Saturday was supposed to be a regular weekend for me, but what happened that day broke my peaceful campus life forever.
My name is Runyu Li, and I am an international student from China. I am currently in the Public Relations and Advertising program at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.
On December 3, 2022, after I ate lunch with a friend while walking from Lorenzo back to campus within the USC Department of Public Safety Zone (DPS zone), I was attacked by a random stranger. It happened when I was crossing the street and noticed a tall man staring at me angrily. After we made eye contact, I tried to walk past him, but he blocked me. He then suddenly lunged towards me and punched me without warning. I had no time to react and fell to the ground. My head ached and I felt dizzy so I wasn’t able to get up. I had a few scratches on my hands and arms due to the fall.
My attacker quickly left the scene, but a bystander saw what happened and helped me to my feet. After he left me, I walked to McDonald’s to get a drink, but on the way, the same man who attacked me approached me while cursing. I ran away immediately. Because I still had a headache and felt dizzy, I couldn’t recall what he had said to me. I ran into McDonald’s and reported the incident to 911 and DPS immediately. Several police officers arrived minutes later. Two medics also came to check my condition. They determined I didn’t need additional medical attention.
My initial thought after the attack is that it was just one incident triggered by mental illness. However, after reading a report from ABC 7 on an Asian man who was attacked in Koreatown during the daytime, I felt the incident was similar to my experience. I then felt that I may have been a victim of a hate crime against Asians given the spike in anti-Asian hate since 2020 due to Covid anxiety and blame. According to Stop AAPI Hate, there were more than 11,400 reported hate incidents against Asian Americans from March of 2020 to March of 2022.
Ironically, before the incident, I actually attended a safety knowledge learning section hosted by USC’s Chinese Graduate Student Association (CGSA) and USC DPS police officers. When I think back, some tips they taught us are really useful and can even save people’s lives:
- Students and faculty cannot bring weapons, including tasers, to campus.
- Students can bring pepper spray of fewer than 2.5 ounces to campus.
- For the pepper spray, make sure you have it somewhere that is reachable (I put it in my backpack, so I didn’t have enough time to reach it when I got attacked).
- Practice using pepper spray somewhere safe first, so you know which direction to spray and how far your pepper spray can reach.
- If you encounter a suspicious person, run and call the police first (If you directly engage in a physical confrontation with the other party, not only may you be injured, but you may also be considered as over-defensive）.
- Don’t stare at your phone while you are walking, be aware of things around you while you are walking. If you decide to call the police, make sure you can describe the location as clearly as possible, so the police can find you quickly.
- If you see someone get attacked, please call the police, and record the video and image of the attacker. Help the victim get away from the attacker if you can.
Here is more information about the weapons prohibited on campus and detailed instructions on calling help when you get attacked in the DPS area.
Even though USC does a lot to keep the students safe, I still feel really unsafe living near campus as an Asian student. I just want to use my story to warn people to stay safe and, especially, help stop Asian hate. I never thought I would be a victim of a violent crime.
After this incident, I started to question myself — why me? Is it because of the way I look? Was it because I am Asian? Do I look weak? Is it because of my outfit? I’m unsure if my attack was an anti-Asian hate crime and even though there is no doubt of the culprit’s violence towards me, I also can’t stop judging myself after all of this. I regretted that I could not react fast enough or wasn’t strong enough to protect myself.
The DPS police officers told me that if I ever saw the man on the street in the future, I should call LAPD immediately to report it. The police officer also mentioned that the man who attacked me might suffer from mental illness, which means he would be released quickly even if they caught him. After hearing this, it only increased my fear of living in this area. So I wonder:
- Can schools, DPS, and local police officers do more to protect the safety of students and faculty?
- Community safety issues are a long-term problem around the USC area; why has this problem never been solved？
- Does the school take sufficient safety measures and inform students and faculty on how to protect themselves?
- After the incident, I took the initiative to contact the police and the school doctor for help. But what about those who have been through a similar incident but haven’t had the courage to seek help? Were they left to suffer in silence during and after the attack?
After talking with several friends and family members, I feel better. I am also trying to do different things like go to museums, hang out with friends, and eat a decent meal to distract myself from the aftermath of the incident. I am trying to see the positive things in my life and catch the great moments around me. Even most of the time, when people ask me what happened, I will just answer and even make jokes about it. But deep inside my heart, it is actually painful and awkward to think about what happened. If something similar happens to you (hopefully, it never does), I just want you to know you are not alone and that it is not your fault. Just ask for help if you need it and try to enjoy your life because you deserve it. We all do.