Chino Yang wrote a rap — a diss track, to be specific — about his frustration with anti-Asian hate, the current state of San Francisco and Mayor London Breed. And, within days, the Asian rapper found himself the focus of condemnation from San Francisco’s African American leaders and the subject of a media frenzy.
The reaction to Yang’s rap criticizing Mayor Breed was as much about the messenger as the message, said Kyle Shin, 26, a fifth-generation Chinese American in the city who is also a rapper. Generally, he noted, Asians are perceived as reserved, the “model minority.”
That model minority may be turning on Breed. Interviews with small business owners and leaders in the Asian community indicate that many are unhappy with the mayor and ready to support another candidate in the November election.
“I see people that are mad at London Breed, you know, don’t trust her at all,” said Albert Chow, president of the neighborhood association People of Parkside Sunset and owner of Great Wall Hardware on Taraval Street.
“I know there’re a lot of people that aren’t very happy with what’s going on now with the politics,” added William J. Barnickel, president of the Outer Sunset Merchant Professional Association and a commissioner on San Francisco’s Veterans Affairs Committee. While Barnickel is not Asian, most of his association’s members are.
David Ho, a Chinatown organizer and political consultant, said that the community now sees the mayor as responsible for the public safety issues that have been there for years. Previously, the mayor and others could blame the District Attorney Chesa Boudin.
“If Chesa Boudin was not recalled, none of these matters would be about the mayor,” he said. “It would be about the district attorney.”
And so it was in 2022. Some 58 percent of the Sunset/Parkside neighborhood is Asian, according to the 2020 census and, in 2022, 66 percent of Sunset voters chose to recall Boudin. The citywide average was 55 percent. Asian voters in San Francisco do not vote as a political monolith, but the westside of the city is known for a more conservative bent.
“Maybe this time we can point at the mayor, ‘You better do your job,’” added Sean Kim, vice president of Richmond District’s Geary Boulevard Merchants Association and owner of Joe’s Ice Cream. For small businesses, Kim said, it is dangerous to do business in San Francisco now. “But we don’t see any accountability, so we are not happy.”
Chow, who has worked with various city departments, said he does not personally fault Breed and instead cites “a contested Board of Supervisors” and a shorthanded police department. He “might” vote for Breed in November’s mayoral election, he said, but is also considering mayoral candidate Ahsha Safaí.
But, he acknowledged, others tend to direct their anger toward the incumbent mayor. “I hear a lot of negative,” Chow said, maintaining there’s growing dissatisfaction in his community. “I think [people’s perception of Breed] was better last year.”
‘His rap is valid’
After Yang, who moved to the U.S. at the age of 13 from mainland China and grew up in Bayview Hunters Point, released his verse in September — and after it picked up national press attention — the mayor’s allies sprang into action: The Rev. Amos Brown, the president of the San Francisco NAACP, held a winding press conference pushing back against the rapper; he coaxed an apology from Yang, who later said Brown had threatened and intimidated him. Brown apologized yesterday.
For some Asian business owners, the spectacle was unsettling.
“I’m really glad to see Chino Yang speak up and we have to support him,” said Kim, who also noted the chilling effect the aftermath of the incident would incur. “This kind of incident gives signal, ‘Oh, any other Asian small businesses, you better be quiet, otherwise you will be targeted.’”
“I think his rap is valid,” added Chow. “Many of our businesses have been burglarized, robbed. Chinese citizens or Asian citizens have been physically attacked. Some have died.”
“His motions, his dance moves, the way he talks, it’s all from the hood,” said Chow. “He’s Chinese but he’s acting like he’s from the Bayview. It’s the culture that influenced him, the music that influenced him that he loves, that he embraces. It’s all part of San Francisco. There’s so much different variety here. ”
If not Breed, who?
Breed will have the benefit of incumbency, but she is facing a burgeoning field: Daniel Lurie, nonprofit founder and the heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, pulled papers in September, joining District 11 Supervisor Safaí. Former District 2 supervisor and acting mayor Mark Farrell, is reportedly exploring a run, and supporters of Board President Aaron Peskin have urged him to throw in his hat.
The choice of the Asian community?
“Peskin,” guessed Chow. “They probably would vote for him because he’s Mr. Chinatown — if he ran.”
“People like Aaron,” added Barnickel of the Outer Sunset. “Aaron’s a nice guy.”
Others mentioned Lurie, saying his emphasis on public safety was appealing for many in the Asian community who still fear violence.
“Asians around here are not very likely to vote for Breed,” said Stanley Jiang, owner of the vitamin store Mei Shen Ginseng at Irving and 23rd streets. Jiang said he finds Lurie may be an ideal candidate because his campaign emphasizes “a safer San Francisco.”
“Around me a lot of people support Daniel Lurie, probably because he’s new. Also a lot of people mention Aaron Peskin,” added Kim, hoping the more progressive board president would win over Breed.
For Kim, the mayoral election is a necessary step to “plug in all the holes” in the city’s criminal justice system where “probably we have holes in every single chain,” he said. “SFPD probably did a lot of work, but they are shorthanded … [DA] Brooke Jenkins really did her job, but somehow, we don’t see that much improvement because, the mayor, what did she do? She is just pointing fingers.”
Last Saturday, Lurie had an unofficial event at an Irving Street Chinese restaurant Sun Maxim’s to meet his Sunset supporters. “Lurie’s platform prioritizes safety, and everyone here wants safety,” said Lee, owner of Sun Maxim’s, where several Lurie’s campaign signs remained visible. “I’ll vote for whoever values safety the most and supports small businesses.”
Similar sentiments pervade Chinatown. “There is definitely a sense of turmoil in Chinatown … I think people are grappling with the current situation,” said Shin, the 26-year-old rapper whose latest album features San Francisco Chinatown. “There are difficulties and it’s gone on for a long time.”
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January 10, 2024 at 09:00PM
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Rapping or not, some Asian voters unhappy with Mayor Breed - Mission Local
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