Leaders of San Jose’s Japantown are creating community patrols to watch over the neighborhood, following the violent attacks on Asian Americans throughout the Bay Area.
The patrol will be staffed by volunteers and modeled after San Francisco’s United Peace Collaborative, which protects the city’s Chinatown from hate crimes, according to officials. UPC was started last year and patrols every day.
The effort is being spearheaded by Rich Saito, a retired San Jose Police Department veteran.
Saito is recruiting volunteers, who NBC reports will roam Japantown in red vests to deter potential attackers by identifying, reporting and de-escalating suspicious or troubling behavior.
Multiple recent, brutal attacks on Asian Americans, particularly elderly individuals out on walks, have been fatal.
Saito wrote on the Japantown effort's website that the area’s seniors are “most active during the mid-morning to mid-afternoon, as they walk around the community to shop, get lunch or exercise.”
Saito led a volunteer orientation and training on Saturday.
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