The Boston Herald has an interesting article about the efforts of residents and business owners in Boston’s Chinatown to fight back against a wave of robberies, muggings, and purse snatchings in their neighborhood:

Chinatown residents are vowing to take back the streets with security cameras on crime-plagued corners, a nightly Crime Watch patrol and police details paid for by residents and businesses. In response to robberies, assaults and at least a dozen purse-snatchings in three months, the community is fighting back.

“We don’t want them to take over Chinatown,'’ said Kay Chin, longtime owner of the Cathay Corner, a Chinese gift shop on Beach Street. . . . Residents just this week formed Chinatown’s first Crime Watch. Each night until 10 p.m. five to 10 residents roam the streets, taking note of shady characters and and possible drug-dealing. The community even hired its own police detail officer with $15,000 they raised. The officer patrols the streets each night on a bike.

I wonder if thugs and criminals are targeting people in Chinatown based on the belief that Asians are powerless or at least less likely to resist or report the crimes to the police . . .hmmm. At any rate, it’s nice to see that Asian Americans, in this case Chinese Americans in Boston, are fighting for their rights and quality of life -- just like any other “regular” American would be entitled to do.