Sacramento
Lawsuit accuses Sacramento utility company of racially profiling Asians in cannabis crackdown
- Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) is facing a lawsuit for allegedly targeting Asian communities when providing customer data to authorities without a warrant.
- Data privacy watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed the lawsuit on Wednesday on behalf of the nonprofit Asian American Liberation Network and Asian American cannabis industry attorney/SMUD customer Khurshid Khoja.
- The lawsuit noted that the utility would turn over a list of customers who used over a specified threshold amount of energy per month to the Sacramento Police Department.
- The list excluded homes in a predominantly white neighborhood, and was further shortened by a police analyst to homes with Asian-sounding names for further investigation.
- According to the lawsuit, the bulk disclosure “turns its entire customer base into potential leads for police to chase,” liberally disclosing customers’ Social Security, driver’s license and telephone numbers.
Data privacy watchdog Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) filed a lawsuit accusing the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) of racially profiling Asian communities when providing customer data to authorities without a warrant.
The case was filed Wednesday on behalf of the nonprofit Asian American Liberation Network and SMUD customer Khurshid Khoja, an Asian American cannabis industry attorney and cannabis rights advocate from Sacramento.
Man, teen accused of Sacramento robberies targeting Asian women face hate crime enhancements
- A 20-year-old man and a 17-year-old are now facing hate crime enhancements for a string of robberies in Sacramento, California, in April and May after investigators found evidence suggesting that the pair targeted the victims “due to their race.”
- The man was identified as Latravion Mccockran, while authorities did not release the teen's name.
- Mccockran and the teen were accused of robbing Asian women leaving shopping centers on Stockton Blvd. Corridor. In one of the incidents, a victim told police officers that one of the suspects was armed with a handgun.
- Authorities eventually arrested the teen in Berkeley on June 15, along with two other individuals he was with at the time who were armed with illegal handguns. Mccockran was arrested on June 22, and both suspects are still in custody as of Wednesday.
- The Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office charged both the man and the teen with robbery, with the hate crime enhancement being added to their charges on Monday.
A man and a teenager believed to be behind a string of robberies in Sacramento, California, targeting Asian women are now being accused of hate crimes.
Latravion Mccockran, 20, of Sacramento, and a 17-year-old from Berkeley are facing hate crime enhancements on top of the robbery charges filed against them following their arrest in June, the Sacramento Police Department said in a press release on Wednesday.
Sikh man’s lawsuit alleges Sutter County delayed hate crime investigation, cops washed away evidence
- Rouble Claire, a 66-year-old Sikh American man from Sutter County, California, has filed a lawsuit against the county, its deputies and two women he accused of racist threats.
- According to court documents, a woman subjected Claire to verbal abuse and racist threats at the South Butte Market on May 11, 2021. No officers arrived to check on him after he called 911.
- He was also threatened at his home by a different woman on the same day.
- "I have been subject to threats, harassment, and racial slurs – yet almost a full year later, no one has been held accountable," Claire said in a statement.
- Claire’s lawyers, Gina Szeto-Wong and Sean Tamura-Sato, filed a civil lawsuit against the defendants and are now preparing for the first hearing in August.
A first-generation Sikh American has filed a lawsuit against Sutter County in California, its deputies and two women he accused of racist threats.
Rouble Claire, 66, reportedly suffered verbal abuse and racist threats at the South Butte Market in Sutter on May 11, 2021.
Elderly woman feeding the homeless in Sacramento dies in hit-and-run
An 87-year-old woman was killed while feeding homeless community members during a hit-and-run incident in Sacramento on Saturday.
What happened: The victim, identified as Lien Dang, was four to five blocks away from her home to help feed others when she was struck by a vehicle on Lemon Hill Avenue off Stockton Boulevard, according to ABC10.
Restaurant worker viciously attacked over missing egg rolls
Police in Sacramento, Calif., have arrested a man accused of assaulting an Asian American restaurant worker over a missing egg roll order.
How it happened: Diana Dich, 30, arrived at her parents’ restaurant Happy Takeout on Aug. 29 to help resolve a customer dispute. The interaction allegedly ended in violence, with Dich being “tossed around into the road.”
Teen Set to Graduate in June Drowns to Death in Sacramento County
An Asian American high school senior set to graduate next month died from drowning in California’s American River last Saturday.
What happened: Melino Liu, 17, was likely wading in the shallow parts of the river in Rancho Cordova when he took the fatal step.
Man Suffers Cuts and Bruises After Getting Shot With PAINTBALLS in Sacramento
A man in Sacramento suffered painful cuts and bruises after getting repeatedly shot with paintballs last Friday.
The attack occurred while Edson So and his wife were outside in South Sacramento at around 12:30 p.m.
Vietnamese Restaurant Receives $500 Tip to Fix Windows Ruined by Vandals
A Vietnamese restaurant in Sacramento, Calif. received a large tip to help fix its windows from vandals on April 29.
[email protected]’s uncle’s Vietnamese restaurant Tay Giang in Sac is frequently vandalized. Windows repeatedly broken. ⠀ A few days ago— a customer recently left this $500 tip & note ❤️ (I REALLY needed this GOOD news story!)#AAPI #StopAsianHate pic.twitter.com/WAhTHfofRY
Anonymous, Racist Messages Sent to Asian American Students in Rocklin, CA
Several Asian American students who attend a high school in Rocklin, California received racist messages from an anonymous Instagram account last weekend.
The students, who are members of Whitney High School’s Asian leadership group, reported the messages to the Rocklin Unified School District, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Sacramento Councilwoman Announces Plan to Fight Anti-Asian Hate Crimes
Sacramento councilwoman Mai Vang is pushing back against the recent surge of anti-Asian hate crimes with a resolution.
Sacramentans reported a total of 57 hate crimes in the previous year, eight of which were specifically anti-Asian.
