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The Persecution and Robbery of an Elderly Man from Kaiping

The Persecution and Robbery of an Elderly Man from Kaiping

2021
File size: 31017px x 15663px
Print size: 103" x 52” 300dpi
Electronic painting

The Persecution and Robbery of an Elderly Man from Kaiping is an electronic painting made from manipulated video stills assisted by Google street views. The original video shot and posted to social media by Dwayne Grayson, 20, captures the persecution of an Asian man while being robbed of his collected cans by 56-year-old Jonathan Amerson. The crime occured on Osecola Ln, San Francisco on Feb 22, 2020 and Police reported that this was the second offence1.

Both Grayson and Amerson were arrested on elder abuse charges, however, the San Francisco District Attorney withdrew the charges following the elder's expressed desire for a restorative justice outcome, in which prosecutors seek to rehabilitate offenders through reconciliation with victims2.

The victim, whose name has not been released to the public, is in his 70s and is originally from Kaiping in the Guangdong province of China. and has lived in San Francisco for six years supporting himself by recycling cans. According to local news reports, he said that during the assault he was hit in the head with his grabber tool and robbed of his cans but made a point of saying that there were several friendly people in that neighborhood, some of whom actually gave him their cans. It was only a few people who surrounded him and roughed him. The elder, who was back collecting cans several days later on the streets of Bayview-Hunters Point, has refused any help or donations although $70,000 was raised for him on a now disabled Gofundme.

1 - San Francisco Chronicle
2 - NBC Bay Area