A San Mateo County councilman said he was struck in the head with a concrete block while hiking in San Francisco over the weekend.
Anders Fung—an immigrant from Hong Kong who serves on the Millbrae City Council—said he was hiking with family members around 5 p.m. in Lands End near Outer Richmond when he was struck by a piece of concrete thrown by two teenagers from a ledge about 20 feet overhead.
Fung said he doesn’t know what prompted the incident. It’s unclear whether the attack was racially motivated—Fung said that’s up to the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine.
“But the truth is,” he said, “I am an API elected official, and I was attacked.”
A recent investigation by The Standard and KQED into the rise of reported hate crimes against Asian Americans in San Francisco found that while there has been a huge wave of media coverage of these cases, they are ultimately rarely charged as hate crimes because it can be difficult to prove an attacker was motivated by race.
The council member said the attackers continued to throw things even after a block hit his head.
His wife confronted the pair and Fung said they responded by showing them their middle fingers and then taking off.
Fung was transported to emergency care for head and neck injuries, including a 2-inch gash on the crown of his head. He posted about the incident on Facebook early Sunday morning.
Though the attack happened in San Francisco, SFPD has no jurisdiction over the incident because it took place on federal parkland. The investigation is being handled by the U.S. National Park Service (NPS).
Federal authorities didn’t confirm the investigation when reached out for comment. Instead, park police directed The Standard to file a public records request for more information.
Last month, the police union for the U.S. Park Police—which has been pushing for more funding and more staffing—warned the public to stay away from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, which includes the Lands End, saying tourists are "not safe."
As for Fung, he said he chose to speak up about what happened because he wants to send a message: “If you get attacked,” he said, “don’t be afraid to report it.” He also urged the policymakers to listen to the residents' concerns, as "these incidents are happening every day."