What the recall of Sheng Thao and Pamela Price says about Asian American views on crime

The recall last week of two Bay Area officials who both championed progressive crime policies reflects long-held frustrations around a previous increase in violence targeting the Asian American community, experts say.

The recall last week of two Bay Area officials who both championed progressive crime policies reflects long-held frustrations around a previous increase in violence targeting the Asian American community, experts say. 

Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao and Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price were ousted by roughly 2 to 1 in races last week. The vote is indicative of Asian Americans’ rightward shift toward tougher crime policies like much of the state, analysts say. They are the area’s fastest growing racial group, making up 34.5% of the county and almost 16% of Oakland.

While the nine counties in the Bay Area favored Vice President Kamala Harris, for example, all shifted right last week toward President-elect Donald Trump since the 2020 presidential election. 

San Francisco Mayor London Breed, a Democrat, also lost a re-election bid to Levi Strauss heir and nonprofit founder Daniel Lurie, who campaigned aggressively on crime and street safety. And in 2022, Chesa Boudin, who advocated for restorative justice and ending mass incarceration, was ousted as San Francisco’s district attorney in a recall. 

The results point to Asian Americans’ sensitivity to the issue of crime and safety due to the uptick of anti-Asian hate during the height of the pandemic that many feel went unaddressed, experts say. From March 2020 to December 2021, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders across the country reported nearly 11,000 hate incidents, including verbal and physical abuse, being coughed at or spat on, and  facing discrimination in the workplace. 

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/sheng-thao-pamela-price-recall-bay-area-asians-rcna179802

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