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A man has been charged with a “bias crime” after allegedly assaulting a man and his daughter in Portland, Oregon.
Dylan Kesterson is accused of a attacking a family visiting Portland from California. The family was out riding rented bikes from Salmon Springs station.
The case has the public outraged.
Especially because the accused man was quickly released the same day he was arrested.
Around 3:45pm on Saturday, July 2, Kesterson is alleged to have commented on the ethnic background of the biking family. He accused them of being of Japanese descent.
Shortly thereafter, Kesterson began hitting the 36-year-old father in the head. After, he punched the 5-year-old daughter.
Witnesses jumped in after the attack began and defended the family. Kesterson tried to walk away after that.
Kesterson was arrested but released the same day, causing public outrage.
\u201c@297_ArubaLover Gah! This makes my blood boil!\u201d— @297_Aruba_Lover (@@297_Aruba_Lover) 1657034239
\u201cAs a multi-race Japanese and European American, this angers me!!! My adopted adult daughter is in Oregon, and I worry for her safety! And this was a 5-year-old who was attacked!\u201d— Gayle L. B. Dragonfly (She/Her)\ud83c\udf0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83d\udeabLists\ud83d\udeab (@Gayle L. B. Dragonfly (She/Her)\ud83c\udf0a \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 \ud83d\udeabLists\ud83d\udeab) 1657068649
\u201c@activeasian Hit kids, it's game over\u201d— Asian Crime Report (@Asian Crime Report) 1657031389
\u201c@KOINNews This angers me almost more than the initial incident. And, the Canned reply from Commissioner Carmen Rubio's office is a Politically Correct canned response. Nothing is going to happen with this either!!\u201d— KOIN News (@KOIN News) 1656889260
\u201cMy dad just told me about an Asian hate crime in Portland today where a guy punched out a Japanese dad and his 5 year old... like idk what to do with this info dad. I can't stop hate crimes before Wednesday \ud83d\ude43\u201d— \u2661 Jacqui \u2661 (@\u2661 Jacqui \u2661) 1656980361
\u201cThis so sad! Oregon is full of these racist white supremists! \ud83d\ude21\u201d— BellaMia \u262e\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\udc89 (@BellaMia \u262e\ufe0f\ud83c\udf0a\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf2\ud83d\ude37\ud83d\udc89) 1657000865
Kesterson was booked into Multnomah County Jail on accusations of 1st and 2nd degree bias crime. As of Sunday, July 3, Kesterson was no longer in custody, implying he was released the previous day.
Local officials spoke out about the heinous nature of the crime and the system’s handling of the perpetrator.
Commissioner Mingus Mapps told KOIN 6 News:
“My heart goes out to the family. We have got to bring back public safety in this town. I appreciate the work of the Portland Police Bureau in arresting this individual.”
“I am concerned that he was released from jail the same day he was arrested.”
Portland Mayor, Ted Wheeler reached out to the victims and told the press he was outraged at the attack. He said he’d be instructing the District Attorney to pursue the maximum penalty.
The attack is a growing trend in the country, as anti-Asian crimes are on the rise. Just last year, hate crimes against Asian Americans increased 339 percent.
And it’s not something people want to see.
\u201cI can\u2019t stop thinking about this 5 y.o. girl who was attacked during a bike ride with her family because she looked Asian.\u00a0As we celebrate Independence Day, let\u2019s reflect on the progress our nation has made since 1776, but also the progress still needed to be a more perfect union\u201d— Yi-Kang Hu (@Yi-Kang Hu) 1656954708
\u201cBias crime\u201d— Admiral Kazansky (@Admiral Kazansky) 1657068214
\u201c@297_ArubaLover The Asian hate crimes go vastly underreported for some reason.\u201d— @297_Aruba_Lover (@@297_Aruba_Lover) 1657034239
\u201c@VerviaFelt @activeasian How exactly is punching somebody "intimidation?" If I hadn't read the news story I'd have assumed words and maybe gestures only, not violent acts.\u201d— Asian Crime Report (@Asian Crime Report) 1657031389
\u201c@NBCNews This is what out of control white supremacy looks like. Beating up a 5 year old and her father because they are different. What has happened to this country? What the hell has happened? Donald Trump unleashing the beast. That's what happened.\u201d— NBC News (@NBC News) 1657067407
\u201c@tpriggsby This is what law enforcement must focus its energy on. So many people get away with violent crimes here.\u201d— Terri Preeg Riggsby (@Terri Preeg Riggsby) 1656875004
Kesterson is due in court Wednesday July 6 for a hearing to determine if he should be put back in custody pending his trial.
The District Attorney brought additional charges, including assault and attempted assault that could necessitate locking up a suspect.