portland
Journalist Andy Ngô loses criminal trial against Oregon journalist John Hacker
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to include additional tweets from Andy Ngô following the trial.
Journalist Andy Ngô has lost the criminal trial against Portland, Oregon-based journalist John Hacker, who was acquitted of third-degree robbery charges following a dispute in May 2019.
Portland man behind series of anti-Asian attacks charged with third bias incident for assault and robbery
- Dylan Kesterson, 34, is now facing a total of 23 charges after it was discovered that authorities had also linked him to a third bias incident in July in Portland, Oregon.
- In addition to being accused of attacking a Japanese father and his 5-year-old daughter on July 2 and assaulting three female victims – one of whom was identified as a Filipino woman – on April 17, Kesterson was accused of robbing, threatening and physically injuring a person in a racially motivated attack on April 9.
- Kesterson was charged with first-degree bias crime, second-degree theft, third-degree robbery and fourth-degree assault for this third incident.
- Kaito Nakajima, a Japanese man studying English in Portland, Oregon, also came forward in July to accuse Kesterson of a bias incident near a Safeway branch at Southwest 10th Avenue and Jefferson Street on June 25.
- “Maybe the F-word, so dirty words, and after that I was slapped, [on] my cheek two times,” Nakajima told KGW8 in July. “My hat was stolen after that and the guy go away, somewhere. He ran off.”
- Kesterson is being held without bail and is scheduled to return to court on Aug. 24.
A Portland man linked to two recent anti-Asian attacks is facing another set of charges for a third bias incident that reportedly occurred in April.
Dylan Kesterson, 34, is facing a total of 23 charges after KGW8 learned on Tuesday that he was involved in a bias incident on April 9. Court documents reportedly revealed that he robbed, threatened and physically injured a person in what authorities described as a racially motivated attack.
Portland court dismisses bias crime case against man who kicked Asian woman due to public defender shortage
A court in Portland, Oregon, has dismissed the bias crime case against a man accused of kicking an Asian American woman and spewing racial slurs at her last year.
A Multnomah County judge dropped the case against Peter Eschright without prejudice last week, explaining that the man was not assigned a public defense attorney “in a timely manner,” according to KPTV. Although Eschright’s case has been dropped, the charges against him can still be filed again in the future.
Japanese student says he was also assaulted by Portland man charged for attack on Japanese man, his daughter and Filipino woman
- Kaito Nakajima, 21, has accused Dylan J. Kesterson of yelling at him, slapping his face and stealing his hat near a Safeway store in downtown Portland, Oregon, on June 25.
- Kesterson, 34, is already facing 19 charges for allegedly attacking a Japanese family on July 1 and a Filipino woman on April 17.
- Nakajima, a Japanese student studying English, said he and his friends recognized Kesterson after he made the news for the latest incident.
- Kesterson is currently being held without bail at Multnomah County Jail.
A young Japanese man studying English in Portland, Oregon, has come forward to accuse Dylan J. Kesterson of attacking him last month.
Kesterson, 34, is currently facing 19 charges for attacks he allegedly committed against a Japanese father and his 5-year-old daughter on July 2 and a Filipino woman on April 17. Those charges include counts of assault, harassment and bias crime.
Portland man charged for punching 5-year-old Japanese girl accused of earlier attack on Filipino woman
A man accused of punching a Japanese man and his 5-year-old daughter in Portland, Oregon, on July 2 is facing new charges over a previous alleged attack against a Filipino woman in April.
Tyra Blackmon, who lives in Bay City, Michigan, was vacationing in Portland when 34-year-old Dylan J. Kesterson allegedly attacked her so violently that he ripped strands of her hair out.
Portland man arrested for anti-Asian remarks, threatening victim with black hose in road rage incident
- A Portland, Oregon, man was arrested on Friday after allegedly making anti-Asian remarks during a road rage incident.
- Police said 54-year-old Neal Hollis Walker made “bias statements” against the male victim over “the belief he was from China.”
- Walker then allegedly took a black plastic air hose and pointed it at the victim, which led the latter to believe it was a gun.
- The suspect was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on charges of second-degree bias crime and menacing.
A Portland, Oregon, man has been arrested for allegedly making anti-Asian remarks during a road rage incident on Friday afternoon.
Neal Hollis Walker, 54, pulled up to the male victim around South Macadam Avenue and South Taylors Ferry Road and “made bias statements about the victim being of Asian descent and the belief he was from China,” Portland police said on Saturday.
Portland man accused of punching 5-year-old girl and her father now held without bail
- Dylan J. Kesterson, who is accused of attacking a Japanese family in Portland, Oregon, is now being held without bail.
- Kesterson, 34, was first arrested shortly after the incident on Saturday, in which he allegedly punched a 36-year-old father and his 5-year-old daughter because he thought they were Japanese.
- Kesterson, who had no prior convictions, was released later that day.
- Police re-arrested him on Wednesday after he failed to show up to his arraignment hearing.
- Mayor Ted Wheeler criticized the city’s criminal justice system, saying it “needs to be reviewed from top to bottom to ensure that individuals like this [Kesterson] are not released prematurely.”
A man from Portland, Oregon, facing a slew of charges after allegedly punching a 36-year-old Japanese man and his 5-year-old daughter is now being held without bail.
Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, was first arrested shortly after the incident on Saturday afternoon, which occurred along Portland’s Eastbank Esplanade and was reportedly witnessed by several bystanders.
Portland man accused of punching 5-year-old Japanese girl and her dad re-arrested after court no-show
- Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, was arrested for a second time after failing to show up to his arraignment hearing on Wednesday.
- Kesterson is accused of repeatedly punching a 36-year-old man and his 5-year-old daughter along Portland, Oregon’s Eastbank Esplanade on Saturday because he thought they were Japanese.
- Kesterson is facing multiple charges, including assault, bias crime and harassment.
A man from Portland, Oregon, who is facing a slew of charges for allegedly attacking a Japanese family over the weekend has been re-arrested after failing to appear in court for his arraignment on Wednesday.
Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, was first arrested shortly after the alleged incident occurred along Portland’s Eastbank Esplanade on Saturday afternoon. Kesterson allegedly punched a 36-year-old man and his 5-year-old daughter because he thought they were Japanese, according to police.
Portland man accused of punching 5-year-old girl because he thought she was Japanese pleads not guilty
- Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, pleaded not guilty to charges he is facing in connection to an attack against an Asian family in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday.
- Kesterson is accused of repeatedly punching a 36-year-old man and his 5-year-old daughter after making “comments about his perception that they were of Japanese descent.”
- The male victim said Kesterson yelled anti-Asian slurs before hitting him in the head more than 50 times.
- Kesterson, who was charged with multiple counts of assault, bias crime and harassment, has since been released following a judge’s order.
A man accused of punching a father and his 5-year-old daughter in Portland because he thought they were Japanese has pleaded not guilty to bias crime and other charges.
Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, was arrested shortly after allegedly attacking the father and his daughter, who were riding bikes along the Eastbank Esplanade on Saturday afternoon.
Portland man charged with hate crimes for punching 5-year-old and her father because they’re ‘Japanese’
- Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, was charged with bias crimes after allegedly punching a 5-year-old girl and her father because he thought they were Japanese.
- The incident, which was reportedly seen by several witnesses — including the girl’s mother — occurred along Portland, Oregon’s Eastbank Esplanade on Saturday afternoon.
- In a statement, Mayor Ted Wheeler said he is “outraged and disgusted” by the assault and vowed to ask the District Attorney to “pursue maximum penalty.”
- Kesterson, who has since been released, is scheduled for arraignment on Tuesday.
A man has been charged with bias crimes in Portland, Oregon, after allegedly attacking a man and his 5-year-old daughter because he thought they were Japanese.
The victims, who came from California, were riding bikes along the Eastbank Esplanade on Saturday at around 3:45 p.m. when Dylan J. Kesterson, 34, approached them and “made comments about his perception that they were of Japanese descent,” Portland police said.
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.
Suspect wanted for vandalizing Portland Asian community center with graffiti linked to terrorists
Portland police are looking for an individual accused of vandalizing an Asian immigrant and refugee community center in the northeast part of the city.
The suspect, who was caught on surveillance camera, reportedly wrote “NPA” and “CPP” and also drew a gold hammer and a sickle on the door of the Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization’s (IRCO) Pacific Islander and Asian Family Center (PIAFC) at 8040 NE Sandy Blvd. The incident occurred at around 6 p.m. on May 11, according to the authorities.
