SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Leaders across Sacramento's Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) community are angry after seeing surveillance footage of an Asian woman robbed inside a supermarket.
Real estate broker Nikki Nguyen says she shared the Sept. 25 video with the permission of the SF Super Market storeowners in South Sacramento.
"I know the person who was robbed," Nguyen told ABC10. "It was just so distressing for my friend, and they have security right in front of the store yet you feel helpless, why?"
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office told ABC10 it is investigating.
AAPI leaders respond
Nguyen says the problem of Asian women falling prey to robberies, especially in South Sacramento, is so widespread she's meeting with other business owners to discuss solutions.
It comes after the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office recently announced a man was sentenced to eight years in prison for targeting at least four Asian women in robberies — racial bias was a factor in the crimes.
"We've got to come together as a community and really educate the females, and help put out an image that we are not vulnerable to crimes," said Nguyen.
Eric Ho has been a business owner in the same plaza as SF Super Market for nine years. The area's crime has him suspicious of the people walking into his store, but he also looks out for the elderly people shopping around.
It's videos like the one Nguyen shared that has Ho warning his mother to be aware and alert every time she goes out to shop in the area.
"Some people, older seniors especially, maybe are not seeing these videos and posts. It's up to our younger generation to help get the word out there and help from law enforcement," said Ho.
The pattern stretches beyond South Sacramento, according to 25-year resident of the city, Romer Cristobal.
Residents taking notice
Cristobal lives in North Natomas and is a Greater Sacramento Chapter ambassador for the Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs Association (APAPA). He's organizing a community meeting with District Attorney Thien Ho Oct. 12.
Official statement from APAPA CEO Mary Yin Liu:
“In June, the DOJ released its crime data and it showed that California’s violent and property crime rates increased in 2022. It’s not surprising that families are enduring these hard realities as they go about in their daily lives. California needs to prioritize a safe community for all the families here. APAPA is committed to public safety just as we are committed to amplifying the voices of our API community which is why we work closely with many leaders, and are hosting a Meet and Greet Event with Sacramento County District Attorney Thien Ho to discuss public safety, crime, and homelessness.”
The topics of crime and homelessness will be discussed at the meeting with Ho. Click here to register.
"A lot of the neighbors here are pushing for updates on the homelessness solution," Cristobal said. "Crime always goes up and down in the Stockton Boulevard area, but this year it's grown even more."
Cristobal says Sacramento Police using a license plate reader camera helped law enforcement catch thieves when his neighborhood was dealing with cluster mailbox thefts. He believes they could be used to catch criminal activity at places like the SF Super Market.
"We used them to capture people doing donuts and they even got a guy arrested and his car impounded. We would just send the license plate reader camera footage to law enforcement for their investigation," he said.
Security workers are also going to be a big topic of discussion for Nguyen when she meets with business owners. She says they're not deterring crime.
She hopes shoppers will one day feel like they can relax when going into South Sacramento, but it's going to take a community effort.
