Asian American Leaders Who Actually Fight Back

Just weeks after the man who killed 84-year-old “Grandpa Vicha” Ratanapakdee was acquitted of murder—the case that launched the Stop Asian Hate movement—the call has gone out: the SF Boom Loop needs Asian American leaders who will actually fight for public safety.

Archived tweet

THE SF BOOM LOOP NEEDS YOU I am backing the San Francisco Leadership and Mentorship Program for Asian Americans. If you are a builder, problem solver, or community leader ready to step up to elected office, this is for you. Apply now via this link: https://t.co/bfe0OWvFnK https://t.co/wf5pDlfpd2

Garry Tan @garrytan January 22, 2026

The APALF SF Leadership & Mentorship Program targets builders, problem solvers, and community leaders ready to step up to elected office. The deadline is February 27, 2026.

The Leadership Gap We Need to Fill

The problem isn’t that there are no Asian American politicians in San Francisco. The problem is that too many of them have sold out their own communities.

Archived tweet

@challlen Yeah, we'll do more that is open to everyone - APALF is specifically for Asian Americans - in SF we have a serious problem where the Asians who do serve seem to sell out their own elders for political clout https://t.co/zrLOok1bEu [Quoting @garrytan]: SF Supervisor Connie Chan defunds the police, supported a disgraced Boudin who hurt our Asian American elders—of course her latest ‘anti Asian hate’ resolution never mentions public safety even once. Enough. Supervisor Chan, resign. To the mod SF DCCC, we demand public safety.

Garry Tan @garrytan January 22, 2026

Supervisor Connie Chan defunded the police, supported recalled DA Chesa Boudin whose policies hurt Asian American elders, and pushed an “anti-Asian hate” resolution that never once mentioned public safety. That’s not leadership—that’s political theater while your grandparents get attacked on the streets.

The APALF program uses the same language we use for startup founders: builders, problem solvers, community leaders. That’s not a coincidence. San Francisco needs people who actually want to fix things, not career politicians who treat Asian constituents as a voting bloc to be placated.

Why This Moment Matters: The Grandpa Vicha Verdict

The timing of this program launch couldn’t be more pointed. Antoine Watson was just acquitted of murder in the killing of Vichar Ratanapakdee—the 84-year-old Thai man whose death in January 2021 sparked the Stop Asian Hate movement. Watson rushed at an elderly man from 50 yards away, shoved him into a wall so hard he died two days later. The verdict? Involuntary manslaughter.

In San Francisco, you can shove an Asian senior citizen to his death, and the jury won’t find you guilty of murder. This is where decades of progressive policy has brought us.

Supervisor Alan Wong, who represents majority-Asian District 4, said Grandpa Vicha “inspired me and so many community members to step up.” But inspiration isn’t enough. We need leaders who will actually deliver on public safety, not just pass toothless resolutions.

How to Apply

The SF Regional AAPI Leadership & Mentorship Program is open to Asian Americans in the Bay Area who are serious about running for elected office.

This isn’t a passive networking group. They want to know why you’re running, what your platform is, and whether you’re actually planning to run in the near future. If you’re not serious, don’t waste their time.

The deadline is February 27, 2026 at 11:59pm PST. There will be more programs open to everyone, but APALF is specifically addressing the AAPI leadership gap that has left our elders vulnerable for too long.

If you’re an Asian American ready to lead on public safety and other issues that matter to your community, this is your chance to step up—and prove that representation can mean something more than selling out.

Follow @garrytan for more.