Detectives are trying to identify the person who is sending hate letters to businesses in the Inland Empire targeting Asian Americans that demand they “go back to their country.”
“It was just hurtful. Disgusting,” Jackie said, who only wanted to be identified by her first name for fear of her family’s safety.
But she does want the public to see the anonymous letter she got over the weekend at her family-run business, Top 10 Nails in Riverside.
“It’s wrong. It’s not OK for …anybody to send letters to spread that type of hate,” she said.
The profanity laced letter is addressed to “all Asians.” It calls Asian Americans “nasty,” “ugly,” and “smelly,” and demands that they leave the U.S.
“This is my home town. I was literally born and raised here,” Jackie said. “For you to tell me I don’t belong here, it’s kind of messed up.”
Choking back tears, Jackie said her workers are extremely concerned, especially after the dramatic rise in hate crimes against Asian Americans across the country.
She says they are also in fear because of the recent deadly shootings at Georgia massage parlors that took the lives of six Asian American women.
“The ladies are scared. Like someone sent a letter — is somebody going to come and shoot us?” Jackie said.
Jackie reported the letter to Riverside police, and detectives immediately launched an investigation.
“It is absolutely disgusting and unacceptable,” officer Ryan Railsback said.
Railsback said a multi-agency task force is looking into who may have sent the letter, which he said was also mailed to another business in San Bernardino County.
The officer says although there isn’t a specific threat of violence, investigators still want to know who sent them.
“If you get something like this let your local law enforcement agency know,” he said. “We can get some evidence and you know kind of determine who this person is and figure out what they’re trying to do and contact them and deal with it.”
Earlier this week, a Seal Beach grieving widow received an anonymous letter from someone who was glad her Asian American husband had died. The sender also told the woman to go back to her own country.
Jackie, who is a U.S. Navy veteran, had this message for anyone who is spreading hate.
“This is my home and I am willing to fight for something and this is one of the things what our country is about,” Jackie said.
Source: NBC Los Angeles
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