Commentary: California mass shootings reveal mixed realities of Asian immigration to the US

While Asian seniors experiencing poverty is not unique to America, their limited English proficiency, despite being long-term residents in America, constrains their access to social services and support. Many seniors are hence forced into self-sufficiency and even self-defence.

PUBLIC SAFETY INCREASINGLY ELUSIVE

Pro-gun activists were quick to point out both Tran and Zhao had legally possessed their guns although California has the most stringent gun laws in the country.

Less mentioned is the surge in Asian Americans buying guns during the pandemic. Gun sales to the community have reportedly risen by about 43 per cent. This was linked to the fear of racial violence experienced by the community in that period of time, triggered by the killing of Ratanapakdee in San Francisco – a diverse city home to a large and ever-growing Asian population. Tragically, 18 Asian seniors would fall to their own this Lunar New Year.

But beyond the fear of hate crime, there is a sense that public safety is an increasingly elusive concept in American urban cities. When walking or driving through downtown San Francisco, many advise to watch out for drug-related violence on streets lined with tents of the homeless population, used needles and shattered glass from devastated shopfronts or cars broken into.

Just a few weeks ago, a security guard was shot to death by a 15-year-old boy in broad daylight at the popular Japan Center Mall where I, like many Asians, frequent.

While queuing up to check out my items at a local store recently, a burly man walked in with a huge bag, swept clean a whole row of food, and simply walked out. None of the customers in line reacted, while the cashier simply sighed.

This is the tension for many who call America home. For those who choose to live there, it is a cost they pay for a shot at the American Dream. No matter one’s reason, violence and fear are part of life in the US, though it also brings new meaning to America being the home of the brave.

Jan Lin Lee is a film producer and non-profit consultant based in San Francisco, California.