled out the anti-Asian attacks in a Presidential Executive Order against xenophobia.

"I’m directing federal agencies to combat resurgence of xenophobia, particularly against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, that we’ve seen skyrocket during this pandemic. This is unacceptable and it’s un-American," Biden remarked prior to signing the memo. "I’ve asked the Department of Justice to strengthen its partnership with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community to prevent those hate crimes."

During an MSNBC interview, Nguyen explained that an essential step for allies and the country as a whole is to break the silence surrounding the current rise in racism and to end the apathy. “Silence erases our humanity,” Nguyen said. 

“There is a new Asian American movement emerging and we are not going to be silent anymore. We are not your model minority. We are human and we deserve equal dignity, so stop killing us.”

Word of caution: This post is news laced with my opinion. You are encouraged to seek other news outlets to form your own opinion.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of S.F. Chinatown tenants; another suit settled in Oakland

AMAM NEWS

The legal settlement in Oakland saved affordable housing for tenants of 524 8th Street.

ASAM NEWS

TENANTS of a Chinatown Single Room Occupancy building in San Francisco are suing a landlord for “unlawful intimidation” while another group in Oakland have settled their dispute.

A lawsuit in 2016 filed by tenants at 524 8th Street in Oakland, Calif. accused their new landlord, James Kilpatrick, and the property management company, GreenGroup, of trying to force them out in favor of wealthier tenants.

Advancing Justice -- Asian Law Caucus says the settlement includes a $1 million dollar payment to 14 tenants along with a permanent injunction protecting the tenants in the future from similar action.

“This resolution is a strike against all landlords seeking to profit without regard for human cost,” said Katherine Chu, Housing Rights Staff Attorney & Program Manager at Advancing Justice – Asian Law Caucus. “It’s important for landlords to know that there are consequences for disregarding housing and tenant protections laws and for everyone to see the real impact discrimination can have on tenants.”

Meanwhile, across San Francisco Bay, the San Francisco Examiner reports the Asian Law Caucus also this week filed a lawsuit on behalf of tenants at an SRO on 1350 Stockton St. in San Francisco alleging the landlord is trying to force them out as well.

Tenants in late 2016 began being fined $200 for hanging their laundry outside to dry although many have been doing the same things for years without any problems. One tenant complained the property manager threw her laundry into a dumpster.

“Regardless of what they say their intentions are, tenants are currently being hurt by their bad policies and that’s what we really need to fix right now,” Katherine Chu, a housing rights attorney with the Asian Law Caucus, told the Examiner.
The building has been owned by Valstock Ventures, LLC, since 2000. Val stock declined to comment.

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