SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The remnants of the vicious attack against Wendy Drew are evident.
On Sunday night, Drew says she was walking through downtown San Francisco when she passed the person who later attacked her.
“This guy with this dog walked by and he called me the N-word,” Drew said.
Drew says, in shock, she stopped to ask the man why he called her the racial slur.
Then, she says, he attacked her.
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Surveillance video obtained by our media partner, the San Francisco Standard, captures part of the altercation after Drew, fighting back, pushed the man into a nearby store.
The man eventually fled the store but not before landing several punches on Drew, leaving her covered in blood.
“Customers got up and ran after him and I was like, ‘Get him, get him, he can’t get away.’ And just when they got him, the police came around,” Drew said.
Drew, who is a native of South Africa, says the events have left her not just physically but also mentally traumatized.
She tells me she no longer feels comfortable in San Francisco after having lived here for 20 years.
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“But now, it’s like the roles have switched. I don’t feel safe in a city that I grew to love because I felt safe for the longest time,” Drew said.
This is not the first time the suspect, who is homeless, has been arrested for attacking a stranger.
Last year, ABC7 News reported on an incident in which he randomly attacked a Haight Street sandwich shop business owner.
He was arrested, and ultimately released.
“That is the part that really irritated me when I was told that he has a history of violence. And when I got off the phone with the sergeant hearing that he has a history of violence, I’m like, why is he on the street?” said Drew.
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Sunday’s incident is part of a growing trend of hate-inspired violence against African Americans in San Francisco, according to Rev. Amos Brown.
“They feel upset. Some are angry. And others are depressed,” Brown said.
On Thursday, Brown hosted a special news conference at his Third Baptist Church to discuss the issue with city leaders.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins says over the past few years, her office has seen an explosion of cases involving hate crimes.
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“I take it as my full responsibility to make sure that we have a justice system that does what it is supposed to do and that it does it fairly,” Jenkins said.
As for Drew, she hopes her attacker will now be off the streets for good.
And she’s encouraging elected officials to do their part to make the city safe for everyone.
“Part of me feels that if I didn’t have the media attention, what would have happened? You know, because I have media attention, are the necessary steps being taken?”
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