Self-defense classes help Asian senior citizens fight racist attacks, LA Times

In June, a 70-year-old Filipino American man was punched in the face at Don Knabe Community Regional Park in Cerritos. The assailant told the man to “go back to your country.”

A month later, dozens of Asian American senior citizens practiced self-defense moves in the same park where the attack occurred.

Yeang, who is Chinese Cambodian, said she is concerned for her safety after seeing television news reports about attacks against elderly Asians.

“If somebody attacked me, I didn’t know what to do,” she said. “I’d just run. I didn’t know how to yell or anything. Now, I learned some things. I’m not scared anymore.”