Civil rights leaders in LA say anti-Asian crimes have not let up since pandemic

Weeks after being hit with a vehicle as anti-Asian slurs were shouted at him, Aki Maehara still flinched from his injuries and used a wheelchair to move around.

No suspects have been named in the hate crime investigation around last month’s incident in Montebello, spurring Asian American leaders from multiple civil rights groups on Thursday to gather in Los Angeles and call for justice.

Maehara, a 71-year-old Vietnam War veteran and professor who teaches about race at East Los Angeles College, said his case is a reminder that anti-Asian sentiment never goes away.

“Racial violence and fascist violence is part of the American identity, part of American culture,” Maehara said.

According to L.A. County’s most recent report on hate crimes, the number of victims of anti-Asian crimes hit 80 in 2023 — a 31% increase over the previous year and the second-highest level ever recorded.

“Unfortunately, I think that people might think that because the pandemic has passed, so has this period of intensified hate,” said Robin Toma, executive director of the county’s Commission on Human Relations. “I'm here to say that doesn't appear to be the case.”

Robin Toma, executive director of the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations, said that the most recent report on hate crimes in L.A. County showed anti-Asian crimes hitting their second-highest level ever.

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Josie Huang

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LAist

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Hate crime investigation

Montebello police say Maehara’s case is under investigation, with no suspects identified yet.

Sgt. Craig Adams said in his 18 years with the department, he cannot recall someone attacked for their race in Montebello.

“We’re definitely taking it seriously,” Adams said. “It’s probably our No. 1 priority right now. We only have six detectives with other cases, but we’re trying to throw whatever we can" at it.

The professor suspects that whomever assaulted him may know him personally. Maehara said he told police that because he was wearing a helmet at night that obscured his face, and therefore his race.

Adams said police are “still working that angle” and trying to figure out if the assailant could have ties to Maehara.

Recalling the attack

In L.A., civil rights leaders gathered at the Chinese American Museum, holding a blue banner that read “Stop Anti-Asian Violence” as Maehara recounted the April 29 attack while he was riding his electric bicycle through Montebello after teaching a night class.

Maehara said it was after 10 p.m., when a car approached, prompting him to try to turn his bike toward the curb. Then he heard someone yell out “f---ing ch--k” before the car hit him, and he was sent flying into the air before landing on his face.

“As I lay there face-down with my head spinning and pounding in pain, I heard someone yell out, 'Go back to “ch--kland!' as I heard their vehicle drive away toward the east,” Maehara said.

After lying on the ground for about a half an hour, he made it home and got a ride to the Veterans Administration medical center in Long Beach.

Maehara said he suffered a concussion and injuries to his neck, chest, ribs, hips and elbow. On Thursday, his face was still bruised and swollen from a fractured check. He said he will need dental transplants.

The 1871 massacre

Organizers said the choice to rally for Maehara at the Chinese American Museum in L.A. was intentional.

The museum is near the site of the Chinese massacre of 1871 — in which at least 18 people, or roughly 10% of L.A.’s Chinese population at the time, was murdered by a mob.

Maehara’s case demonstrates that “anti-Asian hate is not just something of the past,” said Connie Chung Joe, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice Southern California.

Joe said more more money needs to be invested in training police and the public to recognize anti-Asian hate, but under President Donald Trump, such resources are being slashed.

She noted the U.S. Department of Justice recently terminated multi-year grants to address anti-Asian hate prevention.

Asian American civil rights leaders rallied in support of Aki Maehara at the Chinese American Museum.

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Josie Huang

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LAist

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“This is a reality check,” Joe said. “The public is not taking anti-Asian hate seriously anymore."

Some speaking at the rally said Trump fanned anti-Asian sentiment during his first term with the president referring to the coronavirus as “kung flu.”

David Monkawa of the Save Our Seniors Network said Trump is again fostering a hostile climate in his second term.

“The White House has become the No. 1 perpetrator of hate, the No. 1 perpetrator of discrimination and illegal deportations and disappearances,” Monkawa said. “So when we talk about getting rid of hate crimes, we got to start with that.”

Back to teaching

Days after he was hit by a car, Maehara was back to teaching at East L.A. College. He said he was determined that whoever attacked him didn’t prevent his students from finishing his course on the history of racism in colonial and U.S. history.

“They're not just attacking me,” Maehara said. “They're attacking my students. They're trying to prevent my students from completing my class, and I'm not going to let that happen.”

Maehara said he was grateful for the support he’s received from around the world since the assault. He said he would be directing future proceeds from his GoFundMe campaign to other victims of racial violence.

“I urge people to build and form a chorus of voices and efforts in common pursuit of justice and environmental responsibility, to move everyone forward to a better tomorrow for everyone,” Maehara said.