Arrest in graffiti against Chinese

Man expected to face hate-crime charges in spray-painting

A San Francisco man was arrested and scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on Sept 24 on hate-crime and vandalism charges.

John Schenone, 62, was arrested on Sept 8 on suspicion of spray-painting anti-Chinese graffiti seven times in the Portola district of San Francisco.

The words "No More Chinese" in orange were found at six locations in the diverse, working-class neighborhood.

The graffiti first caught the public's attention after a local resident, Vicki S. Chau, posted a photo of a vandalized fence near McLaren Park on Sept 6. The San Francisco police received a report on the same day and found similar graffiti at various locations, including the street outside the suspect's home.

The suspect was quickly identified with the help of street cameras and witnesses. He pleaded not guilty in court on Sept 11.

The graffiti has prompted an outcry from the local community. A rally was organized by neighborhood groups and San Francisco Supervisor David Campos on Friday at one of the vandalized locations in Portola to condemn the incidents.

"Though it has been many years since the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed, we Chinese still face the issue of hate speech from time to time," a Chinese-American resident in San Francisco's Chinatown told China Daily but declined to be identified. "The Chinese need to make their voice heard and get actively involved in our community so that we can stand up and be strong."

"As the demographics of the city and our country continue to change, we must grow our understanding of what it means to be a safe and healthy community. And we need to be radically inclusive so everyone can be a part of it," said Vincent Pan, executive director of Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA), in a statement he posted on the CAA website on Sept 11.

"We need to do more to address the hate in hate crimes. And the way we do it is not with more hate but with more love," he said. "The love we need is a love where we show up for one another. The love we need is a love that shares power. The love we need is a love where we work together towards common goals."

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 09/14/2015 page2)