Batya emails:
Honorable J. Lacey District Attorney
County of Los Angeles
210 West Temple Street, Suite 18000
Los Angeles, CA 90012-3210
Last night, about 8:00 o’clock, after a concert at LACMA, I stopped at the 99 Cents Only store, Wilshire & Fairfax.
A well dressed man, preppy looking, in his late 20’s attacked me verbally, because I was in his way. Shocked, I explained that I have a broken shoulder and it’s hard to maneuver my shopping cart He kept going and called at me: “Dirty Jew..”
Stunned, I wondered how did he know I am Jewish? I was not wearing a Jewish star? I figured later, that if you make a racial remark lets say in Chinatown about orientals, 90% of the time you’ll hit the target. Same with Jews in Fairfax. In other words, he came in to cause trouble. (Which was confirmed at the end)
How did he dare? He called me that slur from the other end of the aisle? Because he can. No one spoke out to helped me. (There were Jews with Kippa-headcover in the store.) He went on with his attack: “There was a time that Jews did not have that much power now…”
At that point I decided enough is enough and I cut him off by saying: “You are a racist. Stop this or I will call the police”.
I went to the cashier and asked for the manger. It took a long time to get one. I asked to do something as this guy was still shopping with a woman (wife?) and a boy (about 9yrs old). We called the police from the store, mastering all my willpower not to faint nor leave the store. As he was paying, I worried that he gets away with this. So, I confronted him trying to shame him in public, I said: “This how you are raise your son, calling a woman you don’t know a dirty Jew???
He calmly denied it. It never happened!!! Unbeknown to them from a safe distance, I followed them trying to get his license plate number but they kept walking across.
* Outside the store, the woman with the boy, who was shopping with him, completely lost it. She began to yell at the man: “How many times have I told you to stop this. You are doing it all the time. One day the police will arrest you.” You could hear her even around the corner…
In other words: This is a serial hate crime offender.
The police arrived shortly after. The 2 officers (I have their names) felt badly, but said that no crime was committed and did not write a report. I asked: What about hate crime/ Verbal assault/ I am a elderly…65/ A heart patient? Nada! There is nothing they can do according to their guidelines… Free speech.
I thanked them and before leaving, asked of them to double check the policy Re: Hate Crime. This morning I contacted the LA District Attorney’s office and left a recorded message with my contact number.
a. There are security cameras in and outside the store. You can have a picture of him.
b. The store manger and I are witness who can Identify him.
c. Check if he paid with a credit card.
d. When he saw that I won’t let the matter go, he called the police from his cell. They have a record of his call and his contact information.
I can’t get over it. Now days, here in a Jewish neighborhood??? Who else to contact and report this? Any suggestion?
