Good Samaritan That Stopped Anti-Asian Hate Crime Harassed With Paint, Dead Rats

A good Samaritan who came to the rescue of an Asian man beaten in Oakland this past April has faced harassment in the months following the assault.

The woman, who identified herself only as Mychelle, spoke exclusively to KGO-TV about helping to fend off the attackers. She was riding a public bus when video footage shows a man dressed in black striking a man identified as 69-year-old Hua Lin, proceeding to hit him with what appears to be a cane or staff.

Mychelle can be heard on the footage yell out and ask the man if he was alright. She can then be seen moving to stand between Lin and the assailant, pressing him against plastic shielding to try and keep him out of danger. The assailant eventually ran off of the bus, but not before striking Mychelle several times.

In the aftermath of the attack, Mychelle helped to flag down an ambulance and get Lin treatment.

"I wouldn't sit there and watch anyone get hurt," Mychelle said, who reportedly works for a nonprofit and has helped provide her local community with personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic. She was also seen on the footage attempting to take a picture of the assailant.

Coincidentally, the president of the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce, Carl Chan, was on his way to meet Lin when the assault occurred, and according to KGO, had also been attacked that day. After hearing of Mychelle's actions, the Chamber of Commerce started a GoFundMe to raise money for her.

"Since the attack, [Mychelle] has encountered several incidents of harassments and threats. Someone threw paint on her car and slashed her tires. They even tried to intimidate her by putting dead rats in her home," the fundraiser's page said.

The GoFundMe is aimed at helping her move to a safer community where the likelihood of her being harassed is lower.

"Mychelle risked her life to help someone she did not know. She would not be experiencing these threats if she did not risk her life to save one of our seniors. Let's show her we appreciate her help," Chan said.

While the GoFundMe's original goal was $20,000, it has raised over $33,000 at the time of publishing. The police were reportedly able to find and arrest the bus assailant due to Mychelle's actions, although his identity has not been released. Despite the danger that she was in, Mychelle says that she would do the same thing again.

"That's what you're supposed to do. I don't know how else to say it," she said.

Newsweek has reached out to the Oakland Chinatown Chamber of Commerce for comment.