San Francisco Police are seeking public assistance after a man was caught on surveillance cameras kicking a homeless person who was lying on a sidewalk.
The assault occurred in broad daylight on Leavenworth Street near McAllister Street, in full view of passing cars and pedestrians, reported CBS.
Images of the man, who appears to be white, wearing business attire, glasses, a dark beanie and holding a suitcase, were released on Twitter on June 8 by San Francisco Police, along with footage of the assault.
One user tweeted: “Watching that [person’s] demeanor the entire video, it’s obvious that he was looking for the opportunity to kick a sleeping homeless person, any sleeping homeless person.”
Another user tweeted: “This is disgusting. I hope you find this thug.”
The San Francisco Police Department tweeted: “Anyone who knows who this man is should call (415) 575-4444 and reference SFPD case 180387174.”According to The Guardian, one in five homeless Americans live in California.
Two years ago, a 36 year-old man was arrested for attacking four homeless people. Two were killed the other two were severely injured, reported Huffington Post.
California and Florida, which have the highest number of attacks on homeless people, have classified attacks on homeless people as hate crimes, which can lead to heavier sentencing, reported the Huffington Post.
A report by the National Coalition for the Homeless (PDF) stated: “Many attacks occur because they are simply dehumanized in the bigoted minds of violent offenders.”
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