Two South Asian American walking in Martinez, California July 6 evening, became victims of a possible hate crime as a car rolled up alongside them and began spraying large quantities of liquid from a water gun while yelling the phrase “leave.”
“We just stood there. We were so dazed, we didn’t realize what had just happened,” said one of the victims, who is Indian American, and asked to be identified by her nickname Jenny, fearing retribution by the suspects. The other victim, Zena, is Bangladeshi American.
According to Jenny, as the two women exited a coffee shop at about 8:50 pm, a car going in the opposite direction stopped. A window rolled down from the back seat and the suspect began copiously spraying the women from the water gun while shouting “leave,” and then sped away.
Burning Skin
“Zena was completely soaked,” said Jenny, whose upper body was drenched in the incident. “We were panicked about what was on our skin,” she said, describing the liquid as colorless and odorless.
Initially, the pair thought it might just be water. But shortly after the attack, Zena, who suffers from perioral dermatitis, felt her face burning. Within minutes, her face started getting more inflamed and swollen. Jenny found her arm itching and rashy.
Both women were wearing t-shirts, shorts, and sandals. Jenny was also wearing a khara, a bracelet mandated by the tenets of her Sikh faith.
‘Chilling’
Martinez’s population is over 77% White. The victim said she often goes to her favorite coffee shop there — the Dutch Rose — but added: “I’m not going to be walking around in that area any more, which is unfortunate.”
“I was born here, and I’ve lived here all my life. I know I’ve always been looked at differently, but I’ve never faced anything like this before.”
“Spraying water could have been just a harmless prank. But what was chilling to me was hearing the word ‘leave.’”
Active Investigation
Martinez Police Department Commander Patrick Salamid confirmed to Ethnic Media Services that a police report had been filed by both victims. “We are actively investigating this incident,” he said. Asked if the case was being investigated as a hate crime, Salamid responded: “If the facts lead us in that direction, we will investigate the incident as a hate crime as defined by the California Penal Code. But we haven’t established those facts yet.”
An attorney unaffiliated with this case told EMS that the unwarranted spraying of someone with a water pistol could be potentially be charged as misdemeanor battery, with up to 6 months in jail, and possible fines. Adding a hate crime charge could lengthen the sentence by 2 to 5 years.
Tara Patwardhan, a friend of Jenny and Zena who alerted EMS to the incident, lives in Newark, in San Francisco’s East Bay Area. Newark, and the neighboring towns of Fremont and Union City, are home to one of the largest concentrations of Indian Americans in the nation.
“I always felt like this is a community I can walk around in. For something like this to happen in the Bay Area is surprising,” she said.
“I hope the police catch the perpetrators. But I also want people to have a greater understanding that hate crimes can happen in these areas,” said Patwardhan.
Hate Crimes Report
Jenny and Patwardhan believe there is video footage taken from a traffic stop camera that could help identify the suspects. Martinez police have not yet released the video footage to the victims. Salamid said he could not confirm or deny evidence in an active investigation.
Last week, the California Attorney General’s office released the 2023 Hate Crime in California report, an annual publication that breaks down hate crime data in the state by ethnicity, county, and several other metrics. Overall levels of hate crimes decreased by 7.1% from 2,120 in 2022 to 1,970 in 2023.
Martinez, which is in Contra Costa County, reported 4 hate crimes in 2023. Overall, 62 offenses involving 59 victims were reported in Contra Costa County in 2023.
The California Civil Rights Department has created a 24 hour hotline, (833) 866-4283 or 833-8-NO-HATE, where hate crimes or incidents can be reported in one of over 200 languages.
EMS’ Stop The Hate initiative is made possible with funding from the California State Library in partnership with the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs. The views expressed on this website and other materials produced by EMS do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the CSL, CAPIAA or the California government.
