Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, and even before that, hate crimes have generally been on a steady rise in recent years. One specific group that has seen an increase in these heinous acts is the Asian American community. A recent string of hate crimes committed against elderly men and women has drawn outrage from the community, and celebrities are starting to make their support heard. In one instance, Hawaii Five-0’s Daniel Dae Kim and Into the Badlands’ Daniel Wu have teamed up to offer a reward on social media in response to a recent attack on an elderly man that was caught on camera.
Daniel Dae Kim and Daniel Wu have offered up a $25,000 reward for the capture and conviction of the then-unknown assailant. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, surveillance footage from Jan. 31 caught a masked assailant violently shoving a 91-year-old Asian-American man down to the ground in Oakland’s Chinatown. Tragically, the victim later died from his injuries. Kim and Wu took to Instagram to raise awareness about the crime, and to inspire anyone to come forward with more information in connection to the suspect that could lead to that person's arrest. Kim spoke on his and Wu’s commitment to his cause.
Daniel Wu & I are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of this man and his accomplices, who attacked the 91-year-old man above, as well as two other seniors, in downtown Oakland. We must do more to help the literally thousands of Americans who have suffered at the hands of this absolutely senseless violence. Please help us bring this criminal to justice.
The L.A. Times, as well as Daniel Dae Kim himself, pointed out two other incidents with elderly Asian Americans by the same person. A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman were both also attacked in the same area on the same day. Kim’s post about the case highlighted how justifiably upset the Asian-American community is over the rise of hate crimes. Having the backing of Kim and Daniel Wu put a much-needed spotlight on an ever-increasing problem that many have faced after the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States. Kim and Wu weren’t the only Asian-American celebrities to raise awareness for the case as Marvel stars Gemma Chan, Chloe Bennett and future Shang Chi star Simu Lu took to social media as well. Crazy Rich Asians co-stars Henry Golding and Harry Shum Jr. even highlighted the incident.
Fans can check out Daniel Dae Kim’s full post below:
Following Daniel Dae Kim’s initial Instagram post, the suspect was caught by the Oakland Police Department, according to an announcement by Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong. The suspect was identified as 28-year-old Yahya Muslim. He was charged with assault, battery, elder abuse and a special allegation of offenses.
Daniel Dae Kim and Daniel Wu’s reward offer showed how fame and success can be used to help highlight injustices affecting your community. This also highlighted that not all celebrities use their platform for petty or self-promoting reasons. Hopefully, their efforts helped to capture the suspect, and will inspire others to respect each other.
