A few weeks after Sacramento Police announced that they had made 20 arrests in crimes targeting Asians in South Sacramento, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department announced that they had made 15 arrests.
According to the Sheriff's Department, there has been a 77 percent decrease in these robberies in their areas alone. That's in addition to Sac Police saying there has been a 43 percent drop.
Sergeant Tony Turnbull of the Sheriff's department attributes this drop in robberies to law enforcement, media, and most importantly, the community spreading awareness and working together with various agencies.
Despite this news, many people in the community are demanding more. They want mug shots, names, and more information on the suspects to feel safer.
Sgt. Turnbull said a majority of the 15 suspects were the ones who robbed the victims. Some of them are people who were caught with stolen property.
Authorities have said that releasing that information could jeopardize other cases that have not been solved. Some of the suspects in custody could be linked to other crimes.
Milton Vong is one of the people who started a South Sacramento Neighborhood Watch group on Facebook in August. Before then, many Asian members of the community had been communicating and spreading information via WeChat, a Chinese social media messaging app.
The group has grown to nearly 8,000 members in just a few months. Vong says even though he doesn't live in South Sacramento, he was worried about his mother who lived there and had been robbed.
"I'm still worried about her," Vong said. "I go there every weekend."
Vong has added security cameras to his mother's home. He couldn't help but chuckle a little when he shared a story about how she asked for a gun.
"I never thought she'd say something like that," Vong said. "That's how scared she is."
Charges will vary on a case-by-case basis. Enhancements like a hate crime could be added to some charges, but that will depend on the District Attorney's office.
Community leaders say on November 3, there will be a Unity Press Conference where leaders of the Asian-American community and the African-American community will join together to focus this issue on safety, and not race, something they say is taking away from the bigger problem.
The press conference will be open for those who wish to attend. It will be at noon at the Stockton Boulevard Partnership.