[Update 3-4-18 1:06 p.m. PST]
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with additional footage.
A man from Long Beach, California has uploaded a video to his FaceBook account wherein a woman can be heard yelling at him to “go back to his home country”.
In the short clip, the couple appeared to begin speaking with the woman, even filming her after the her initial comment, but once she saw the phones come out, she abruptly started to leave.
“Oh, you’re going to take my photo now? Wooooow, you’re disgusting,” the woman can be heard saying as she briskly walks away.
“It’s not a photo,” Kao called after her. “I want to understand why!”
“Not when your wife is photographing!” the woman answered back.
“I want you to tell everybody why you told us to go back to our country,” he persisted, trying to get a response from her.
“You need to go back to your home country,” she said firmly, still walking away.
“What does that mean?” Kao shot back.
“Have your wife turn her phone off and I’ll tell you,” she promised, her back turned to the camera.
Kao’s shock and exasperation won out. “It’s unbelievable at this time and stage, when we’re born and raised in the United States, and you told me to go back to our country?” He said, shocked.
The video ends with the woman offering one parting shot: “I never voted for you-“ she said, her words potentially cutting out.
Kao was so upset by the exchange, as evident in his commentary posted along with his video:
“We encountered a bigot and a racist today in our neighborhood in Long Beach. During our normal afternoon walk with my wife and daughter in our neighborhood, a caucasian female walked passed us completely unprovoked and said to us very nonchalantly, ‘Go Back To Your Country!’ and continued walking! Whhhaaaat!!!
“A few weeks back we believed we walked pass the same lady and also heard her mumble something to that effect but ignored it and thought we misheard but this time as she walked away, I yelled to her, ‘WHAT YOU SAY?’ Not only did she walk away confirming what she had said, she walked back our way to head home and the video footage explains the rest.
“I apologize to my wife and daughter who was also on the scene with me to have to experience racism first hand. Our little girl was born in the city of LB, she’s already in her country stupid lady! You hear about racism among our society but when you experience it first hand and with your loved ones, it just sucks and ruins our day!! Can’t believe this kind of ignorance still exist in our state and city known for diversity and multiculturalism!😡”
Netizens offered support for Kao and his family:
Nextshark has reached out to Kao for comment and will update accordingly.
[UPDATE 11:03 p.m. PST] Additional footage reveals that the woman accused Kao and his wife of “making her culture extinct”.
Images via FaceBook / Tony Kao
