In San Francisco Bay Area, a woman was arrested for allegedly posting handwritten letters at several houses, specifically targeting Asian American families. Her letter suggests that those who are not native Americans should leave the country and go back to where they came from.
Racist letters
The police were called to the Heron Bay neighborhood in San Leandro, which is a suburb with 89,000 residents and is located south of Oakland.
The call came in on May 22 and the caller reported that there were notes containing insensitive messages that target minorities.
The notes were taped to five different homes in the area. The note said that if anyone in the home is born in another country, he or she must return to that country immediately. The note ended with "One American, white, brave, that serves the Nation or USA is going to live here."
The suspect, Nancy Arechiga, was caught on surveillance camera carrying a backpack that contains copies of the same letter, according to the police statement. The 52-year-old woman was arrested by the police for posting messages that are inappropriate and incite intimidation and fear on the residents of the area.
Trinh, a resident from the Bay area, told NBC Asian America that her brother gave the police the images that were captured on their doorbell security camera, it showed the woman taping the note. According to the police statement, the officers found her in the area, still carrying her backpack.
Trinh said that if the doorbell security camera did not capture the woman, they would not know who did it and they will be in constant fear. They will continue to wonder who did the despicable thing. Trinh discovered that her home was one of the five that Arechiga targeted.
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On May 22, Trinh's brother went out to take their family dog for a walk, it was then when he saw the letter taped to their front door. The anonymous message made Trinh, her family, and the residents of the neighborhood feel unsafe.
According to Lt. Isaac Benabou, people have the right to express themselves, but if it involves violating the well-being of other people and their security, then it is against the law.
Arechiga's arrest
Arechiga was immediately taken to Alameda County jail and she was booked for investigation of committing a hate crime. Arechiga was issued a citation and she was released from custody, according to Lt. Ted Henderson.
For low-level crimes and misdemeanors, California has set bail at $0 in an effort to keep the jails empty because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Arechiga was set to appear in court but no date has been set yet because of the Memorial Day weekend. It is also not known if she has a lawyer and the phone number that is listed for Arechiga has been disconnected.
The authorities are now investigating whether she was also the one who taped the xenophobic note on a local trail on May 21. The note read "no Asians allowed, leave immediately."
Trinh said that the letter also included a deadline of when the Asian Americans had to move out. Trinh added that even though Arechiga was caught, fear is already instilled in their neighborhood, especially after knowing that there are people like Arechiga out there, who threaten people with their xenophobic ways.
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