A San Antonio noodle shop whose owner spoke on CNN against the decision of Republican Governor Greg Abbott to lift mask mandates was defiled with anti-Asian graffiti, and the crime is being investigated as a hate crime, KABB Fox 29 in San Antonio reports.
Mike Nguyen, owner of Noodle Tree, was shocked and disappointed when he saw the graffiti on his business walls and tables. “I was pretty upset. I was boiling,” he said. “I had to take a couple of minutes to just clear my head a little bit. It’s uncalled for it’s unfortunate, placing blame on something that has nothing to even do with Asian-Americans. You know one of the graffiti’s said ‘Go back to China,’ I’m not even Chinese.”
Asian-Americans have faced increased violence in recent months as people blame them for the coronavirus pandemic that is thought to have sprung out of China. Business that require wearing masks–a provision allowed by Abbott’s decree–are targeted for harassment, with Asian-American owned businesses selected for xenophobic, bigoted messages.