75-year-old Asian American man shoved to ground and robbed in Oakland

An elderly Asian American man was reportedly robbed and shoved to the ground in Oakland, Calif., in what residents are saying is the latest example of violence and discrimination against the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oakland police said the incident, which occurred Tuesday, is under investigation but that one person is in custody, The Washington Post reported. The police chief said it was too early to say whether the attack was racially motivated.

“I am saddened to hear of yet another violent attack on the elders of our community,” Chief LeRonne Armstrong said in a statement, according to The Mercury News. “The trauma this causes has a ripple effect, on the victim, their family, and the entire community.”

The Hill has reached out to Oakland police for further comment.

“I’m not angry,” Carl Chan, the head of Oakland Chinatown’s Chamber of Commerce, said in an interview with the Post. “I’m sad. I’m so sad by all of these incidents. Our own seniors in Chinatown, they call me and they say they are afraid to go out and walk on their own streets. That’s pretty sad in the middle of a pandemic. Remember many of their own children and grandchildren are not able to visit them.”

Oakland’s mayor, Libby Schaaf (D), added to the Post that the crime would be investigated to determine if it was “racially motivated.”

It comes as similar attacks have been called out for months by members of the Asian American community as evidence of the rising tide of racism and xenophobia amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Actor Daniel Dae Kim spoke out about the violent incidents in February after another elderly Asian American man was attacked in Oakland’s Chinatown district.

“The number of hate crimes against Asian Americans continues to skyrocket, despite our repeated pleas for help,” Kim wrote on Instagram. “The crimes are too often ignored and even excused. … #EnoughisEnough.”