An elderly Asian woman who was attacked last week in San Francisco wants $900,000 she received in donations to be given back to the Asian American Community to combat racism, according to her family.
The family of Xiao Zhen Xie announced the plan this week via the GoFundMe campaign they set up to pay for her medical bills.
"Hate crimes towards Asians is nothing new. It has happened since the first Asian immigrants arrived in America. But during the pandemic, hate crimes towards the AAPI community have accelerated in an alarming rate," Xie's family said.
"All the hatred that is happening towards the AAPI (Asian Americans and Pacific Islander) community has deeply angered and saddened our family. The AAPI community is bleeding from this violence and hatred. We as a community cannot stay silent nor be silenced anymore," the statement continued. "That is why our family plans to donate ALL funds generated in this GoFundMe to help the AAPI community recover, and combat racism."
Her grandson John Chen wrote, "She said we must not summit to racism and we must fight to the death if necessary."
The 75-year-old Xie was left seriously injured after an unprovoked attack last Wednesday. It came amid a rise of anti-Asian attacks in the country.
Xie had been standing at a traffic light when 39-year-old Steven Jenkins punched her in the face, leaving her with a bleeding black right eye.
Xie fought back by picking up a wooden board and hitting the man, causing him to be sent to the hospital.
On the same day, Jenkins also assaulted 83-year-old Knoc Pham, who was hospitalized with a fractured nose and possible neck fractures.
