police
AAPI business owners in Portland call for action from police over string of break-ins and vandalisms
- The Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association gathered Asian American and Pacific Islander business owners in the Jade District for a meeting with law enforcement and elected officials at Powell’s Seafood Restaurant on Thursday.
- Business owners called for action and pleaded with police and city officials to put an end to the constant break-ins and property vandalisms that have left them living in fear.
- The city will be looking to hire 300 more officers in the next three years to reduce crime in the area.
- A funding of nearly $1 million has also been allocated to help business owners pay for damages caused by property vandalism.
Asian American and Pacific Islander business owners gathered to call for action from the police after multiple break-ins and vandalisms have left their community helpless in Portland.
The Oregon Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association gathered members of the AAPI community in the Jade District for a meeting with law enforcement and elected officials at Powell’s Seafood Restaurant on Thursday.
Police deputy fired, 5 under investigation over handling of group attack on female diners in Tangshan
- Chinese authorities have announced that the deputy chief tasked with handling the high-profile case involving the violent attack on four women in Tangshan has been fired.
- Hebei’s discipline inspection and supervision authority also revealed on Tuesday that Lubei district police chief Ma Aijun and four other officers have been placed under investigation.
- The announcement came amid growing public scrutiny after security camera footage of the incident went viral on Chinese social media.
- The day after the incident, the Tangshan police announced that they had arrested all nine suspects, including two of the men’s female companions who did not participate in the violence.
- The two hospitalized victims, who had been transferred from intensive care into a regular patient room, are reportedly in stable condition.
The deputy police chief handling the vicious attack on a group of women in the Chinese city of Tangshan earlier this month has been fired.
Without detailing the reason for the dismissal, Hebei’s discipline inspection and supervision authority announced on Tuesday that the deputy chief, identified by his surname Li, had been relieved of his post.
Video: Traffic officer working in the pouring rain gets an opportune gift from a passing bus
- A bus passenger was caught on camera giving their umbrella to a traffic officer on a rainy day in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan Province, on June 6.
- The heartwarming moment was later shared online by Yangcheng Evening News on Douyin on June 10.
- The video was shared on the subreddit r/MadeMeSmile on Thursday, where it received more than 91,200 upvotes in just one day.
- The original poster, u/Sir_Loinbeef, wrote “Faith in humanity restored” in the post’s comment section. Another user wrote, “We need more people like that guy in this world.”
A kindhearted passenger was caught on camera giving their umbrella to a traffic officer in China because he was soaking wet from the rain.
The video of the bus passenger was filmed by a dashcam in the city of Kunming in Yunnan Province on June 6 and posted online by Yangcheng Evening News on Douyin on June 10. In the video, an officer can be seen directing traffic without an umbrella on a rainy day when a bus passes by.
Chicago police honor late officer Xu Meng, whose long hours may have led to his death, with memorial hall
- The Chicago police’s 24th district unveiled a new memorial wall and held a private dedication ceremony to honor Asian American officer Xu Meng, whose accidental death in 2020 rocked the local Asian community.
- Officer Xu Meng, described by loved ones as a hardworking father and husband, died at age 36 from carbon monoxide poisoning in his home in Albany Park.
- Family and friends attributed his death to exhaustion from enduring 12-hour shifts for 12 consecutive days, as it may have caused him to forget to turn off his vehicle’s keyless ignition.
- “He worked countless days, countless hours,” said John Pham, the vice president of the AALEA. “He passed away. Unfortunately, he didn’t get enough rest so we want people to be aware that we are there for them as an organization.”
The 24th district Chicago police station unveiled a new memorial wall and held a private dedication ceremony to honor an Asian American officer whose accidental death in 2020 rocked the local Asian community.
Xu Meng, described by loved ones as a hardworking father and husband, died at age 36 from carbon monoxide poisoning in his home in Albany Park.
Man killed, 3 others injured by police over stolen Pokémon cards and pizza in Florida
- Two men in masks, identified as Michael Gomez and Joseph Lowe, were allegedly seen placing Pokémon cards and a pizza in a bag before walking out of a Target store in Kissimmee, Florida, last Wednesday.
- The Osceola County deputies opened fire in an attempted “takedown” of four suspects, according to a release from the sheriff’s office on Thursday, killing one of them.
- Gomez and Lowe were taken to the hospital with minor injuries and charged with petty theft.
- The fourth suspect, who was “detained on scene,” suffered a shrapnel wound, but their involvement remains unclear.
- It is not clear whether the suspects were armed or what events led to the deputies opening fire.
Osceola County deputies opened fire outside a Target store in Kissimmee, Florida, killing a man over stolen Pokémon cards and pizza.
Officers responded to a call at around 7:00 p.m. last Wednesday from the store’s loss prevention supervisor, who saw two men in masks placing Pokémon cards and a pizza in a bag before walking out, according to an affidavit written by Deputy Cole Miller.
Houston deputy arrested and fired for stealing from Vietnamese businesses while in uniform
- Bobby Joe Espinosa, a deputy constable of the Harris County Precinct 4, was fired and arrested for stealing a total of $5,700 from four Vietnamese businesses in Houston while in uniform.
- Espinosa used his authority as a law enforcement officer to get customers at different establishments to leave before coercing employees to open cash registers and remove money from tip jars.
- He was also accused of unplugging surveillance cameras and prying open game machines for cash.
- The former deputy has been charged with felony theft but was released from jail after posting a $30,000 bond on Saturday.
Former Deputy Constable Bobby Joe Espinosa of the Harris County Precinct 4 was fired and arrested for stealing thousands of dollars from four Vietnamese businesses in Houston while in uniform.
Espinosa, 39, was accused of stealing a total of $5,700 between September 2021 and March 2022.
Yonkers police slam YouTube for ‘censorship’ of footage showing Asian woman being punched 125 times
- New York’s Yonkers Police Department called out YouTube on Monday for removing its uploaded video of an anti-Asian attack.
- The video included surveillance footage of an attack against a 67-year-old Asian American woman in Yonkers, which spurred headlines and protests earlier this month.
- YouTube determined that the video violated its policy on violent and graphic content and indicated that it would permanently remove it.
- However, the video-sharing giant changed course on Tuesday and reinstated the video with an age restriction.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated with a statement from YouTube following its move to reinstate the video with an age restriction on Tuesday.
The Yonkers Police Department in New York called out YouTube on Monday after receiving a confirmation that its video of an anti-Asian attack violated the video-sharing platform’s policy against graphic content.
Controversial Wilmington police sergeant being investigated for ‘China virus’ Facebook post
- A Wilmington police sergeant is under investigation after posting an anti-Asian comment on Facebook.
- The police sergeant, Stephanie Castellani, posted to a Middletown neighborhood Facebook page labeling COVID-19 as “the China virus.”
- Castellani has a history of posting inflammatory claims on Facebook where she once suggested that 9/11 was organized by the U.S. government and spread false information about COVID-19.
- The Wilmington Police Department has been facing scrutiny for allegedly being a hostile work environment towards minority officers.
- Residents of Wilmington expressed their disdain over Castellani’s behavior and condemned the 20-year police veteran for having a poor understanding of the community.
A Wilmington police sergeant is facing an internal investigation after she posted an anti-Asian Facebook post to a local neighborhood page that referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus.”
Stephanie Castellani, a 20-year police veteran, uploaded a post to a Middletown neighborhood Facebook page that labeled COVID-19 as the “China virus,” reported Delaware Online. In the post, she allegedly wrote, “And just like that… the CHINNNA VIRUS miraculously disappeared.”
NYC library security guards hailed ‘heroes’ after helping cops arrest suspect who attacked 7 Asian women
- Two security guards at the New York Public Library’s Stavros Niarchos Foundation branch helped authorities arrest 28-year-old Steven Zajonc on Wednesday.
- Zajonc is accused of assaulting seven Asian women in Manhattan in a span of just two hours on Sunday.
- Roshanta Williams saw Zajonc’s surveillance images and recognized him as a regular at the library.
- Williams then alerted senior guard Elmirel Cephas, who set out to await Zajonc’s arrival on Wednesday.
- NYPL Chief Operating Officer Iris Weinshall recognized the pair for their efforts, saying they “went above and beyond” to help police keep the city’s streets safer.
Two security guards from the New York Public Library (NYPL) are receiving praise for helping police arrest a man accused of assaulting seven Asian women in Manhattan on Sunday.
Steven Zajonc, 28, was captured on surveillance cameras as he traveled to carry out all seven attacks in a span of just two hours. He was seen wearing a light blue T-shirt, dark-colored pants and dark-colored shoes, and carrying a multicolored backpack.
Ex-officer Tou Thao ignored bystanders’ pleas to help George Floyd, prosecutors claim
- Tou Thao, one of three former police officers charged with George Floyd’s death, ignored bystanders who pleaded for help, prosecutors alleged.
- Thao and fellow ex-cops J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane are all charged with depriving Floyd of his right to medical care.
- Thao and Kueng are additionally charged with failing to intervene to stop Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of Floyd’s murder last April.
- Jurors of Thao’s case are expected to begin deliberations today.
Former Minneapolis police officer Tou Thao ignored bystanders who pleaded for someone to help George Floyd as Derek Chauvin knelt on him, according to prosecutors.
In closing arguments on Tuesday — part of a month-long federal trial — prosecutors concluded that Thao, along with J. Alexander Kueng and Thomas Lane, all “chose to do nothing” in the moment of Floyd’s plight, which eventually led to his death on May 25, 2020.
Albuquerque police investigate string of robberies that targeted Asian-owned businesses after 2 women dead
- The Albuquerque Police Department found a woman dead inside Canna Spa near Coors and Los Volcanes NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after responding to a robbery call Tuesday night.
- Authorities released still images of a potential suspect wearing a black cap and black shirt. He was last seen driving a black pickup truck.
- The Tuesday incident was the second attack on an Asian-owned business in Albuquerque in less than a month. On Jan. 23, a 45-year-old woman was killed during a shoot-out with a group of robbers at Wonderful Massage in Menaul Blvd.
- “It shouldn't be the same offenders, because we do have those other individuals in custody, but it's obvious – it's possible that people are preying upon a certain group," Albuquerque Police Department Chief Harold Medina said.
The Albuquerque Police Department (APD) has now launched an investigation into two fatal robberies targeting Asian-owned businesses that have left two people dead in less than a month.
The APD found a woman dead inside the Canna Spa near Coors and Los Volcanes NW in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after responding to a robbery call at around 11 p.m., according to the Albuquerque Journal.
Petition demanding SFPD investigation of 2020 death of gay Asian American man reaches 40,000 signatures
- Over 40,000 people, including Senator Scott Wiener (D-Calif.), have signed a petition demanding the San Francisco Police Department and the Medical Examiner’s Office reopen the case of Jaxon Sales, the 20-year-old gay man who died from an alleged drug overdose.
- Sales went to a high-rise apartment on a blind date in San Francisco on March 1, 2020 and never returned home after telling his parents through text that he would come home that night.
- He was reportedly found dead and naked in the bed of a 41-year-old man whom he had never met before the following morning, his family claimed in a petition. The medical examiner’s report declared Sales died from an accidental drug overdose. Cocaine, methamphetamine and Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid (GHB), also known as a date rape drug, were found in his system.
- The SFPD said in a statement they did not launch an investigation because there was no evidence of foul play involved in Sales' death.
- Sales’ parents, Jim and Angie-Aquino Sales, argued the authorities failed to question the man their son was with at the night of the incident, as well as the “mutual acquaintance” who brought Sales to the apartment.
Senator Scott Wiener (D-Calif.) has asked the San Francisco Police Department to investigate the death of a gay Asian American man who supposedly died from a drug overdose during a blind date in 2020.
Wiener joined 40,000 other people who signed a Change.org petition demanding the SFPD reopen the case and investigate the death of Jaxon Sales, 20, according to ABC7 News.
