By J.K. YAMAMOTO
Rafu Staff Writer
Aki Maehara, the victim of an apparent hate-motivated attack, is still recovering but was planning this week to speak at a public event and has resumed teaching history at East Los Angeles College.
Meanwhile, a Go Fund Me page established on his behalf raised more than $77,000 as of May 19.
Glorya Cabrera, a friend of Maehara who organized the fundraising campaign, posted this week, “I am truly in awe of Prof. Aki Maehara, whose warrior spirit inspires him as he continues to speak out on the viciousness of the hate crime that attempted to unalive him on April 29, 2025. A suspected yt (white) supremacist drove his car into a 71-year-old Japanese American college prof on his electric bike.
“So far, he met with two officers (yt) who took the initial report and did not report information about the suspect, that included threats made against Prof. Maehara and other suspects. We are waiting for the preliminary report. It’s priority to keep pressure on this investigation.”
Maehara said, “I heard someone yell, ‘F’g Chink!’ as I got hit, then I heard, ‘Go back to Chink-land.’ As I laid on the ground, he drove away.”
He was hospitalized with a concussion, cheek bone fracture, neck injury, swelling and bruising from his face to his upper chest, bruised ribs, hips, thigh and ankle, with one elbow torn open.
“I had tensions from a former housemate who had ties to white supremacist groups and had received threats from an individual in these hate groups,” he added.
Maehara said that teaching about the history of racism in America has made him the target of protests at East L.A. College and Cal State Long Beach. Because he was wearing a helmet with a visor at the time of the attack, which would have made it impossible for the driver to identify him as Asian, he said that the circumstances were “suspicious.”
“The head injuries I sustained worsened my gum disease condition, loosening several teeth,” Maehara told The Rafu Shimpoon May 19. “I will need to get upper and lower implant arches.”
Regarding the Montebello Police Department, he said, “The investigation is complicated because there may be MAGA KKK officer problem at MPD. Also I know it would have to be conducted on a multiple jurisdiction basis involving more than one police department. This complicates its objectivity and security.”
The MPD, which is investigating the case as a possible hate crime and attempted vehicular homicide, told The Los Angeles Timesthat they have contacted residents in the neighborhood but have been unable to find security camera footage of the incident.
A Change.org petition is demanding that the MPD and Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department fully investigate the case, that that federal authorities be brought in if there is evidence of white supremacist involvement, and that public officials “condemn this attack and commit to protecting our educators and elders from hate-fueled violence.”
Maehara was scheduled to speak on Thursday, May 22, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Chinese American Museum, 425 N. Los Angeles St. in Los Angeles. Speakers will include Mitchell Matsumura, president of Greater L.A. Chapter of JACL; David Monkawa, chair of Save Our Seniors Network; Connie Chung Joe, CEO of Asian Americans Advancing Justice; Gerald Ohn and Christina Ku, co-founders of Asian American Civil Rights League; Debra Yang and Brian Sun of Alliance for Asian American Studies; and an anonymous hate crime victim who was attacked on the Metro in 2023. For more information, call (657) 217-2131 or email [email protected].
Maehara also decided to return to the classroom on May 13, wearing a T-shirt with a simple message: “RESIST.”
“There are four weeks left in this semester,” he said. “I will not abandon my students. I will not let a white racist stop me from educating them.
My message tonight to my students (in symbolic act and lecture), is that the struggle for our freedom and liberation are intergenerational, a lifetime struggle (Angela Y. Davis) that evolves with each new generation: assess, adjust, build bridges and community coalitions, and act to achieve justice for all.”
In a statement, Executive Director Hussam Ayloush of the Greater Los Angeles Area office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-LA), said, “We are deeply troubled by this vicious assault allegedly targeting Mr. Maehara. This incident is reflective of the hate and bigotry that is on the rise nationwide and demonstrates the important work of educators, such as Mr. Maehara, who teach about the history and implications of racism in America.
“We commend the Montebello Police Department for its prompt action in investigating this crime and the seriousness it deserves. We look forward to seeing the perpetrator held accountable for this hateful act.”