As the United States, and the rest of the world, tries to grapple with the reality of a Donald Trump election victory, a spike of racist incidents against minorities have been reported across the country.
One such incident was captured on video on the Bay Area’s largest transit system Thursday night. An Assyrian-American woman was called a terrorist by another passenger on the train.
Ivet, who immigrated from Iran and asked that only her first name be used for this story, posted a cell-phone video on her Facebook page detailing her experience.
“I was on the BART going home after a long day and this lady right here heard me talk Assyrian on the phone. You can see what happened next ... #TrumpSupporters #peopleneedtocalmdown #Idontfeelsafeanymore #really #GodhelpAmerica."
In the video, Ivet is seen talking to a woman sitting down on a BART car seat.
“Go ahead, say it again,” Ivet can be heard saying.
“Trump might deport you, you are breaking the law right now…,” the woman says.
“Oh wow, really,” Ivet responds, “Do you know I’m recording you – it’s going to go on Facebook?”
“Go on Facebook, this woman is a stalker from the Middle East, she’s a Middle-Eastern terrorist and she’s terrorizing citizens like me and she will probably get deported, and these people in the back as well …,” the woman says, “Oh you shut the f---- up,” she says pointing to some people behind her. “You’re all stalkers. Don’t lie.”
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“This is going on Facebook, just letting you know,” Ivet reminds her.
“I don’t give a f----,” the woman responds. “Nobody’s going to watch it on Facebook.
“What I would like to say right now is this crazy person is stalking people with all these other stalkers, and anybody that’s watching on a Facebook knows the ugly, dirty thing you do every year ... You’re playing the dead pool game … And you’re standing here harassing me .. and I think you’re an ugly, mean, evil little pig who might get deported, and I pray for you…”
“I’m a citizen,” Ivet responds.
“Oh well, you’re okay, then, lucky you, you’ve made it, just under the wire.”
The video had been viewed more than two million times and shared more than 20,000 times by Friday, prompting responses from people all over the country.
In an interview with NBC Bay Area, 24-year-old Ivet said she was so surprised by the rant, she was shaking.
"I did nothing to provoke the woman, but she just wouldn't stop," she said.
"This is crazy just crazy. I don't feel safe anymore that's all I can say I don't feel safe ... I don't want to take BART anymore," Ivet said. Tonight, she is calling on Trump to speak out agianst acts of hate taking place across the country.
Ivet said Trump needs to step up as president-elect. "He needs to say something about this. He has to stop people, this is just not right. People need to be kind. They need to spread love, not hate," she said.
The Assyrian American Association released a statement late Friday that said, in part: "This video does not represent the majority of American people."
The Assyrian American community, as a whole, has been part of the country's fabric for over a century and were "evenly balanced" while voting, the statement said.
"Looking forward, US Assyrians plan to align their votes to the candidates that best serve the Assyrian and American interests," the association said.
In emails to NBC Bay Area, BART regulars said a woman who strongly resembles the one in the viral video has been frequently chastised on a BART commuter community Facebook page, for similar rants.
BART spokesperson Alicia Trost said the agency is checking with BART police to see if any calls came in about Thursday’s incident.
“We ask our riders to be decent to each other and practice common courtesy. Folks should be able to get to their destination without being harassed or mistreated,” Trost said. “While free speech needs to be protected, threats to do harm and violence against our riders and employees will not be tolerated. We ask our riders to be our eyes and ears and report illegal activity to BART Police. We will send an officer right away to respond.”
Trost said riders can also use the BART Watch App to report suspicious activity discreetly.
Just like the Trump election has sparked #NotMyPresident protests across America, the number of hate crimes and incidents has also gone up, according to media reports.
Esra Nur Altun, a 19-year-old psychology student at San Jose State University, was walking to her car on Wednesday, when she said an unknown attacker came up to her and tried to yank off her hijab.
“He caused me to choke,” the Uzbekistan-born student told NBC Bay Area.
In San Francisco, someone flew a swastika flag from his house, not as a form of support to the Nazis, but to warn the country against a Trump administration.
The Neo-Nazi website, The Daily Stormer, put out a call Thursday to harass Hispanic and Muslim immigrants and make them fearful. While Trump has not openly courted white supremacists, he has not asked them to stop their hateful rhetoric either.
The Southern Poverty Law Center has called on Donald Trump to reject hate and bigotry, as has Human Rights Watch.
Departing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid lashed out at Trump, saying he has "heard more stories in the past 48 hours of Americans living in fear of their own government and their fellow Americans than I can remember hearing in five decades in politics."
NBC Bay Area's Jodi Hernandez contributed to this story.
