A 24-year-old man has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of an elderly Thai man in San Francisco. The jury did not find Antoine Watson guilty of murder for the January 2021 attack on Vicha Ratanapakdee. Ratanapakdee was attacked during his morning walk and died two days later, helping spark a national movement against anti-Asian American violence. His family believes the attack was racially motivated, but hate crime charges were not filed. The San Francisco District Attorney's office says jurors will return Jan. 26 to hear arguments on aggravating factors. Watson testified he was in a haze of confusion during the attack.
It was five years ago this month that COVID-19-fueled incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders became so frequent that a reporting center was formed. Stop AAPI Hate legitimized fears of a concurrent pandemic of xenophobia. Their data contributed to key legislation including the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. That time was also a turning point that galvanized groups and young people to engage in more activism within the Asian American community. Now, supporters of fighting anti-Asian hate are worried it will only intensify in a political climate of anti-immigrant policies, English-only laws and DEI rollbacks. So Stop AAPI Hate has expanded its focus beyond being a data hub to become a source of education on these issues.
