The GoFundMe was set up by the lady’s granddaughter
After a truly horrific story of an Asian grandma being stabbed in San Francisco, California this past Tuesday, a GoFundMe set up by her granddaughter has managed to raise over $125,000 in funds.
Chui Fong Eng was waiting for a bus when she and another Asian woman in her 60s were stabbed in an unprovoked attack. The man accused of the crime has been arrested over two dozen times in the last 20 years – and is reportedly refusing to leave his cell to appear in court.
Eng was stabbed in her right arm as well as her chest before being rushed to San Francisco General Hospital for surgery immediately. The other woman injured in the attack was also operated on – it is reported that both are recovering well.
In the description for the fundraiser, set up by Victoria Eng and her brother, she writes:
“These Asian hate crimes need to stop. Our hearts go out to all those who have been injured, killed, or affected by this wave of racist crimes toward the Asian community. San Francisco is my home and my Grandma’s home. We need to feel safe where we live and not in constant fear. Please keep her and our family in your thoughts and prayers. Any donation would be appreciated! Thank you.”
Following up in a recent update, Victoria confirmed that they had been able to visit their grandmother, stating “[i]t was so emotional walking in and seeing her. The staff have been providing exceptional care to her and extremely supportive to our family. She wants to thank everyone for their generosity and well wishes!
They went on to say who they had offered to donate a portion of the fundraiser money to the other victim’s family but that the hospital had politely declined due to privacy reasons etc. They have said they will give the extra money to organisations that support Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
Though no clear motive has yet been ascertained, this marks yet another incident that looks to be attributed to Asian hate crimes. These incidents have seen a huge spike in the past year, with numbers having soared following the coronavirus pandemic and ill-formed discussion around COVID-19’s origins.
Our latest report is out. In the thirteen months leading up to March 31, 2021 Stop AAPI Hate received 6,603 reports of hate incidents directed at Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. (1/5)
— Stop AAPI Hate (@StopAAPIHate) May 7, 2021
Organisations like Stop AAPI Hate have been campaigning non-stop since the ramp-up in these kinds of attacks and in their latest report, you can see the statistics are damning. Among the 6,603 reports in the last year:
- Verbal harassment (65.2%) and shunning (18.1%) — i.e., the deliberate avoidance of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders — continue to make up the two largest proportions of the total incidents reported.
- Physical assault (12.6%) comprises the third-largest category of total reported incidents.
- Civil rights violations — e.g., workplace discrimination, refusal of service and being barred from transportation — account for 10.3% of the total incidents.
- Online harassment makes up 7.3% of total incidents.
