SAN FRANCISCO, California – After a series of violent assaults in San Francisco, a Chinese immigrant, Rongxin Liao, 87, has decided to return to China for good. Liao had hoped for a peaceful retirement in the US, but the relentless violence in the city has left him and his family in fear.
Liao’s wife passed away 24 years ago, and since then, he and his son had been trying to build a new life in the US. However, a string of attacks has convinced Liao that returning to Communist China would be safer than staying in San Francisco.
The decision comes after Liao was repeatedly hospitalized due to violent assaults, including an incident in March 2021 where he was kicked out of his walker while waiting for a bus. Suffering from serious head injuries, Liao had to undergo surgery and spend four nights in the hospital.
The unrelenting violence has shattered Liao’s dream of spending his remaining years in the US, prompting him to express his concerns about becoming a burden to his son. The elder son, Jing Liao, who emigrated alongside his father, voiced worries about the deteriorating public safety situation in San Francisco.
The Chinese immigrant’s decision to return to his homeland comes amidst a surge in anti-Asian hate crimes, which spiked by 567 percent in 2021. Chinese individuals, in particular, bore the brunt of prejudice related to the Covid-19 pandemic, with 247 hate crime incidents recorded in San Francisco alone. This rise in hate crimes adds to the already troubling spike in crime rates, particularly in cases of robbery and motor vehicle theft.
As Liao prepares to bid farewell to his friends in the city, his departure paints a stark picture of the challenges faced by elderly immigrants in an increasingly unsafe environment. The move also raises concerns about public safety and challenges officials to address the rising crime rates in San Francisco.