Pandemics fade. Racism does not. And when a president like Donald Trump unfairly blames an entire ethnic group for the coronavirus pandemic crisis, it can embolden discrimination and violence.
On a recent January morning, Vicha Ratanapakdee, an 84-year-old from Thailand, was walking in the Anza Vista neighborhood of San Francisco. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, the police say, a 19-year-old man slammed into Mr. Vicha, knocking him down. He died two days later in the hospital.
Mr. Vicha’s family believe the attack was a hate crime, that he was targeted because he was Asian. Unfortunately, Mr. Vicha is far from the only victim of anti-Asian violence in recent months.
In late January, a 91-year-old man was shoved from behind by a stranger while he was walking down a street in Oakland’s Chinatown. He fell down face-first but survived. The assault happened in daylight directly outside…
