According to ABC7, a man from California who has a history of criminal activity was charged with hate crimes after allegedly attacking 14 Hindu women of Indian descent over the course of a two-month crime spree that began in June. Lathan Johnson, a 37-year-old resident of East Palo Alto, is being detained in a jail for allegedly targeting 14 Indian women who were wearing traditional attire and jewellery. According to reports, the attacker broke the limbs of the women and beat their spouses in exchange for gold jewellery. Jeff Rosen, the district attorney, said "Much worse than a property thief is someone who terrorises them, steals their jewellery, pulls them down the street, breaks their warrants, and beats up their husband.
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The Hindu American Foundation's Samir Karla stated that the women were only apparently wearing saris and bindis and frequenting temples and other Hindu locations, according to ABC7 reporter Dion Lim's tweets. In Hindu tradition, gold jewellery is ceremonial and, to many, sacred. Samir Kalra of the Hindu American Foundation says it's critical to raise awareness as major Indian holidays and festivals approach. Our neighbourhood feels exposed and uneasy.
Kalra praised the district attorney's initiatives and urged more counties to prosecute crimes against Asian Americans as hate crimes.
"We are facing an uptick in hate crimes and online Hindu phobia. Seeing that we`re making progress in prosecuting to the fullest sends a strong message," he said, outside the courthouse.
Indian communities were writing a variety of messages online about the harassment they experience in California. One of the victims, Shankar Kenkre, posted about his mother being the target of an unrelated, non-violent attack for wearing a gold necklace a few weeks ago in Foster City, according to ABC7.
Following his Nextdoor post, he received a deluge of comments from other Indians who said that they or a loved one had experienced the same thing. Kenkre is happy that his mother did not suffer any physical harm, but she spoke out to urge others to caution their seniors. DA Rosen stated that they were posting Johnson's mugshot because there might be further victims. Anyone with knowledge was urged to come forward.
Johnson is still being held without bail. The maximum sentence for him is 63 years in prison. According to ABC7, his next court appearance is scheduled on November 4.
(With inputs from ANI)
