Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley spoke at a press conference on July 26 to address the recent uptick in violence against members of Asian American Pacific Islander community.
“My office continues to stand with our community in denouncing the hate-motivated violence that is committed against Asian Americans and the AAPI community,” said District Attorney O’Malley during the press conference in Oakland’s Chinatown.
“These perpetrators are ruthless, and they are aggressive, particularly in the streets of Chinatown thinking they are immune from being caught. We have to put a stop to that. We must work together to identify, arrest and prosecute these perpetrators that are particularly preying on elder Asian Americans and on members of the AAPI community before another death, injury, or trauma occurs,” she said.
Under DA O’Malley’s direction, the office formed a Special Response Team earlier this year to address the uptick in violence in the AAPI community. The team is headed by Chief Assistant District Attorney Annie Esposito.
The prosecutors assigned to the team speak Mandarin and Cantonese, to help guide victims of such violence feel less intimidated by the process.
Th district attorney’s office continues to offer services to victims of crime, regardless if the perpetrator isn’t identified or apprehended.
Federal partners also announced the launch of the Justice Department’s firearms trafficking strike forces, which will focus on reducing violent crimes by disrupting illegal firearms trafficking in key areas. The San Francisco Bay Area has been identified as one such area.
DA O’Malley thanked the President and Attorney General for allowing the Bay Area to be a focal point in addressing gun violence.
“Gun violence has plagued Alameda County for so many years, but in the last year and a half since COVID hit, we’ve seen a huge uptick,” DA O’Malley said.
Because of the pandemic, the court set no bail for people arrested of certain crimes. The office worked with the court and more recently this year, the bail schedule was changed. Now, if someone is arrested for gun-related crimes such as possession of a gun, or use of firearm, the bail is now set at $50,000.
The district attorney’s office is proud to offer alternative courts to help young adults move away from the criminal justice system.
“But when it comes to gun violence, we have to hold the line with these individuals,” the district attorney said.
To read more on the office’s Guns in Alameda County report, visit: https://www.alcoda.org/resources/gun_safety
If you or someone you know has been a victim of a hate crime, call our Hate Crime Hotline at: (510) 208-4824.
Posted on Jul 26, 2021