‘No Asians allowed.’ Woman accused of posting hateful fliers, California cops say
A 52-year-old California woman has been arrested on suspicion of posting hateful hand-written fliers advising Asians to leave the United States and “go back to your country,” police say.
Nancy Arechiga of San Leandro in the San Francisco Bay Area was booked into jail and then released under policies to prevent crowding during the coronavirus pandemic, police say in a release.
Police found Arechiga on Friday night in the Heron Bay neighborhood of San Leandro, where she had been placing hand-written notes on the front doors of at least five homes, police said.
“You, because we consider you’re a stranger, one bad person for this country, leave, go far away, go back to your country, the place you belong,” read one of the notes, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. “Leave this place.”
“You have until the day May/23/2020 Saturday 10:30 am to leave this country,” the note read, according to the publication. “In this place, no Asian allowed. My Country USA.”
Police identified Arechiga after she was caught on a Ring doorbell video posting one of the notes at a home, the release says. A similar note was found Thursday on a nearby trail.
Resident Trinny Wynn posted photos of a woman posting the notes on homes to Facebook.
“We the people do ordain you to leave this house,” reads part of a note shown in a photograph in the post. “One American, white, brave, that serves the nation of USA is going to live here.”
When officers found Arechiga about 7 p.m. Friday in the vicinity, they found five similar notes in her backpack, police said.
“San Leandro is a community of beautifully diverse people, who share a common desire to live in harmony and free from intimidation,” said Lt. Isaac Benabou said in the release. “We welcome people’s rights to express themselves but not in a manner that infringes upon a community’s sense of security and well-being.”
In a post to the city’s Facebook page, Mayor Pauline Cutter commended police for quickly apprehending Arechiga.
“The City of San Leandro is committed to being a welcoming place for everyone,” Cutter wrote. “There is no place for hate in our community.”
Police asked that anyone with information on the incident contact the San Leandro Police Department at 510-577-2740.
A recent Ipsos poll found that 30% of Americans have witnessed someone blaming Asians for coronavirus, which began in China, the Center for Public Integrity reported. Sixty percent of Asian-Americans say they’ve witnessed the same behavior.
Police in New York and other U.S. cities have reported spikes in hate crimes against Asians and Asian-Americans, WABC reports.
This story was originally published May 24, 2020 at 11:34 AM with the headline "‘No Asians allowed.’ Woman accused of posting hateful fliers, California cops say."