Is Daniel Dae Kim's sister OK? Ex-marathoner can't run because of hate crime injuries
Daniel Dae Kim opened up about the brutal hate crime that his younger sister, Connie, was subjected to six years ago which robbed her, a once avid runner, of the ability to follow her passion. The actor who is best known for TV series such as 'Lost' and 'Hawaii Five-O' told People Magazine that Connie was out on her daily workout when the alleged attack happened.
A man in a car yelled at her to get out of the way. Even though Connie immediately got out of the way, she was still targeted by the perpetrator. "This man specifically targeted her because of her race and tried to run her over with his car repeatedly," Daniel said. The driver struck Connie twice, knocking her to the ground. "Because of the injuries sustained in that attack, she is not able to run anymore," Kim said. Some of the people who made headlines due to their stance on anti-Asian hate include BTS, CL, lilclaydo and Kuan Chung Kao.
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Connie was discouraged by police from filing case
Things turned from bad to worse when Connie's family tried to report the crime to the police. She was discouraged from pursuing a case against the culprits by the officials who told her it wasn't worth it to try for hate crime charges. This was because proving intent is too high a bar. Instead, prosecutors said, "You should just hope for whatever you can get," Daniel told CNN in March. It was only later that the Kims discovered that the man, who has attacked Connie and was eventually convicted of reckless driving, a misdemeanor, allegedly had a history of violence against Asian women.
Connie has always maintained that her brother has been her rock. "I know that Dan always has my back, and that gives me a feeling of stability and security that is invaluable," she said. As anti-Asian hate crimes soared during the COVID-19 pandemic, Daniel, who has long been a long advocate against racial discrimination and hate crimes, testified in March on Capitol Hill urging Congress to pass the No Hate Bill and the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. “I’m not naïve enough to think that I’m going to convince all of you to stand up for us,” he told the Subcommittee on Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties. “But I am speaking to those for whom humanity still matters.”
Danie Dae Kim wanted to find Oakland's Chinatown suspect
He was also stunned when he heard a Georgia Sheriff's spokesman describe the gunman, one who had allegedly just killed six Asian spa workers, as having "a very bad day" earlier this year. He has joined forces with fellow actor Daniel Wu to offer $25,000 to find the suspect who assaulted a 91-year man in Oakland's Chinatown. "I think of my efforts as one of a collective," he said. "The Asian-American community as a whole started standing up and speaking out in a way I hadn't seen in a long time."
This is not the first time that Connie has spoken out about the horrific experience that she went through. In May this year, she sat down with the hosts of 'The Real' talk show to share her experience in a video that was posted by Daniel on his Instagram page. "This story is a personal one. It is the story of a man who tried to run over an Asian American woman with his car. When he failed the first time and the woman turned her back try to get away, he backed up, drove up onto the sidewalk where she was and tried to run her over again. This time he knocked her to the ground. The pain of the injuries she sustained still linger with her to this day, along with the ways our justice system failed her. This story is just one more on a long list of hate crimes towards Asian Americans, but it’s personal to me because that woman is my sister. Thank you, Connie, for your bravery in sharing your story. I know how hard this was for you," Daniel wrote as the caption.