At the end of October, Danilo Jr. Jimenez, a Filipino immigrant, was targeted with racial slurs aboard a Metro Vancouver bus in Vancouver, Canada. He recorded the incident on video for his own safety and in fear of what the assailant would do. The incident was triggered when a Caucasian man started yelling racist slurs at Jimenez, calling him a “Chinese spy” and threatening to sexually assault his daughter. When the assailant notices, he gets up, tries to wrestle the phone from Jimenez, and threatens to “shoot him in the head.” The bus driver ordered the Caucasian man to stop and he then moved to the back of the bus while continuing to yell racial slurs. No one else on the bus interfered. He finally gets off the bus, but not before yelling “you’re dead” at Jimenez.
Jimenez arrived in Canada three years ago in search of a better life for himself and his family. What he experienced on public transport has left him afraid, shaken and also disappointed that no bystanders interfered or helped him. Jimenez is worried about using buses now. This incident is just one of many anti-Asian hate crimes that have been on the rise since COVID-19 started earlier this year. Especially in countries with a Caucasian majority, Asians have had to fear for their life when going out in public.