A local organization is doing what they can to help provide safety and security to local seniors in the Southern California Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
They are offering FREE self-defense classes for these seniors in LA and Orange County.
Seniors Fight Back, based in Torrance, was founded in 2021 after reports of rising hate crimes against the Asian American community, particularly against the elderly. In 2021, more than 330 hate crimes were committed against the AAPI community against the country. In addition, the recent shooting in Monterey Park that killed 11 people has left that community reeling. Seniors Fight Back wanted to:
"Create self-defense classes to bring community, empowerment, and safety for our AAPI elders. We hope our participants leave the event feeling empowered and find comfort that there are people looking out for them. "
The group is a 100% volunteer run 501(c)3 nonprofit.
Classes are completely FREE to seniors and they are taught by Ron Scolesdang, a professional Muay Thai fighter with more than 20 years of self-defense experience. He joined Jennifer this morning to talk about the organization and what they do. Hear that interview below.
Their next free class is in Fullerton on March 19th (location TBD) Find out more information about this and other free self defense classes on their website.