Haijun Si stands in front of his home as neighbors form a nightly security detail to deter teens who have harassed his family by throwing rocks and yelling racial slurs. (Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Every night, the neighbors converge on the Si family’s two-story home, which has large windows and an expansive porch adorned with columns.
Some sit in camping chairs in front of the driveway. Others keep watch from their cars or patrol the nearby parks.
The Sis moved to this upscale Ladera Ranch neighborhood a few months ago, with the country deep in the COVID-19 pandemic and hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise.
Almost immediately, teenagers swooped in for nightly visits, repeatedly ringing the doorbell, yelling and pounding on the door.
One told Haijun Si to “go back to your country.” Another called Si’s wife a pejorative slur used to describe a Chinese person. Some threw rocks.
Sometimes, the interruptions came just as the family sat down for dinner.
Other times, Si’s 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were jarred awake at midnight.
Si and his wife took turns standing guard outside. They installed a new fence and cameras. They called the police.
But the attacks kept coming — until their new neighbors stepped in.
As dusk falls on Haijun Si's home, neighbors gather in front to form a nightly security detail As dusk falls on Haijun Si’s home, neighbors gather in front to form a nightly security detail. “I’m so thankful for my neighbors,” he said.( Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times) ADVERTISEMENT
“I did not understand the extent of the harassment and how often it was occurring, at first,” said Layla Parks, who organized the nightly neighborhood watch. “I was immediately outraged and wanted to help.”
Violence and hate incidents directed at Asian Americans have surged across California, including in Orange County, since the beginning of the pandemic, with some blaming Asians because of the coronavirus’ origins in Wuhan, China.
A recent spate of violent attacks in Oakland, San Francisco, New York City and elsewhere has attracted national attention and sparked fear among Asian Americans, though it is not clear whether some of the incidents were racially motivated.
In February in Koreatown, two men hurled anti-Asian slurs at a 27-year-old Korean American U.S. Air Force veteran, calling him “Chinese virus” and then swinging at him, he told KTLA.
“We’re seeing an epidemic of hate right now, and we have to stand together,” state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), who represents the district just west of Ladera Ranch, said last week at an event to show support for the Si family.
While officials in Orange County are still compiling information on reports made in 2020, preliminary statistics indicate a tenfold increase in hate incidents against Asian Americans, said Alison Edwards, chief executive of the nonprofit OC Human Relations.
Neighbor Layla Parks has been instrumental in forming a neighborhood security crew for Haijun Si and his family. Neighbor Layla Parks has been instrumental in forming a neighborhood security crew for Haijun Si and his family. “It makes me physically ill,” said Parks, 30. “This has opened my eyes to the racism that is alive and well in Ladera Ranch.”(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) It’s a troubling uptick that experts have blamed in part on Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the pandemic, including his use of terms such as “China virus” and “kung flu.”
Last year, California saw a consistent increase in hate incidents and crimes targeting Asian Americans, said Brian Levin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino.
Stereotyping and conspiracy theories identifying Asians as responsible for COVID-19 have been embraced by wide swaths of the country, Levin said, with a new Center for Public Integrity/Ipsos poll showing that nearly 1 in 4 Americans have concerns about being physically near Asian people.
ADVERTISEMENT
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - JULY 02: Donalene Ferrer, left, who is of Filipino ancestry, and her daughter, Charlie, 17, who is Filipino-Italian are photographed wearing protective masks near their home in Riverside County. In April, they were walking with Donalene's mother in Oceanside when the mother's neighbor yelled at them from her car, saying: "You started the corona." There has been an increase in hate incidents against Asians and Asian Americans, with their accusers unleashing accusations at people they blame for infecting "Americans" with COVID-19. Photos taken Thursday, July 2, 2020 in Riverside County, CA. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) CALIFORNIA
As anti-Asian hate incidents explode, climbing past 800, activists push for aid
July 5, 2020 A “catalytic event” like the pandemic, with stereotyping by political and social influencers acting as an accelerant, often leads to increased targeting of racial groups, Levin said.
The attacks against the Si family fit another pattern — the homes of minority residents tend to be targeted by neighbors in certain age groups, Levin said.
“The most common offenders of these residential crimes are turf-oriented youths with moderate prejudices out for a thrill or older neighbors reacting to a perceived threat or change,” Levin said.
The Si family arrived in the U.S. from China four years ago.
In September, the family moved to Ladera Ranch from Corona, looking to escape the Inland Empire heat and attracted by the planned community’s lush trees, neatly manicured lawns and parks.
Ladera Ranch is a friendly place, where neighbors frequently share meals or spend evenings chatting on the sidewalk as their kids play.
But, some residents say, there is a dark side to the unincorporated community of about 30,000 residents, which is about two-thirds white, 14% Latino and 13% Asian.
After the attacks started, Si installed a $3,000 wrought-iron fence around his front porch and placed floodlights and cameras around the property.
He hung a heavy chain across his driveway to keep the teens from riding their bikes up to his door.
ADVERTISEMENT
“My kids are scared. I’m very annoyed,” said Si, 48. “At night, my wife and I could not sleep for more than three or four hours. Please, parents, tell your kids don’t do that again.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has been called to the home seven times between October 2020 and February. Deputies have ramped up patrols in the area, and the department has launched an investigation, said Sgt. Dennis Breckner.
Still, the doorbell kept ringing, Si said. Nothing helped until his neighbors stepped in, vowing to put an end to the harassment.
Twins Amber Day, left, and sister, Brooke, decorate a park for Lantern Festival of Hope event Twins Amber Day, left, and sister Brooke, 12, decorate a park as neighbors of an Asian American family that has been harassed mark the last day of the Lunar New Year.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) Parks, who takes daily walks around the neighborhood, had introduced herself to Si and his family when she noticed them moving in last year.
In early February, Si reached out to Parks for advice.
He had already told her about the constant doorbell ringing, and she had offered to help if needed.
At first, she figured it was a harmless childhood prank of “ding-dong ditch.”
But as the harassment continued, including racial slurs against the family, Parks realized this was something uglier.
People hold lanterns during a Lantern Festival of Hope, marking the last day of Lunar New Year Ladera Ranch residents hold lanterns as they and other neighbors show their support for the Si family. A traditional lion dance was performed, and children danced and clapped along to the music.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) ADVERTISEMENT
“It makes me physically ill,” said Parks, 30. “This has opened my eyes to the racism that is alive and well in Ladera Ranch. It’s definitely made me sad for this community, because this is just a wonderful place full of friends and neighbors that love and care about each other.”
On a neighborhood Facebook group, Parks posted footage from Si of a recent attack and sought volunteers to guard the family’s home. She wanted coverage from 6 p.m. until at least midnight.
Neighbors signed up in droves.
“I got involved because I’m raising a young child here. I don’t want to put a ‘for sale’ sign in front of my house and say, ‘I can’t deal with this,’” said Emily Lippincott, 40, who lives nearby in Rancho Mission Viejo. “I kept seeing excuses being made, ‘Oh, it’s just kids being kids.’ No, this is months of terrorizing this poor family.”
Neighbors estimate that from 15 to 20 children have participated in the harassment, one as young as 10.
Three children have apologized, Si said. But Parks said one family sent a cease-and-desist letter after seeing their child in security footage she posted on Facebook. The letter threatened her with a lawsuit if she didn’t remove her post.
As the sun began to set on a recent Thursday, Parks stood outside the Sis’ home, where Loden Pass curves onto Mocha Lane, assembling her troops. She kept close watch on a cluster of teenagers riding bicycles on the trails on a hillside overlooking the home.
“This is what we do all night,” Parks said. “We see kids and we go ‘OK, are they good or are they bad?’ Are they coming this way?”
Two neighbors bundled up in coats to ward off the evening chill, grabbed flashlights and took their posts on top of the hill near the home. Others stationed themselves around the neighborhood.
“I’m so thankful for my neighbors,” Si said.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the two weeks or so since the volunteers have been protecting the home, the harassment has lessened, but the teens haven’t been completely deterred.
One evening, a group threw rocks at Si and volunteers who were chatting on the front lawn. Sometimes they yell profanities, neighbors said.
The next day, as Chinese families around the world celebrated the Lantern Festival, hundreds of residents gathered on the grassy lawn across the street to show their support.
The Qing Wei Lion and Dragon Dance Cultural Troupe performs a lion dance in Ladera Ranch The Qing Wei Lion and Dragon Dance Cultural Troupe performs a lion dance in Ladera Ranch as neighbors showed support for an Asian American family that has been subjected to ongoing harassment.(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times) People held red lanterns and watched a traditional lion dance performance. Young children danced and clapped along to the music.
Min, the state senator, said the Si family should not have been made to feel unsafe and unwelcome in their own home.
“The fact of the matter is — as we see tonight — we outnumber them,” Min told the crowd.
疮破搞死黄人当出气包的策略继续发酵
4年前从中国来美国的索男司先生一家刚刚从加州的左臂城市搬到搬到orange county
的共和党白人区mission viejo。司先生想这下终于不用怕作弊搞什么政治正确了，司
先生心想终于呼吸到了砸烂政治正确可以自由叫Chinese virus的MAGA空气啦
可谁知，司先生一家去年刚搬过去，就一家人包括老婆两个孩子都被白人大半年不间断的骚扰，多达几十个人轮
流每天上门按门铃，砸门，砸石头，对老婆孩子骂chink
打电话报警N次警察根本不管，据说警察知道是哪些个白人家庭孩子干的，可仅仅是口
头警告完事
各位黄皮疮瘟理想中的美国终于实现了
https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-03-02/an-asian-american-family-in-o-c-was-being-harassed-now-their-neighbors-stand-guard
Haijun Si stands in front of his home as neighbors form a nightly security
detail to deter teens who have harassed his family by throwing rocks and
yelling racial slurs.
(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)
Every night, the neighbors converge on the Si family’s two-story home,
which has large windows and an expansive porch adorned with columns.
Some sit in camping chairs in front of the driveway. Others keep watch from their cars or patrol the nearby parks.
The Sis moved to this upscale Ladera Ranch neighborhood a few months ago,
with the country deep in the COVID-19 pandemic and hate crimes against Asian Americans on the rise.
Almost immediately, teenagers swooped in for nightly visits, repeatedly
ringing the doorbell, yelling and pounding on the door.
One told Haijun Si to “go back to your country.” Another called Si’s wife a pejorative slur used to describe a Chinese person. Some threw rocks.
Sometimes, the interruptions came just as the family sat down for dinner.
Other times, Si’s 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son were jarred awake at midnight.
Si and his wife took turns standing guard outside. They installed a new
fence and cameras. They called the police.
But the attacks kept coming — until their new neighbors stepped in.
As dusk falls on Haijun Si's home, neighbors gather in front to form a
nightly security detail
As dusk falls on Haijun Si’s home, neighbors gather in front to form a
nightly security detail. “I’m so thankful for my neighbors,” he said.(
Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)
ADVERTISEMENT
“I did not understand the extent of the harassment and how often it was
occurring, at first,” said Layla Parks, who organized the nightly
neighborhood watch. “I was immediately outraged and wanted to help.”
Violence and hate incidents directed at Asian Americans have surged across
California, including in Orange County, since the beginning of the pandemic, with some blaming Asians because of the coronavirus’ origins in Wuhan,
China.
A recent spate of violent attacks in Oakland, San Francisco, New York City
and elsewhere has attracted national attention and sparked fear among Asian Americans, though it is not clear whether some of the incidents were
racially motivated.
In February in Koreatown, two men hurled anti-Asian slurs at a 27-year-old
Korean American U.S. Air Force veteran, calling him “Chinese virus” and
then swinging at him, he told KTLA.
“We’re seeing an epidemic of hate right now, and we have to stand together,” state Sen. Dave Min (D-Irvine), who represents the district just west of Ladera Ranch, said last week at an event to show support for the Si family.
While officials in Orange County are still compiling information on reports made in 2020, preliminary statistics indicate a tenfold increase in hate
incidents against Asian Americans, said Alison Edwards, chief executive of
the nonprofit OC Human Relations.
Neighbor Layla Parks has been instrumental in forming a neighborhood
security crew for Haijun Si and his family.
Neighbor Layla Parks has been instrumental in forming a neighborhood
security crew for Haijun Si and his family.
“It makes me physically ill,” said Parks, 30. “This has opened my eyes to the racism that is alive and well in Ladera Ranch.”(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
It’s a troubling uptick that experts have blamed in part on Donald Trump’s rhetoric about the pandemic, including his use of terms such as “China
virus” and “kung flu.”
Last year, California saw a consistent increase in hate incidents and crimes targeting Asian Americans, said Brian Levin, executive director of the
Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at Cal State San Bernardino.
Stereotyping and conspiracy theories identifying Asians as responsible for
COVID-19 have been embraced by wide swaths of the country, Levin said, with a new Center for Public Integrity/Ipsos poll showing that nearly 1 in 4
Americans have concerns about being physically near Asian people.
ADVERTISEMENT
RIVERSIDE COUNTY, CA - JULY 02: Donalene Ferrer, left, who is of Filipino
ancestry, and her daughter, Charlie, 17, who is Filipino-Italian are
photographed wearing protective masks near their home in Riverside County.
In April, they were walking with Donalene's mother in Oceanside when the
mother's neighbor yelled at them from her car, saying: "You started the
corona." There has been an increase in hate incidents against Asians and
Asian Americans, with their accusers unleashing accusations at people they
blame for infecting "Americans" with COVID-19. Photos taken Thursday, July 2, 2020 in Riverside County, CA. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
CALIFORNIA
As anti-Asian hate incidents explode, climbing past 800, activists push for aid
July 5, 2020
A “catalytic event” like the pandemic, with stereotyping by political and social influencers acting as an accelerant, often leads to increased
targeting of racial groups, Levin said.
The attacks against the Si family fit another pattern — the homes of
minority residents tend to be targeted by neighbors in certain age groups,
Levin said.
“The most common offenders of these residential crimes are turf-oriented
youths with moderate prejudices out for a thrill or older neighbors reacting to a perceived threat or change,” Levin said.
The Si family arrived in the U.S. from China four years ago.
In September, the family moved to Ladera Ranch from Corona, looking to
escape the Inland Empire heat and attracted by the planned community’s lush trees, neatly manicured lawns and parks.
Ladera Ranch is a friendly place, where neighbors frequently share meals or spend evenings chatting on the sidewalk as their kids play.
But, some residents say, there is a dark side to the unincorporated
community of about 30,000 residents, which is about two-thirds white, 14%
Latino and 13% Asian.
After the attacks started, Si installed a $3,000 wrought-iron fence around
his front porch and placed floodlights and cameras around the property.
He hung a heavy chain across his driveway to keep the teens from riding
their bikes up to his door.
ADVERTISEMENT
“My kids are scared. I’m very annoyed,” said Si, 48. “At night, my wife and I could not sleep for more than three or four hours. Please, parents,
tell your kids don’t do that again.”
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department has been called to the home seven
times between October 2020 and February. Deputies have ramped up patrols in the area, and the department has launched an investigation, said Sgt. Dennis Breckner.
Still, the doorbell kept ringing, Si said. Nothing helped until his
neighbors stepped in, vowing to put an end to the harassment.
Twins Amber Day, left, and sister, Brooke, decorate a park for Lantern
Festival of Hope event
Twins Amber Day, left, and sister Brooke, 12, decorate a park as neighbors
of an Asian American family that has been harassed mark the last day of the Lunar New Year.(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Parks, who takes daily walks around the neighborhood, had introduced herself to Si and his family when she noticed them moving in last year.
In early February, Si reached out to Parks for advice.
He had already told her about the constant doorbell ringing, and she had
offered to help if needed.
At first, she figured it was a harmless childhood prank of “ding-dong ditch.”
But as the harassment continued, including racial slurs against the family, Parks realized this was something uglier.
People hold lanterns during a Lantern Festival of Hope, marking the last day of Lunar New Year
Ladera Ranch residents hold lanterns as they and other neighbors show their support for the Si family. A traditional lion dance was performed, and
children danced and clapped along to the music.(Allen J. Schaben / Los
Angeles Times)
ADVERTISEMENT
“It makes me physically ill,” said Parks, 30. “This has opened my eyes to the racism that is alive and well in Ladera Ranch. It’s definitely made me sad for this community, because this is just a wonderful place full of
friends and neighbors that love and care about each other.”
On a neighborhood Facebook group, Parks posted footage from Si of a recent
attack and sought volunteers to guard the family’s home. She wanted
coverage from 6 p.m. until at least midnight.
Neighbors signed up in droves.
“I got involved because I’m raising a young child here. I don’t want to
put a ‘for sale’ sign in front of my house and say, ‘I can’t deal with
this,’” said Emily Lippincott, 40, who lives nearby in Rancho Mission
Viejo. “I kept seeing excuses being made, ‘Oh, it’s just kids being kids.’ No, this is months of terrorizing this poor family.”
Neighbors estimate that from 15 to 20 children have participated in the
harassment, one as young as 10.
Three children have apologized, Si said. But Parks said one family sent a
cease-and-desist letter after seeing their child in security footage she
posted on Facebook. The letter threatened her with a lawsuit if she didn’t remove her post.
As the sun began to set on a recent Thursday, Parks stood outside the Sis’ home, where Loden Pass curves onto Mocha Lane, assembling her troops. She
kept close watch on a cluster of teenagers riding bicycles on the trails on a hillside overlooking the home.
“This is what we do all night,” Parks said. “We see kids and we go ‘OK, are they good or are they bad?’ Are they coming this way?”
Two neighbors bundled up in coats to ward off the evening chill, grabbed
flashlights and took their posts on top of the hill near the home. Others
stationed themselves around the neighborhood.
“I’m so thankful for my neighbors,” Si said.
ADVERTISEMENT
In the two weeks or so since the volunteers have been protecting the home,
the harassment has lessened, but the teens haven’t been completely deterred.
One evening, a group threw rocks at Si and volunteers who were chatting on
the front lawn. Sometimes they yell profanities, neighbors said.
The next day, as Chinese families around the world celebrated the Lantern
Festival, hundreds of residents gathered on the grassy lawn across the
street to show their support.
The Qing Wei Lion and Dragon Dance Cultural Troupe performs a lion dance in Ladera Ranch
The Qing Wei Lion and Dragon Dance Cultural Troupe performs a lion dance in Ladera Ranch as neighbors showed support for an Asian American family that
has been subjected to ongoing harassment.(Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times)
People held red lanterns and watched a traditional lion dance performance.
Young children danced and clapped along to the music.
Min, the state senator, said the Si family should not have been made to feel unsafe and unwelcome in their own home.
“The fact of the matter is — as we see tonight — we outnumber them,” Min told the crowd.
黄疮：都怪左逼州禁枪！
黄皮疮拿枪打死个砸门骂chink的白皮试试看，我赌进了监狱活不过三周
【 在 zhetian (叶凡) 的大作中提到: 】
: 黄疮：都怪左逼州禁枪！
是左臂社区
---- 老狼崽子
司先生搬去这个Ladera Ranch 去年大选，只有大概40%多投biden 一大半今年这种情况还支持Trump。同样情况湾区70%多投Biden。将军们细细品
【 在 ToyotaYaris (丰田雅力士) 的大作中提到: 】
: 是左臂社区
: ---- 老狼崽子
有红皮护照么，没有就别乱叫中国人
【 在 rayoflight ( ) 的大作中提到: 】
: 疮破搞死黄人当出气包的策略继续发酵
: 4年前从中国来美国的索男司先生一家刚刚从加州的左臂城市搬到搬到orange county
: 的共和党白人区mission viejo。司先生想这下终于不用怕作弊搞什么政治正确了，司
: 先生心想终于呼吸到了砸烂政治正确可以自由叫Chinese virus的MAGA空气啦
: 可谁知，司先生一家去年刚搬过去，就一家人包括老婆两个孩子都被白人大半年不间断
: 的骚扰，多达几十个人轮
: 流每天上门按门铃，砸门，砸石头，对老婆孩子骂chink
: 打电话报警N次警察根本不管，据说警察知道是哪些个白人家庭孩子干的，可仅仅是口
: 头警告完事
: 各位黄皮疮瘟理想中的美国终于实现了
: ...................
星光说要搬到红州养老躲避白左。。。。好日无边
【 在 ToyotaYaris (丰田雅力士) 的大作中提到: 】
: 是左臂社区
: ---- 老狼崽子
对对 下次你遇到骚扰你的白皮疮粪，记着拿出蓝皮护照给他们上一课学习下你为啥不
是Chinese virus
【 在 pcr (pa请三思，有仇必报立刻就报) 的大作中提到: 】
: 有红皮护照么，没有就别乱叫中国人
那丑逼估计白皮疮看不上懒得骚扰。直接灭了
【 在 zhetian (叶凡) 的大作中提到: 】
: 星光说要搬到红州养老躲避白左。。。。好日无边
从新闻看都是些teenager
其实我们小时候也经常按了别人门铃就跑，不过十几岁以后好像没有了