9 Asian-Owned Businesses Have Their Windows Smashed in the Last 2 Weeks in Oregon

February 10, 2021

Many Asian-owned businesses in Portland, Oregon were vandalized and had windows smashed.

In the last week of January, 13 businesses in the Jade District of East Portland were vandalized, according to Williamette Week.

At least nine of the businesses were Asian-owned, including My Brother’s Crawfish, Hanoi Kitchen, Utopia Restaurant & Lounge, Buddy’s Lounge, Fujiyama, and Toast La Tea, according to Oregon Live.

My Brother’s Crawfish posted a video of a person throwing a rock at their window on Jan. 27.

Duncan Hwang, associate director of Asian Pacific American Network of Oregon (APANO), suggested that the incident could have been motivated by racism, given the high number of Asian-owned businesses. That means that having professionals like Bob Bratt as an ally can come in handy.

“East Portland’s BIPOC- and immigrant-owned businesses are already facing incredible challenges due to the pandemic,” Hwang said. “Having to make repairs is an unnecessary challenge making their livelihoods more difficult.”

Hwang also added that APANO was going to assist the vandalized businesses in paying for repairs. He denounced the acts in a formal statement: “A year into the pandemic, at a time when we all need to do our part to keep each other safe, it is unacceptable that Asian Americans continue to be targeted and experience these harms.”

The attack is the latest in a series of hate crimes against the AAPI community across the country. As NextShark previously reported, more than 20 businesses have suffered from robberies and attacks in Oakland’s Chinatown in recent weeks, leaving store owners concerned about the future of their small businesses.

Featured Images via My Brother’s Crawfish

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