AntiAsian Violence

1
Anti-Asian Violence

• EWS404
• Week 8

2
Background and Reasons of Hate Crime and Racial
Environment for Asians
3
Background of Racial Violence and Hatred

• Anti-Asian traditions and inadequate protection
  under American law.
• Linguistic, cultural and religious differences,
  and image of Asians as aliens.
• American wars in Asia, trade relationship with
  Asia and global economic competition.
• Rapid growth of Asian immigrant and refugee
  population.
• Local competition, better qualifications, more
  competitive at work.
• Self-employment, small business serving non-Asian
  clients.

4

• Samples of Hate Crime
• Vincent Chin In June 1982, Vincent Chin, of 27,
  on the eve of his marriage, beaten to death by
  two unemployed auto-workers who took Chin as
  Japanese.
• The court sentenced them to 3 years probation and
  a fine of 3000 each plus 780 fees.
• The second trial sentenced one murderer to 25
  years of prison but was freed after a 20,000
  bond.
• Questions to think
• What is the motivation of the murder?
• What does it imply when he was not killed in a
  high risk neighborhood?
• Why did the murderers hate Japanese at that time?
• In what way, his death is related to other
  Asians?
• What does the court decision tell American
  society at large about hate crimes against Asians?

5

• Samples of Hate Crime
• Navroze Mody
• In September 1987, the Jersey Journal published a
  letter from a youth group, called the Dotbusters,
  whose avowed purpose was to rid of Jersey City of
  Asian Indians.
• On September 27, Mody, an Indian, was bludgeoned
  with bricks, punches, and kicked into a coma by a
  gang of 11 youths, while his white friend
  remained unharmed.
• Murder charges were not brought against any one
  of the assailants.
• Questions to think
• Is Modys death accidental or he was a victims of
  organized hate crime and campaigns?
• Why his white friend was not attacked?
• What does it tell about racial environment for
  Asians?
• What did the youth hate Asians at that time?

6

• Samples of Hate Crime
• Stockton Schoolyard Massacre
• Jan. 17, 1989, Patrick Edward Purdy dressed in
  military garb, entered Cleveland Elementary
  School in Stockton, California, and repeatedly
  fired an AK47 rifle killing 5 Indochinese
  children, wounding 30 others.
• Questions to think
• In what way was the shooting racially motivated?
• How did the murderer view the children at this
  school? What are the most important factors to
  view the shooting as racially motivated?
• How does the shooting tell us about racial crime?

7

• Samples of Hate Crime
• Ming Hai Loo
• In July 1989, in a pool hall, two white men who
  were brothers, lost a third brother in Vietnam
  War and mistook Loo as Vietnamese.
• While making racial slurs inside, the two hit on
  the back of Loo's head with the shaft of a pistol
  with a huge crowd looking on.
• The elder brother was sentenced to the
  second-rate murder while the other brother given
  6 month sentence for assault and disorderly
  conduct, was paroled after only 6 weeks as the
  jail were overflowing.
• Questions to think
• How do we identify this case a racially motivated
  murder case?
• What did the two murderers think of Asians in
  this country?
• What does it imply when this beating did not
  occur in a high crime, inner-city area?

8

• Samples of Hate Crime
• Hung Truong
• On August 9, 1990, Trung was walking down the
  street with three friends in Houston, Texas.
• A car stopped them, two 18-year-old men Derek
  Hilla and Kevin Allison came out shouting "white
  power," chased Trung, kicked and beat him with
  feet and club.
• Allison later testified that Trung had begged
  them to stop and his last words were "God forgive
  me for coming to this country, I am so sorry.
• " Hilla and Allison were charged with Truong's
  murder. Allison admitted that the only reason to
  kill Truong was that he was a Vietnamese.

9
Hate Crime rate

• According to 1986 U.S. Civil Rights Commission,
  "Anti-Asian activity in the form of violence,
  vandalism, harassment, and intimidation continues
  to occur across the Nation.
• Incidents were reported in every jurisdiction
  visited by Commission staff and in other parts of
  the country as well.
• Hate crimes reported in 1989 grew by 42 in Los
  Angeles, and 29 in New York city.

10
Racial Violence and Risks to Asian Small Business
Owners

• Why Small Business?
• Foreign education does not help in job search.
• English language barrier was another reason.
• Promotion opportunity to executive positions is
  rare for Asians. D.
• Ethnic networks enable Asians to accumulate
  capital and small learn business skills.
• Vietnamese Manicure Business as Sample
• A business skill or niche developed by Asians in
  America 30 of the 22,000 nail salons in America
  are owned by Vietnamese.
• 1984-89, manicurists in LA County increased from
  9,755 to 12,238 80 were Vietnamese.

11

• Cosmetology schools as a community project
• Managed or directed by Vietnamese.
• Offer course and exams in Vietnamese.
• Training is 1,200 to 1,500, though
  government-sponsored job training program could
  cover tuition
• A manicuring course need only 350 hours.
• Competitive Service
• Low capital investment -- 6,000
• Easy state licensing process
• English proficiency is not necessary
• Profitable (20 per service) and wage
  20,000-24,000. Vietnamese nail salon could
  charge about 18-20 compared with 60 of full
  service.

12

• Less Protection under the Law
• Middlemen Minority status
• Asians serve the poor and distribute corporate
  products.
• Service in High Crime Neighborhood
• Small business owners bear the brunt of
  hostility, crime, and low profits accruing to
  retailers in poor areas.
• Selected Target in a Crime.
• Hate crime does not necessarily occur in a
  high-crime area and be committed by criminals
  patterns or concentration of Asians in certain
  occupations could make them targets of potential
  criminals.
• Language skill, non-violent resistance and use of
  family members by Asians, and unequal protection
  of Asians against violence, could even lead to
  non-economically motivated crimes.

13

• Question on film Another America
• How does film relate to some of the disused
  points?