DISCRIMINATION

California Officials Accused of ‘Sweeping Campaign to Harass’ Asian Americans

A lawsuit filed against Siskiyou County alleges Asian Americans are 25 times more likely to be searched during traffic stops than white drivers.

Four Asian American residents in Sacramento are suing Siskiyou County, and its sheriff over alleged racism. In the Aug. 3 lawsuit, the plaintiffs accuse Sheriff Jeremiah LaRue and other county officials of “a sweeping campaign to harass and intimidate Hmong and other Asian Americans,” including an unwarranted number of traffic stops. The lawsuit alleges Asian Americans were involved in nearly 30 percent of traffic stops, even though they only make up about 2 percent of the adult population in the area, and were 25 times more likely to be searched than their white counterparts. The lawsuit also claims that Asian Americans have a lack of access to water and are being wrongly targeted for cannabis cultivation. The lawsuit states that the treatment from county officials made it “difficult or impossible for Asian Americans to live and travel peacefully in Siskiyou County.”