A 27-year-old man with a history of mental problems was charged this week with a series of felonies for an assault on an 88-year-old Asian woman.

Police said James Lee Ramsey, 27, was arrested Friday after allegedly kicking an 88-year-old Asian American woman to the ground. Police said the unprovoked attack took place on Ellis Street, near Market Street.

A witness detained Ramsey until police arrived, and the victim was transported to a local hospital to be treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Ramsey allegedly committed battery on the witness as well.

DA Brooke Jenkins made a point of condemning this crime for the cameras yesterday. “We have got to get this city to a place where people understand that there is accountability for their actions,” she said.

I believe in accountability. The recent attacks that we have seen against elderly members of the Asian community are completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated in San Francisco.

We need to mobilize together to make sure we protect the most vulnerable in our communities. pic.twitter.com/S3vnRM0FiW

— Brooke Jenkins 謝安宜 (@BrookeJenkinsSF) July 27, 2023

I agree with what Jenkins is saying but in this case it looks like the city has already botched its chance to deal with James Lee Ramsey. He was convicted of another random assault back in 2021 against an Asian business leader. He was facing a hate crime  initially but that charge was dropped.

Jenkins’ office acknowledged that Ramsey was arrested in 2021 and charged with a hate crime and assault for allegedly attacking Carl Chan, a community and business leader in Oakland’s Chinatown, and knocking him unconscious, according to the police complaint.

Ramsey agreed to plead no contest to assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury in exchange for dropping the hate crime charge against him. His then public defender cited mental health challenges as well.

“This was not a hate crime, and we’re glad that enhancement was properly dismissed,” Alameda County’s chief public defender, Brendon Woods, told the San Francisco Chronicle after the 2021 incident. “Mr. Ramsey needs mental health treatment, not state prison.

Ramsey wound up getting just 18 months in that case and the judge took it easy on him and didn’t send him to prison to serve his time.

Since Ramsey is mentally ill, an Alameda County judge opted not to send him to prison instead ordering him to spend 18 months in county jail and then another 18 under supervision. He had already done his time.

Because he’s already been in jail he wound up serving about three months for beating Carl Chan unconscious. Chan himself said in Feb. 2022 that he was worried about the next victim.

“I’m glad it’s over, but I’m still worried and concerned, not only for myself, for my own safety, but I’m truly concerning about the public safety, the safety of others,” Chan said.

In the wake of the latest attack, Chan said he was “not surprised at all.”

Ideally, Ramsey should be in a mental health facility. He clearly is a danger to others on the street. Why that didn’t happen that last time he attacked someone isn’t clear. But if that kind of treatment isn’t available, he still needs to be held behind bars for a long time. His mental issues may make him less responsible for his own behavior but they also make him more of a danger. On balance, someone in SF should be looking out for the next victim.

One reason this case is getting so much attention is that it’s the second random attack on an Asian person in San Francisco this month. The other attack involved a 68-year-old Asian man who was pushed down and injured just a few days later.

The second defendant, Andrew Domino, was arraigned Wednesday on charges of elder abuse and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, court records show.

Again, DA Jenkins is right that people have to learn there are consequences but it would help if the system would also learn there are consequences for cutting deranged, violent homeless people like James Lee Ramsey a break at every opportunity.