I’ve spent serious time knocking on doors across Asian households on San Francisco’s west side. In many Chinese homes, three generations live under one roof. There’s usually at least one grandparent — often the one who speaks the least English. The working adults are usually out keeping the household afloat. And then, of course, the kids. If you understand these families, you understand why public safety comes first . Elders shouldn’t fear stepping outside. Parents shouldn’t worry whether their child will make it home while they’re out earning a living. Asian families don’t ask for much — just a safe place to live, raise kids, and care for elders. Public safety isn’t something we debate. It’s something we expect.
But when injustice touches other communities, we still show up. Black lives matter, and always will. And Asian Americans showed up for Black lives — as we did in the Civil Rights movement. Together, we formed one of the largest movements in this nation’s history . But when that movement veered into calls to defund the police , it went in the wrong direction. I’m not dismissing the need for police accountability. But what came after those calls wasn’t reform. It was legislative hostility and a citywide culture of vilifying the police. Officers were told their uniforms make people “uncomfortable” on public transit . So they stopped riding the bus. And as a direct result, safety on transit declined — especially for Asian riders. Recently, someone assaulted a young Asian student on Muni in broad daylight. The attacker didn’t bother hiding his hate or face. Unsurprisingly, we faced a severe officer shortage, and fewer and fewer people were willing to join the Police Department. By 2023, staffing levels had dropped to nearly half of the department’s minimum threshold. In 2022, I surveyed Asian residents on San Francisco’s west side — most were homeowners, many lived in multigenerational households. Over and over, I heard the same thing:
“I’ve lived here over 20 years.”…