Personal Alarms for Chicago Asian Seniors
Donation protected
Hello, everyone. I am Kevin Chang, a current resident of Chicago originally from California. I have seen similar fundraisers as this for places such as Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York. However, I have yet to see one for Chicago, so I am starting this GoFundMe. It’s our turn and we need to be equally prepared.
On January 28, 2021, Vicha Ratanapakdee (age 84) was murdered in San Francisco in broad daylight by a violent unprovoked shove to the ground. His crime? Talking his regular morning walk which he enjoyed. On April 23, 2021, 61-year-old Yao Pan Ma was gathering cans to support his family when he was attacked from behind and his skull was stomped on repeatedly. As of May 13, he is still in critical condition and on a ventilator. The suspect is being charged with attempted murder and assault as a hate crime. On July 14, 2020 an 89-year-old Chinese grandmother was slapped and set on fire in New York. She was reluctant to go to police and also initially avoided telling her family due to fear of worrying them. On March 16, 2021 six Asian women were killed in the Atlanta mass shootings, finally bringing anti-Asian hate crimes to national attention. I could go on, but you would get tired of reading.
As we all know (actually, many probably do not), hate crimes targeting Asians across the world have surged dramatically since last year. Stop AAPI Hate, a group dedicated to tracking anti-Asian incidents (hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, ect.), reported 6603 events alone from March 2020 to March 2021. These numbers are likely vastly underreported, as many do not take the effort to do so. Similarly, hate crime charges in court are often not pursued by prosecutors due to the significant burden of proof required.
The media has long been silent in regards to Asian issues as a whole and only recently has it been brought to national attention. And though the attention has never been higher, it will gradually subside; The attacks, however, will continue. There is more to come and things will likely get worse as the world recovers from the pandemic and people start congregating again in public; For Asians across the world, this is our new reality, at least for the near future.
With the funds from this GoFundMe, I will purchase personal key chain alarms (emits a 120 dB siren when activated) and pepper spray to defend against hate crimes. A larger proportion of this will be the personal alarms, since they will be easier to use for seniors (younger more dexterous individuals can opt for the pepper spray). I will attempt to secure bulk pricing (they are around $10 each). 100% of these proceeds (minus GoFundMe fees) will go towards this purchase which will then be donated to the organization listed below. All receipts will be published.
I have partnered with the Chicago Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (Chicago Chinese Community Center) (Sha Chen is the contact), a registered 501 (c) nonprofit, to accept the donation and assist with distribution logistics. Since more than 65% of these attacks have been against elderly seniors and women, my primary target will be those in this population.
This may or may not end up helping prevent any attacks, but I believe that if we even prevent or help defend against one, we have done our part. Thank you for your time.
#StopAsianHate #theycantburnusall
On January 28, 2021, Vicha Ratanapakdee (age 84) was murdered in San Francisco in broad daylight by a violent unprovoked shove to the ground. His crime? Talking his regular morning walk which he enjoyed. On April 23, 2021, 61-year-old Yao Pan Ma was gathering cans to support his family when he was attacked from behind and his skull was stomped on repeatedly. As of May 13, he is still in critical condition and on a ventilator. The suspect is being charged with attempted murder and assault as a hate crime. On July 14, 2020 an 89-year-old Chinese grandmother was slapped and set on fire in New York. She was reluctant to go to police and also initially avoided telling her family due to fear of worrying them. On March 16, 2021 six Asian women were killed in the Atlanta mass shootings, finally bringing anti-Asian hate crimes to national attention. I could go on, but you would get tired of reading.
As we all know (actually, many probably do not), hate crimes targeting Asians across the world have surged dramatically since last year. Stop AAPI Hate, a group dedicated to tracking anti-Asian incidents (hate, violence, harassment, discrimination, ect.), reported 6603 events alone from March 2020 to March 2021. These numbers are likely vastly underreported, as many do not take the effort to do so. Similarly, hate crime charges in court are often not pursued by prosecutors due to the significant burden of proof required.
The media has long been silent in regards to Asian issues as a whole and only recently has it been brought to national attention. And though the attention has never been higher, it will gradually subside; The attacks, however, will continue. There is more to come and things will likely get worse as the world recovers from the pandemic and people start congregating again in public; For Asians across the world, this is our new reality, at least for the near future.
With the funds from this GoFundMe, I will purchase personal key chain alarms (emits a 120 dB siren when activated) and pepper spray to defend against hate crimes. A larger proportion of this will be the personal alarms, since they will be easier to use for seniors (younger more dexterous individuals can opt for the pepper spray). I will attempt to secure bulk pricing (they are around $10 each). 100% of these proceeds (minus GoFundMe fees) will go towards this purchase which will then be donated to the organization listed below. All receipts will be published.
I have partnered with the Chicago Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (Chicago Chinese Community Center) (Sha Chen is the contact), a registered 501 (c) nonprofit, to accept the donation and assist with distribution logistics. Since more than 65% of these attacks have been against elderly seniors and women, my primary target will be those in this population.
This may or may not end up helping prevent any attacks, but I believe that if we even prevent or help defend against one, we have done our part. Thank you for your time.
#StopAsianHate #theycantburnusall
Fundraising team (5)
Kevin Chang
Organizer
Chicago, IL
Hauwei Lien
Team member
Eric Liao
Team member
Kim Chung
Team member
Sandra May Li
Team member
