Despite Crime Targeting Asians On The Rise, It's Business As Usual In South Sacramento

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — In Sacramento's Little Saigon, Vietnamese restaurant Bon Mua is open for business. It's where Florence Chau takes her family to eat every week. Even now after hearing robberies targeting Asians in the area are up.

"It's really disheartening, but we're not going to let the actions of a small group of criminals affect our routines and daily lives," said Chau. "The Vietnamese community is always very hardworking and we're going to continue to support them.

Local elected officials say business owners in the area need more support like that.

"Frankly, I think it's getting a bad rap right now because of this uptick in crime," said Sacramento County Supervisor Patrick Kennedy.

He insists South Sacramento isn't as dangerous as people think, though he acknowledges there has been a rise in crimes against Asians in the neighborhood. Sacramento Police say armed robbers have been targeting Asians believed to carry cash.

Supervisor Kennedy says he and other officials are doing something about the problem. They've been working with the Sacramento Police and the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office to come up with a plan moving forward to help cut down on crime. And on Sunday, he was joined by City Councilman Eric Guerra and Assemblyman Kevin McCarty and other community members as they dined at Bon Mua. They wanted to send the message to others that South Sacramento is safe and that people should continue to visit businesses there.