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Different kind of whistleblower campaign aims to increase safety in Chinatown
A high school math teacher has begun distributing thousands of whistles and small safety devices to seniors in San Francisco's Chinatown as a way to boost their security.
SAN FRANCISCO - A grassroots effort in San Francisco is helping to provide hundreds of older people in the city's Chinatown with whistles they can use in case of an attack.
A San Francisco woman is behind the project.
She says she started it Sunday and in less than a week, she's raised enough money to buy thousands.
They were given out Friday afternoon.
Hundreds of low income seniors who live in Chinatown received whistles as a way to protect themselves.
In Cantonese, volunteers explained how to use the whistles.
They're provided by Ghina Alvarado-Morse, a San Francisco high school math teacher.
She says the recent anti-Asian violence enraged her, a reminder of her Korean grandmother being beaten up many years ago.
"Seeing all that was happening to our Asian elders just reminded me of that. It made me so sad. I couldn't not help," says Alvarado-Morse.
Turning anger into action, she says initially bought two hundred whistles to distribute. That led to a GoFundMe. So far, she says she's been able to buy 9,000 whistles.
Each whistle is on a detachable lanyard so the person wearing in won't get entangled or be dragged if attacked.
71-year-old Wu Shumei says she's grateful for the whistle. She used to take daily walks around Chinatown but stopped because she fears for her safety.
Personal alarms on a key chain were also given out. It's a project started by Jenna Nguyen from San Jose.
She founded EM Collective, a nonprofit to promote Asian culture two years ago, but has now pivoted from a focus on art to activism after the recent attacks on Asians.
Organizers say the Day of Action coincides with the Naturalization Act of 1790. 231 years ago. it was a law the United States Congress passed granting citizenship to white immigrants, but excluded Asians and others.
"We're trying to use it as a way to modify and collaborate to bring communities together," says Myron Lee, a community organizer.
It's a day to remember the history of racism and embrace people of all cultures, especially defenseless elder
"If it wasn't a pandemic, I would want to go and hug everybody and tell them how much I support them and want to make sure that they're safe," says Alvarado-Morse.
In addition to these events, community leaders are urging people to volunteer with Asian nonprofits and to push companies, big and small , to denounce Asian hate.
To volunteer, visit instagram.com/when_we_come_together.
To donate, visit https://gofund.me/b690a9e2.