A woman is facing trial after she spat on an Asian man eating lunch in Mountain View, California, last month in what is being described as another anti-Asian hate crime.
Karen Inman was arrested on Friday after stealing from a Smart & Final grocery store because she refused to pay the clerk. According to police reports and NBC News, Inman refused to pay the store staff because of their Asian ethnicity. After being arrested, Inman was also connected to the hate crime that she committed a month prior, on Feb. 13, where she spat on an Asian man while he was eating lunch.
“However, MVPD has a policy to proactively investigate any hate crimes so officers continued with the investigation and we brought the case to the District Attorney’s Office for review,” according to a statement released by the Mountain View police department. “Officials at the District Attorney’s Office reviewed our case, and they established that hate crime charges could be brought against Inman.”
After being arrested for the theft last week, Inman was charged with the hate crime. Hate crimes against the Asian American community have been on the rise, especially in the Bay Area. In a statement released by District Attorney Jeff Rosen, he said that he stands with the Asian Pacific Islander community against any acts of hate and racism.
“Our community stands together against any hatred and racism against the Asian Pacific Islander community,” Rosen said. “It is ignorant. It is wrong. And when it is criminal – those who are charged will face the full power of my Office to hold them accountable.”
With anti-Asian hate crimes spiking at an alarming rate, here are some different ways individuals can help curtail the violence and be an ally to the Asian American community.
