A Healdsburg business owner was shocked to receive a hate-filled letter telling her to leave the United States because she’s Asian.
"I didn’t expect the letter to be like that," said Vicky Mai, who owns All Polish Nails and Spa in downtown Healdsburg. "I opened it (and) I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ It’s really heartbreaking."
Not much of the expletive-filled letter can even be repeated, but it starts with the phrase "TO ALL ASIAN" and contains many racial epithets, offensive physical stereotypes and references to leaving the country, saying things like "You don’t belong here" and "No one wants you here."
"MOST OF YOUR CUSTOMERS FEEL THIS WAY" the letter said. "THEY JUST HAVE TO PRETEND TO LIKE YOU! BUT NOONE CAN STAND HOW UGLY, SMELLY AND DISGUSTING YOU ARE!!!"
The sender urged Mai to post the letter, most of which is typed in capital letters, in her business "SO ALL YOUR WORKERS & CUSTOMERS CAN SEE IT!"
"For me, it feels like Healdsburg is a very, very nice area," Mai said. "I don’t think the letter from here. So I didn’t really worry too much."
But Mai told KCBS Radio she did have employees’ family members worrying about their safety. The letter has a San Bernardino postmark on it and a fake return address that reads "Department of Health and Human Services."
At least one other Northern California business got the letter, Mai said investigators told her.
"She does come from communist Vietnam and she came here to start a life and raise her family," said Brittany Cullum, a loyal customer of Mai’s. "She has this, she has a Domino’s in Santa Rosa, she has a family. She literally living the American dream. For someone to put that down, that’s what people come here to do."
KCBS Radio has reached out to Healdsburg Police Department but has not yet heard back.
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