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APAP Announces Wrap Up, Outcomes of National
Townhalls on Hate Crimes
Events held at 14 sites commemorating Vincent Chin death, discussing
hate crimes today
AAV Staff
In one of this summer’s more ambitious and
important national Asian American events, Asian Pacific
Americans for Progress (APAP), in partnership with many leading
local and national groups, held a nationwide series of townhalls on hate
crimes to mark the 25th anniversary of Vincent Chin’s murder.
Held in June and July at 14 sites coast-to-coast,
the series featured expert panel discussions, media events and film
screenings, and reached an estimated 1,000 attendees. While each event
had its own local flavor and programming, most events combined panels of
featured speakers knowledgeable about hate crimes, current legislation,
or social justice topics with a screening of the Academy-Award nominated
documentary film, “Who Killed Vincent Chin?” by filmmaker Renee Tajima
Pena. APAP has also announced that the events were filmed, and may be
compiled for distribution to wider audiences.
According to APAP’s release for its June 24 Los
Angeles townhall, the events were intended to honor the memory of
Vincent Chin, a 27-year-old Chinese American draftsman who died after
being bludgeoned with a baseball bat by two Detroit auto-workers who
blamed him for the loss of jobs from competition of Japanese automakers.
After pleading guilty to reduced charges of manslaughter, Ron Ebens and
his stepson, Michael Nitz, were sentenced by a judge to just three years
probation and a fine of $3,000 each. No witnesses were called to testify
and the prosecuting attorney was not present at sentencing.
Shock and anger at the light sentences reverberated
around the country. Asian Americans rallied with unprecedented force and
numbers to seek justice. Through the efforts of a grassroots pan-Asian
group called American Citizens for Justice (ACJ), a grand jury indicted
Ebens and Nitz for violating Chin’s civil rights and for conspiracy. In
the federal trial that followed in Cincinnati, Nitz was cleared of both
charges and Ebens’ conviction on the civil rights charge was later
overturned on a legal technicality. As a result of intensive advocacy by
the Asian American community since that time, dozens of high profile
hate crimes against Asian Americans have been successfully prosecuted
and perpetrators duly sentenced.
In the same spirit as the alliances that formed
among Asian American groups at that time, this year’s townhalls was a
high level of cooperation among a number of national organizations and
media outlets. Prominent sponsors included ImaginAsian TV and
AsianWeek, and local chapters of East, South, Southeast Asian and
Pacific Islander American civil rights and law groups, as well as Muslim
American organizations and others.
Although the series was specifically targeted to
the summer’s commemoration of Chin’s death, it has taken on a certain
momentum of its own. APAP reports that it has been in touch with other
local organizations interested in hosting townhall events in additional
cities well into the autumn. According to founding Board Member Curtis
Chin, APAP will be preoccupied with other activities including promoting
an August campaign activist training workshop in Chicago, but the
organization will continue to support the later townhalls through
national promotions and its local chapters, where available.
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