#PinoyCanada Dream.Believe.Achieve
“You’re bringing corona into Canada!” said 28-year-old Rylee Dodd in a viral video of his targeted attack on a Filipino-Canadian woman in West Edmonton, Tuesday.
The victim, Patricia Anne Medrano, posted the video on her Facebook account, garnering support from netizens, some calling for the man’s arrest. The attack happened on July 6, around 9:15PM when the man tried to get her phone number outside her apartment complex. In the Facebook post, Medrano provided context to the targeted harassment she experienced, “Since I don’t want to give my number, he keep on insisting to give his number to me.”
After her refusal to his advances, he began his racist tirade against the woman, including slurs such as: ‘Go back to your country!’ and ‘This is Canada, not Wuhan. You spread the virus.’
Medrano, urging her brothers to ignore the man’s remarks, began fearing for her life when the man started getting physically violent by kicking the door and trying to attack her while spewing death threats, one of them involving decapitation. In her attempt to defend herself and call out the man for his remarks, Dodd does a Nazi salute and rebuts, “Get the f*** out of Canada!”
With her relatives, they waited for the police to arrive. Dodd continued to rant at them even from his window. A few bruises on Medrano resulted from the man’s aggressive approach. In relation to the incident, the suspect was eventually identified and charged with uttering threats and assault by the Edmonton Police. A spokesperson with EPS informed the public that their Hate Crime & Violent Extremism Unit has been made aware and are looking into the unfortunate event.
Providing background on COVID-19, it was reported to have begun its spread in Wuhan, China. Failure to contain the virus made it transcend into a deadly pandemic affecting the lives of people worldwide. Quarantine protocols, social distancing, travel bans, and wearing of masks were since then initiated by different communities, especially governments in various countries. A saddening result of the pandemic despite the death toll is the rise in reports concerning racism, making the lives of immigrants in other countries harder.
In Alberta, there are 1,193 cases of COVID-19 and counting. The rising numbers continue to alarm local government units with a total number of deaths in 172, and 368 new cases, as of writing. In a tweet from Alberta Government (@YourAlberta) they remind everyone that they are legally required to isolate for at least 10 days if they experience symptoms, but anyone who wants to get tested can do so even without symptoms. Common symptoms of COVID-19 include cough, fever, runny nose, shortness of breath, and sore throat.
