Latest news with #ChicanoRepublicans
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Asian American professor in L.A. brutally injured in possible hate crime
A Japanese American professor who teaches the history of racism and racist beliefs in the U.S. at East Los Angeles Community College is recovering after being the victim of a possible hate crime, the Los Angeles Times reported. The April 29 incident unfolded at around 10 p.m. on Merle Drive in Montebello, not far from 71-year-old Aki Maehara's home. In an interview with The Times, Maehara said he was riding his electric bike when he spotted a sedan heading straight for him. Moments before the motorist hit him, he said he heard someone curse and yell out a racial slur aimed at people of Chinese descent. The collision sent the 71-year-old Vietnam veteran through a resident's yard and into a brick wall. He told the outlet that he then heard a man telling him to get out of the country while cursing him and using another racial slur before speeding away. Maehara, who suffered severe injuries to his face, hips, elbows and lower back, told The Times that he called friends for a ride to the VA hospital in Long Beach because a ride in an ambulance would have been too expensive. Semiautomatic gun, ammo found on Orange County sixth graders, police say The professor believes he may have been targeted because he wears a full-face helmet while riding his bike, so a passerby wouldn't have known he was Asian, and it's not the first time he's been in the crosshairs of people who don't seem to like his views. 'There's a long history. They've picketed my classroom at East L.A. College. Chicano Republicans came after me and picketed me at Cal State Long Beach,' he told The Times. 'The KKK came to my classroom in Cal State Long Beach when I was teaching a course on the U.S. Vietnam War. This is not the first time I've been targeted.' A GoFundMe was organized by Glorya Cabrera, a friend, to help Maehara with the expense of professional home health care. So far, Montebello police have not arrested anyone and told The Times that they've been unable to locate any security footage of the incident, though they continue to investigate. As for Maehara, the 71-year-old recently made the decision to return to his classroom with just four weeks left in the semester, saying he refused to 'abandon his students,' according to Cabrera. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Yahoo
Asian American professor who teaches history of racism attacked in possible hate crime
A Japanese American professor and Vietnam veteran was struck by a vehicle and called a racial slur while riding his bike last month in Montebello in an incident that police are investigating as a possible hate crime. Aki Maehara, a 71-year-old Asian American history professor, suffered serious injuries to his elbow, neck, cheekbones, jaw, hips and lower back, he told The Times in an interview on Monday. Maehara was riding his electric bicycle on Merle Drive in Montebello, not far from his home, around 10 p.m. on April 29 when headlights from a car approaching him from behind illuminated his path. He turned to check his surroundings and saw a sedan speeding toward him, he said. "I tried to turn toward the curb to see if there was a driveway when I got hit," he said. Before he was struck, he heard someone yell an expletive followed by a racial slur targeting people of Chinese descent, he said. He skidded across a yard and was stopped by a brick wall. Maehara said he heard a man's voice: "Go back to..." using an expletive and a racial slur, before the car drove off. "It sounded suspicious to me because I wear a full-face helmet ... a helmet with a visor," Maehara said. "No one can see my face. So how the hell did he know I'm Asian?" Maehara said he couldn't afford to incur the cost of an ambulance ride, so he called friends who took him to the VA hospital in Long Beach. Montebello police said they have contacted residents in the neighborhood for security camera footage, but have been unable to find video that captured the incident. Though no arrests have been made, Maehara said he has a suspect in mind and shared their name with police. He said he's been targeted for harassment before because of his job at East Los Angeles Community College teaching the history of racism and racist beliefs in U.S. history. "There's a long history," he said. "They've picketed my classroom at East L.A. College. Chicano Republicans came after me and picketed me at Cal State Long Beach. The KKK came to my classroom at Cal State Long Beach when I was teaching a course on the U.S. Vietnam War. This is not the first time I've been targeted." One of his friends, Glorya Cabrera, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his recovery, writing that Maehara urgently needs in-home care for his injuries. The VA hospital has provided him with in-home care for a few hours two days a week, but Maehara is hoping the donations will help him get additional care as he heals. "Hate crimes are on the rise due to the vile rhetoric being used by those in Washington and in the so-called MAGA Extreme Christian Right who feel justified in their violence directed towards non-white citizens," Cabrera wrote. Police are continuing to search for the driver. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
13-05-2025
- Los Angeles Times
Asian American professor who teaches history of racism attacked in possible hate crime
A Japanese American professor and Vietnam veteran was struck by a vehicle and called a racial slur while riding his bike last month in Montebello in an incident that police are investigating as a possible hate crime. Aki Maehara, a 71-year-old Asian American history professor, suffered serious injuries to his elbow, neck, cheekbones, jaw, hips and lower back, he told The Times in an interview on Monday. Maehara was riding his electric bicycle on Merle Drive in Montebello, not far from his home, around 10 p.m. on April 29 when headlights from a car approaching him from behind illuminated his path. He turned to check his surroundings and saw a sedan speeding toward him, he said. 'I tried to turn toward the curb to see if there was a driveway when I got hit,' he said. Before he was struck, he heard someone yell an expletive followed by a racial slur targeting people of Chinese descent, he said. He skidded across a yard and was stopped by a brick wall. Maehara said he heard a man's voice: 'Go back to...' using an expletive and a racial slur, before the car drove off. 'It sounded suspicious to me because I wear a full-face helmet ... a helmet with a visor,' Maehara said. 'No one can see my face. So how the hell did he know I'm Asian?' Maehara said he couldn't afford to incur the cost of an ambulance ride, so he called friends who took him to the VA hospital in Long Beach. Montebello police said they have contacted residents in the neighborhood for security camera footage, but have been unable to find video that captured the incident. Though no arrests have been made, Maehara said he has a suspect in mind and shared their name with police. He said he's been targeted for harassment before because of his job at East Los Angeles Community College teaching the history of racism and racist beliefs in U.S. history. 'There's a long history,' he said. 'They've picketed my classroom at East L.A. College. Chicano Republicans came after me and picketed me at Cal State Long Beach. The KKK came to my classroom at Cal State Long Beach when I was teaching a course on the U.S. Vietnam War. This is not the first time I've been targeted.' One of his friends, Glorya Cabrera, created a GoFundMe page to raise money for his recovery, writing that Maehara urgently needs in-home care for his injuries. The VA hospital has provided him with in-home care for a few hours two days a week, but Maehara is hoping the donations will help him get additional care as he heals. 'Hate crimes are on the rise due to the vile rhetoric being used by those in Washington and in the so-called MAGA Extreme Christian Right who feel justified in their violence directed towards non-white citizens,' Cabrera wrote. Police are continuing to search for the driver.
