VTech Massacre Anti-Asian Backlash Thread

[doe-sun]

Please post links to reports of any anti-Asian sentiment or attacks as a result of this tragedy. But please don't post any rumors and hearsay.


Hopefully this thread stays empty.

[buttermilkwise]

I think I got a weird stare and asked a strange question from some dude working in a supermarket.

I couldn't figure out why for the life of me, until I went on the internet and found out another fellow reclusive asian dude that looks kind of like me went on a murderous rampage and killed 33 people.

First it's all the stupid stereotypes about being an asian male in the media and now this asshole who went Charles Manson is going to make life unpleasant for me to walk out of my own house.

[Craig]

Haven't gotten any anti-Asian sentiment (at least not yet), but I went out for lunch yesterday with a couple of coworkers (both white) and one of the guys was talking about the incident. He wasn't talking about the race issue. The conversation went on tangents to the previous UT-Austin issue (my former school which held the honor of the previous largest school murder incident), previous issues at high-tech professional workplaces (current {other locations, incidents}, former, associates, etc.) with murders, violence, etc.

[yoMAMA]

some articles:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18178194/site/newsweek/

http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/04/18/asia/AS-GEN-SKorea-US-University-Shooting-Students.php

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070430/lam_2

[kchen]

According to my Asian friends living in the South, they are being greeted with more smiles than usual from people of other ethnicities. I guess some people are a bit nervous around AAs now.

[sageb1]

After the shootings, my best friend, a Korean-American lawyer in Washington, D.C., felt in his bones that somehow a Korean was responsible. He didn't know why. But, "one thing's for sure now," he said, "we can safely lay the model minority theme to rest." -- Let It Be Some Other Asian, http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070430/lam_2

In local news, a Japanese couple who were substance abusing narks ended up dead many years ago. I know of a Japanese man who was bullied a lot who murdered a white guy outside a bar in Sechelt. Both my grandfathers were fine with domestic abuse, being of the Meiji era. My own dad liked to verbally abuse my mother. I know of a Japanese-Canadian Anglican priest who was a child abuser that preyed on boys and young men, telling them to not tell anyone what he did to them, "or they would burn in hell for lying." However, not one mass murderer.

Though, in feudal Japan, Japanese Christians were crucified and starved in the 1600s. But this was politics. The Shoguns were afraid they'd end up like China, America and S.E. Asia, another vassal state to the economic predation called "Colonization."

And yes, there were internecine warfare between rival clans prior to Oda Nobunaga's reign of terror.

One clan got wiped out merely for supporting Buddhism, and then using their faith to control the Emperor of the time, who had gone Buddhist.

So much for Shinto being merely a nature-loving sect.

How does this relate to a 23-yr-old nutbar acting like a black street tough with his trusty Walther P22 and Glock 19?

The warrior pose.

Violent is evil. I do not side with my samurai ancestry at all. All that was achieved from all that bloodshed in ancient times is a bureaucratic zombie bleeding the economy back in Japan dry today.

We need to stop shutting out the sun if we don't want to create another lost generation.

This is why I feel that the Chos hiding out in Virginia is not going to win points for bringing closure to this tragedy.

33 martyrs felled by Ismail's Ax -- Ibrihim's legacy. This is terrorism, people. Let's remember that.

The only way to beat terrorism is to rush the gun and run from the knife.

[eos]

what. the. hell.....does this have to do with anything? we're shutting out the sun? seriously, wtf?

[sageb1]

Go read Shutting out the Sun by Michael Zielenziger.

Militancy begets a severely messed up culture like Japan is now. That is the legacy of repressed violence.

Democracy, human rights and privacy are unknown in the most prestigious Japanese university.

And Mr. Cho was once fond of taking cellphone cam pics of female classmates & harrassing them in text messages in the latter part of 2005.

[buttermilkwise]

According to my Asian friends living in the South, they are being greeted with more smiles than usual from people of other ethnicities. I guess some people are a bit nervous around AAs now.

lol that's funny. Now I'd just like to thank god that I live near the CA bay area where white people tend to be more liberal. And chances of getting laid (by non-asian chicks) are still much much higher than in Alabama.

[sageb1]

Oh i haven't been out since Sunday.

I don't want to have to educate people on why people like Cho snapped.

Hopefully, someone who is better at words can rationalize why it happened.

My non-violent streak is getting me to claim it's the guns. This is why our gov't in Canada is building bunkers in custom agency offices starting in Alberta: we're not a police state, yet.

At least, not unless it involves terrorists, and some cockamamie plan of CSIS and some Muslim fundamentalist who spouts off violent rhetoric.

However, domestic terrorism is what this is.

This needs some inner jihad to still the rage.

[RacerX]

sage, you're trying to hard and its neither intelligent nor interesting or even the slightest bit funny reading your posts so stfu. thanks.

[sageb1]

Mkay, i'll change the topic...

[rice cracker]

My white coworker made a comment I thought was relevant to some of the posts I've read here. She said (ok, not exact wording), "I saw this really sweet thing in South Korea where they apologized for the killer. But you know, he's more American that Korean."

[kchen]

Now I'd just like to thank god that I live near the CA bay area where white people tend to be more liberal.Haha, yay Bay Area!

[mr. x]

well we had DeGuzman but i don't think the the phillipines would've jumped all over that one

[yoMAMA]

there's a few articles in the korea times that talked about the possible "backlash" from both american and korean perspectives.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/

you know, the more i think about it, the less i'm worried about the anti korean/asian backlash.

this is the 21st century, not the 1940s.

America have progressed.

04-19-2007 18:07
Americans Show Understanding Over Koreans' Backlash Worry
Koreans and Americans appear to have different views on the causes of the Virginia shooting spree as the Korean fear of backlash was...


By Korea Times Reporters

Koreans and Americans appear to have different views on the causes of the Virginia shooting spree as the Korean fear of backlash was overcome by an American outpouring of compassion and help.

Koreans, especially those living in America, are still fearful that the recent Virginia Tech tragedy would spawn an anti-Korean backlash but Americans in general have extended their hand of support to Koreans, claiming that this incident had nothing to do with race.

Rather, they say, it was the case of a deeply troubled young man.

Following the tragedy, readers worldwide sent dozens of letters to The Korea Times to express their views on the massacre.

``Not once has anyone blamed this on Korea, Koreans, or the fact that this troubled young man was of Korean heritage,’’ American D. Rittner wrote in an e-mail to The Korea Times.

``It is important for Koreans to realize that Americans do not blame Korea or Korean people for the psychotic crimes of Cho Seung-hui, just because he happened to be Korean. What is surprising to Americans, and regrettable, is that some Koreans actually expect Americans to somehow hate Koreans because of this tragedy. Such a mob-justice `backlash’ is in reality abhorrent and unthinkable to us.’’ Ryan Rafferty of Burke, told The Korea Times from Virginia.

He added that on a national level, most Americans view South Korea with admiration, and consider the Korean people to be close partners. He said many American families or their adopted children are of Korean descent, and the personal bonds between Koreans and people of other backgrounds in America are strong.

``Therefore, for these reasons as well, to anticipate any wide-spread enmity developing toward Korean people in the United States is as unlikely as to expect a person to develop hatred toward his own brothers and sisters,’’ he said.
Currently more than 90,000 Korean students are studying in America, according to the U.S. Embassy.

``The shooting is quite a tragedy, but I find it equally tragic that the Korean government, and perhaps many of the Korean people, seemingly feel somehow responsible, or connected to this tragedy,’’ according to James L.R. Moody in an email to The Korea Times.

He said, ``Ultimately, Cho is responsible for his actions, but the fact that he is Korean is in no way indicative of the Korean people. We as Americans can only look at ourselves and shoulder the blame for promoting violence through our movies, television, and gun culture, and our irresponsible lack of any sensible gun control laws.’’


Maria Almamater said, `` While I am extremely horrified by what has happened in Virginia, with 32 senseless deaths, I wish to stand by South Korea in this time of distress.’’

``Suppose an American lunatic happens to sneak into Korea and kill someone _ should President George W. Bush apologize? Should Americans be sad? South Koreans, please don't feel sad at all.’’

She added that you must find courage. ``Your ruling people need not feel sad or apologize. It is the work of a lunatic who was proven to be mentally unstable. And if at all, it is the U.S. to blame _ this boy was born in Korea, but trained in the United States. What training did he receive then?’’

An American living abroad said, `` Although I am horrified by the tragedy, I am also very touched by the outpouring of sympathy and compassion by the Korean people worldwide.’’

You have once again proven that Koreans are honorable and humble, he said.

D. Rittner added, `` Initially I was surprised to hear that Koreans and Korean-Americans are fearful of a backlash as a result of the tragedy. Not once has anyone blamed this on Korea, Koreans, or the fact that this troubled young man was of Korean heritage.’’


``The actions and motivations of Cho are most definitely not a result of his ethnicity. It is the result of his own personality,’’ he added.

Americans have been slow to point their finger at Cho’s nationality but they have been quick to address his disturbed mental state and the lack of gun laws in the U.S.

Deryan H. MaGill, project manager of the Texas-based Dell Computer, said, ``The incident was done by an individual with an emotional disorder.

``I was very sad to find out that the boy was an immigrant but the media here I have watched have not made discriminatory remarks or made reference to terrorism,’’ she said from Austin, Texas.

She said, `` None of the discussion at work or in our community has been about race following the tragedy. I hope the media coverage you are seeing in Korea isn't prejudice.’’

``I am very sad for Cho’s parents and for all the families affected. This is truly a tragedy. You do not owe anyone an apology. We need to pray for healing, peace and for all the families,’’ she said

The Korean community in America has responded warmly to Americans’ outpouring of support.

``Reminded of the treatment toward Arabs in America in the wake of 9/11, I grew fearful that this incident could trigger hate crimes against Koreans in the U.S., and I stayed inside Tuesday following the story as it unfolded on television,’’ Kim Se-jong, one of The Korea Times global student reporters said.

``But by watching the news and observing issues brought from this incident, I find the focus isn’t much on his identity and nationality. Much of the focus is on the suspect’s mental instability, gun control, poor communication between the school faculty and the students,’’ she said.

The former chairwoman of Virginia Tech’s English Department, took Cho out of his writing class, and decided to teach him one-on-one because she was so disturbed by the content of his writings but many argue that school officials didn’t do enough to address Cho’s struggling mental state. They said the tragedy could have been avoided had people listened to the young man’s cry for help.
``The significance of a helping hand cannot be overemphasized. When we are aware of someone who is in distress, we demonstrate compassion by extending ourselves to that person, rather than ignoring the need. And when we allow others to help us when we are in trouble, we ease our own burdens and defuse potentially devastating circumstances,’’ Cornell University President David Skorton said.

[Gunz]

Well, it may be 2007, and people are more inclined towards assessing the facts reported around a deeply disturbed, introverted, insecure, and inherently anti-social kid who imploded psychologically.

Still, the images NBC ran for 24 hours plus did not help Asians. I mean, once an image of a kid pointing guns and wielding weapons in a vicious pose is launched for the world to see in the aftermath of such a terrible tragedy, viewers cannot help but be imprinted with that image of a young Asian male.

I have felt an occasional stare in public places recently, where I have not noticed it before. It turns out, the glasses I have look pretty similar to the ones shit-head wore. Now, I do not have a shaved head, or wear a baseball cap backwards (or at all, even), and walk around with a vest and military looking pants.

The ratings-starved NBC and the rest of the media sure did a job glamorizing this murderer, and did further damage linking an unsavory act and image with an Asian face. the media has zero ethics when it comes to ratings.

And that kid wasn't much to look at, either. It would not surprise me to hear about random acts of physical violence against Asians in rural and metropolitan areas.

[Banana]

Our 24 hour "news" networks are what caused just a drop in ethics when it comes to journalism. Right now, I don't think the US can complain about other countries' "propaganda" when our main media conglomerates are just as bad. Per Al Franken, our media outlets employ "infotainment" which is just news and entertainment smashed together. Whatever gets ratings, gets printed.

[moser]

Alleged harassment at U. of Maryland:

http://www.nbc4.com/news/12644764/detail.html

Link courtesy of Angry Asian Man

[kasia]

i was a little annoyed when fox news showed a picture of cho's face with the korean flag in the background.

seriously, if i ever get charged of convicted of anything, should i expect my mug shot framed by a picture of the chinese flag?

[SunWuKong]

a couple of Korean friends have said that some of the local Korean businesses have been vandalised, with rocks thrown, etc. i haven't seen it myself and i haven't seen it in the local news. they said they heard it from friends and that it's on the local Korean news.

[deez nuts]

i threaten little white, brown and black kids with a "bang bang bang"

[Space_Cabbage]

I havent noticed any backlash but my white co-workers were busting my balls after it by saying "Hey, we better be extra nice to Erik. We dont want him going postal on us or anything."

I was just like "STFU dicks"

Even though they were kidding.

[eos]

^where the hell do you work? abercrombie? american eagle? *gasps* not... hollister?

again, i kid. <---i'll be inclulding these 2 words after my sarcastic posts, just in case people get their panties all in a bunch by my acid tongue. although, it's like a joke: it's lame if you gotta explain it. *shrugs*

[Sizwe_X]

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rnr/315088175.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rnr/314104803.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rnr/313542679.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rnr/313555657.html

http://pittsburgh.craigslist.org/rnr/313241948.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/317723214.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/317218823.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315749863.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315596294.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315578940.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315410625.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315273661.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315151113.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/315079994.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/314504385.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rnr/313359674.html

[mr. x]

^---"Terrorists come in all races and religions". I think unfortunately a lot of whites tend to forget this

[cool]

they also tend to forget that before this incident, the stereotypical school shooter was white. and timothy mcveigh.

[Golden Monkey]

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-usc25apr25,0,6051060.story?coll=la-default-underdog

USC student charged with assault in handgun case

police say Zao Xing Yang, 19, threatened a woman at a party early Sunday.

By Richard Winton, Times Staff Writer
April 25, 2007

http://www.latimes.com/media/thumbnails/photo/2007-04/29303872.jpg

A 19-year-old USC student was charged Tuesday with making criminal threats and committing an assault with a handgun at a weekend party near campus.

Zao Xing Yang, an undergraduate, was arrested early Sunday morning after fellow students wrestled him to the ground when they saw him holding a .25-caliber handgun.

Police later searched Yang's apartment and discovered packages of methamphetamine, a .44-caliber revolver, several hundred dollars in cash and "threatening materials," police said.

Yang, who is being held without bail at Twin Towers jail in downtown Los Angeles, was charged with two counts of making criminal threats and two counts of assault with a firearm.

His arraignment was postponed until May 3.

His arrest comes a week after a Virginia Tech student fatally shot 32 people at the school, raising concerns about security on college campuses across the country.

"USC school police responded quickly, as did the Los Angeles Police Department," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said at a news conference Tuesday.

"No students were injured, and the suspect is in the process of being expelled from the university," Villaraigosa said.

LAPD Chief William J. Bratton said the incident occurred about 3 a.m., when students at the party overheard Yang "make intimidating statements to a coed and threatening her with violence."

"At one point, the host of the party asked Yang to leave," Bratton said. "Yang began arguing with the host, and that's when he noticed Yang had a gun in his hand."

The students restrained Yang until campus security officers and police arrived at the house, in the 2300 block of Portland Street, Bratton said.

"We treat these types of incidents involving our universities or schools very seriously," Bratton said.

Meanwhile, Los Angeles police said Tuesday that a 17-year-old student at Bishop Mora Salesian High School in Los Angeles was arrested for allegedly making criminal threats.

The arrest came after a student at the Catholic school found a letter Thursday threatening "violent acts against students and teachers," authorities said.

[VV o n g B a]

man, this hits kinda close to home...

------------
Attack on Asian AU student investigated as possible hate crime

4/24/2007, 12:49 p.m. CDT The Associated Press

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Police said Tuesday they were trying to determine whether a reported assault on an Asian student at Auburn University was a hate crime linked to animosity over last week's massacre by a Korean-American student at Virginia Tech.


The alleged attack, which left the victim with injuries including a busted lip and swollen cheek, reportedly occurred outside Lane Residence Hall three days after the shooting at Virginia Tech, where Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people before turning a gun on himself.


Capt. Herry Holder said Auburn police had contacted the FBI because of the possibility the assault was a hate crime, but authorities had yet to determine a motive and had no suspects since the victim told officers he could not identify his attackers.


"He said there were three white guys who assaulted him without weapons," said Holder. "He said there were no witnesses, no one else around. He said he asked them why they were beating on him, and they said it was because he was an Asian."


The investigation was complicated because a cousin of the victim notified the media before contacting police, Holder said. A police report wasn't filed until two days after the incident reportedly occurred, but officers are trying to determine whether any security cameras might have captured images of the reported attack, which occurred about 11:30 p.m. Thursday.


The Birmingham News quoted the victim's cousin as saying he reported an assault after seeing the victim, whose face was badly swollen on one side. The paper said it was not identifying the name of the victim or his cousin because they feared retaliation.


President Ed Richardson said the university would work with police on the investigation.


"It is disturbing to receive a report about a physical assault on an Auburn student," Richardson said in a statement. "Fortunately, he suffered no lasting or serious injuries. Auburn staff members are closely monitoring his recovery and will take all steps needed to provide him a smooth return to class and campus life."

http://www.al.com/newsflash/regional/index.ssf?/base/news-28/117743726825470.xml&storylist=alabamanews

[Sizwe_X]

Do a search for Cho Seung-Hui on Facebook. Vigilance folks, this stuff is simmering.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2393755489

Anthony N (Wellington C.Mepham High School) wrote
at 11:10pm on April 24th, 2007
THIS MOTHERFUCKIN CHINK SHOULD HAVE NEVA CAME TO AMERICA
Message - Report

[mr. x]

^---yay, high school facebook

[kasia]

a press release from aaja (probably old)

Media Advisory: Coverage on Virginia Tech Shooting Incident
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Janice Lee, 415-346-2051, JaniceL@aaja.org

SAN FRANCISCO (April 16, 2007) -- Like the rest of the nation, we at the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) are stunned at the news of today's shooting at Virginia Tech. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends as they cope with this horrific incident.

As coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting continues to unfold, AAJA urges all media to avoid using racial identifiers unless there is a compelling or germane reason. There is no evidence at this early point that the race or ethnicity of the suspected gunman has anything to do with the incident, and to include such mention serves only to unfairly portray an entire people.

The effect of mentioning race can be powerfully harmful. It can subject people to unfair treatment based simply on skin color and heritage.

We further remind members of the media that the standards of news reporting should be universal and applied equally no matter the platform or medium, including blogs.

We at AAJA, representing approximately 2,000 reporters, editors, photographers and executives in the industry, encourage journalists to refer to style and reference books, both within their own shop as well as AAJA's at http://www.aaja.org/resources/apa_handbook/.

We also invite those with concerns or questions to contact AAJA as a resource for issues of fair and accurate coverage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. AAJA's national office is at (415) 346-2051, National@aaja.org, www.aaja.org.

[kasia]

what about that korean baseball player with the same name at the shooter who was booed at the last game for that reason? anyone hear about that?

[j&j2]

Remember, "backlash" doesn't have to be anything overtly physical or vocal - there has been a lot of commentary on the net "blaming" Cho's background, parents, Korean culture, etc. (even tho, culturally, he was more American than anything else).

[BigLew]

Before I left Arizona I heard of an asian girl on the USC campus that got her tires slashed "for what happened at VT" and apperently it was "lucky it was just that". Fuckin ridiculous I tell you, this is the kind of shit that makes my blood boil.

[USCTrojanzNo1]

Remember, "backlash" doesn't have to be anything overtly physical or vocal - there has been a lot of commentary on the net "blaming" Cho's background, parents, Korean culture, etc. (even tho, culturally, he was more American than anything else).

While I agree that Cho was raised heavily in American culture, some people blame the Korean culture not in the sense that Koreans are bad people or that Cho's actions are emblematic of Koreans, but rather that the values of the Korean culture (and perhaps the East Asian culture in its entirety) are flawed and need to be reexamined.

Korean culture places a lot of emphasis on materialism, wealth, power, status, etc. Not all that different from the American yuppie culture. I've read some speculations that Cho's inability to "live up" to the model minority stereotypie (the overachieving Ivy League educated East Asian making high six figures in his late 20s) may have driven him to self-destructive tendencies. Couple that with a sister who graduated from Princeton as a economics major working for the US government, and maybe Cho felt like he was a black sheep not only in his family, but in the greater surrounding Korean community.

Of course, many Asian Americans do not live up to the model minority stereotype yet many go on to live happy and productive lives (e.g., James Sun from The Apprentice and Brad Virata from Survivor). They do not feel the burden of being a "disappointment" for not upholding high Asian values and standards. But regardless, I have read blogs out there that believe that Asian parents putting too much pressure on their children to become rich and successful--often at the expense of their own personal happiness--would lead to something devastating like this. These people are not lashing out at Asians as a race, but they are lashing out at them in the sense that Asians should put less emphasis on status and power, and instead teach their children to be more well-rounded.

Cho's inability to live up to the model minority image combined with his greater inability to overcome his personal demons sadly resulted in the Virginia Tech massacre. Although I absolutely condemn Cho for lashing out and senselessly slaughtering innocent lives, deep down, I do feel sorry for him and only wish that he sought help. Had he known there were others out there struggling like him, maybe he would not have felt so lonely and "hated" by the world.

Here's an article worth reading. South Korea has the HIGHEST suicide rate in the ENTIRE world.
http://www.latimes.com/news/columnists/la-op-rodriguez11mar11,1,1436378.column?coll=la-news-columns

Also, as tasteless as this may sound, one joke that a Korean friend of mine made was this: Why is the poverty rate in South Korea so low? Because all the poor people killed themselves.

[mr. x]

^---you kidding me? The poor people are the ones who are most resilient in every country. It's the middle class who live in despair

[BigLew]

So what about columbine? Was it those white kids failure to live up to the racial standards of irish drunken scrappiness that caused them to go ape shit?

Alot of words saying nothing. Cho was a fucked up person period and anyone suggesting it anything to do with the fact he was korean can eat shit and die.

[moser]

I forget where I read this, but some people have said that people focus on Cho's ethnicity because they don't want to recognize that this is an American problem. People who have issues re: bullying like he did are not uncommon.

[mr. x]

they focus on his ethnicity cuz the media, the LIBERAL media has made it so easy for them, way before this ever happened

[Gunz]

We are living in unpredictable conditions.

As logical as it is for all the problems the one killer had, the media did in all Asians for a "Wanted Dead or Alive" poster for every racist, separatist out there who is looking for an excuse to enact vengeance for the VT murders.

Logic would make most people aware that the racial and cultural make-up of all the victims spanned all ages and races and national origins.

However, all the hate-mongers will be imprinted with the daily image of an asian with belligerence all over his face, growling at the world, pointing his guns towards viewers.

NBC, CNN, and every network out there is subjecting every Asian person to random acts of violence, with the continuous posting of the same stupid pictures of Cho.

All I can say to Asians: Be alert, avoid areas which incites violence, and do not engage in taunts and threats when levied at you. Be prepared to defend yourself with every tool at your disposal. Low profile is best.

I think the NAACP and ACLU should be venues to make more awareness of any violence. I think the FBI is always tracking cases which could be classified as hate crimes.

Asian brothers and sisters: Do NOT allow yoursleves to be part of a statistic by being under-prepared and un-alert.

[Sizwe_X]

http://www.ocanational.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=110&Itemid=

OCA strongly encourages hate crime & bias incident survivors to make a report to their local police departments and document the incidents. Documentation and reporting are the strongest tools in advocating for policy and change. OCA also compiles national level incidents to use as a tool for national advocacy and change. You can submit your experiences through one of three possible methods listed below. Local and/or national support will be provided if deemed necessary for your community response.

[sageb1]

the backlash has started: an asian student get arrested for a violent essay and dumped from the Marines, while two white students get overlooked for their weird themes.

That does it: a big smile, two peace signs & me chanting "peace peace baby" is going to be my trademark behavior.

[Sizwe_X]

http://www.timesonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18275693&BRD=2305&PAG=461&dept_id=478565&rfi=6

Threat charges
An Aliquippa man was charged with making terroristic threats, public drunkenness and disorderly conduct after he made reference to the Virginia Tech massacre while in Circuit City at the Beaver Valley Mall around 12:30 p.m. Friday, Center Township police reported.

Police said Michael J. Moritz, 63, of 304 Christine Drive went into the store yelling, and when he was told he was not allowed in the store again, he said he wished he "was at Virginia Tech." As he left, a vodka bottle fell out of his coat, police said.

Police said Moritz was thrown out of the store Monday for being drunk, and on Wednesday, returned, yelling at several Asian-American customers and referring to Virginia Tech.

[VV o n g B a]

i'm not sure if this is racial or not b/c the parents who turned this kid in might not have known he was asian. but then again, maybe it's specifically b/c they found out he was asian that they turned him in.

----------------

Chinese Community Rallies Behind Student Removed From Clements
by Bob Dunn, Apr 30, 2007, 11 57 am

Members of the area Chinese community have rallied behind a Clements High School senior who was removed from the campus and sent to M.R. Wood Alternative Education Center after parents complained he'd created a computer game map of Clements.

About 70 people attended the Fort Bend Independent School District's April 23 meeting to show support for the Clements senior and his mother, Jean Lin, who spoke to FBISD Board trustees in a closed session.

While an agenda document does not specify details, the board is holding a special meeting tonight to address the boy's actions and the discipline that was meted out as a result, sources close to the matter say. The boy's name was not identified last week, and the district has declined to discuss his case.

Richard Chen, president of the Fort Bend Chinese-American Voters League and a acquaintance of the boy's family, said he is a talented student who enjoys computer games and learned how to create maps (also sometimes known as "mods"), which provide new environments in which games may be played.

The map the boy designed mimicked Clements High School. And, sources said, it was uploaded either to the boy's home computer or to a computer server where he and his friends could access and play on it. Two parents apparently learned from their children about the existence of the game, and complained to FBISD administrators, who investigated.

"They arrested him," Chen said of FBISD police, "and also went to the house to search." The Lin family consented to the search, and a hammer was found in the boy's room, which he used to fix his bed, because it wasn't in good shape, Chen said. He indicated police seized the hammer as a potential weapon.

"They decided he was a terroristic threat," said one source close to the district's investigation.

Sources said that although no charges were filed against the boy, he was removed from Clements, sent to the district's alternate education school and won't be allowed to participate in graduation ceremonies with classmates.

"All he did was create a map and put it on a web site to allow students to play," Chen said. "The mother thinks this is too harsh."

FBISD officials declined to comment on the matter Monday. "Our challenge is, people in the community have freedom of speech and can say what they want, but we have laws" covering privacy issues, especially involving minors, that the district has to respect, said spokeswoman Nancy Porter.

Speakers at the FBISD Board's April 23 meeting alluded to the Clements senior's punishment, and drew a connection to the April 16 shootings at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, in which a Korean student shot and killed 32 people.

The Asian community "faces new pressures" as a result of the shootings, William Sun told board members. "We urge the school and community not to label our Asian students as terrorists."

"We should teach our children not to judge others harshly" and not to target people as being a threat because of their race, said Peter Woo, adding that the school district should lead the way in such efforts.

But Chen said Monday he and other community members don't consider FBISD's actions in the case to be racially motivated, and don't think they blew the incident out of proportion.

"They all think the principal has to do something - but how much? We do understand with the Virginia Tech incident...something has to be done," Chen said. "Someone just made a mistake, and we think the principal should understand that."

http://www.fortbendnow.com/news/2847/chinese-community-rallies-behind-student-removed-from-clements-over-pc-game-map

[Craig]

^ Just FYI, I think that Clements is something like 40% Asian. It's in the area near Houston (Sugar Land) with lots of Asians. I was looking to buy a place in this area specifically before my company blocked my transfer to Houston.

[Craig]

^ If it is racial in that area, it's nice to know with such a high Asian concentration that so many Asians (and Asian-Americans) would be going out of their way to accept there role as the white-cock-sucking house-nigger. Surely, somebody could have spoken up as a voice of reason.

[VV o n g B a]

^ If it is racial in that area, it's nice to know with such a high Asian concentration that so many Asians (and Asian-Americans) would be going out of their way to accept there role as the white-cock-sucking house-nigger. Surely, somebody could have spoken up as a voice of reason.uh... huh? they article says they are speaking up. or do u mean that they aren't a big force on the schoolboard?

[Craig]

uh... huh? they article says they are speaking up. or do u mean that they aren't a big force on the schoolboard?There are speaking up after the fact, and are not doing enough. I don't know about the schoolboard demographics, but would have assuming they they would be playing a big part (especially if there was an 'investigation' by school board administrators). The schools and district are good specifically because of the Asian influx in the last 15-20 years, not because of the previous demographics.

[kasia]

anybody know how to contact the school board?

[zero]

I offered my Korean friends to have some beer at a local bar this week but everyone was too scared to appear at a bar.

[BaiginLong]

Hmm well I went to Clements High School...I should hop in on the protests.

[kasia]

i'm representing a teenage Asian boy right now - his sentencing ("disposition") will be next week. i just took over the case. the charge is criminal threats. he was overheard in his high school yelling out, "i hate all of you, i want to shoot all of you," into a crowd of students after being a target of racial epithets (not very many asians at that school.) they reported him, and the school psychologist spoke with him. they went through his belongings and found pictures of stick figures shooting each other and dead stick figures in pools of blood. they called the police. he explained to the police that he was drawing pictures of scenes from a movie called "Matchpoint", and that he was merely doodling. the sketches are extremely UNdetailed and unsophisticated.

when he was first arrested, they refused to release him at the detention hearing citing - guess - v-tech and other school shootings. that was back in october.

since then, a background check was done. this is an A's & B's student. he goes to church. his mom knows all of his friends and his friend's parents. he has never been charged with another crime before. he has no violent history.

he spent Christmas in juvenile hall.

he will spend NYE in juvenile hall.

although the probation department and social workers have recommended (in writing) that he be released home on probation, the prosecution and the courts don't feel comfortable sending him home, considering instead boot camp or a psychiatric residential treatment program for 6-9 months.

in my opinion, this is very extreme. i have represented kids who committed robberies, made (real) criminal threats, carried out assaults, who were never detained for a single day.

i know my line of work may color my judgment - and i want to make sure that i'm not overreacting bc i've seen references to v-tech throughout his file. i have never seen such stereotyping before. but please tell me - from your perspective, do you see anything here that calls for outrage?

[BeTheReds]

Yea, this is messed up. I used to draw tons of violent pictures and wish people dead. I never actually killed anyone tho. The VTech massacre is influencing the judgement of people..

[Arex]

That's totally f'ed up. One huge distinction between your case and VTech is that I assume your kid doesn't have access to weapons.

VTech just teaches us that the authorities need to do their homework and stay on top of cases like this, not that we should lock every single person up out of irrational fear, regardless of what an exhaustive background check teaches us about the individual.

Assuming this kid is not otherwise suffering from some sort of behavioral problems (threatening to shoot people in response to racial epithets sounds pretty normal to me), it sounds like sending this kid away is likely to cause more damage to him than whatever "problem" it is they are trying to "fix."

[nameless]

Yea, this is messed up. I used to draw tons of violent pictures and wish people dead.

Phew. Glad to see I'm not the only one who had a 'creative' imagination.

Kasia, I don't think you are over reacting. Unfortunately, Asian to VTech is like Japanese American to Pearl Harbor. Honestly, I wish our community knew about this, because it'd be a good example for Asian parents to warn their kids about. I've gotten in trouble before and I've heard of other Asian kids too; no way we'd get off light now.

[Arex]

Kasia, did you get the sense that the kid was being singled out because he was Asian? I would like to think that this sort of overreaction is probably happening across the board, but I don't know.

A friend of mine, a school psychologist, mentioned that her district was wrangling with how to deal with a kid who had threatened to blow the school up. I'm not sure if law enforcement was brought in. I should find out what ethnicity the kid was.

And, for the record, I think I was drawing guns and dead stick figures laying in pools of blood as early as elementary school. I'd say that's pretty much the norm for kids in America exposed to prime time television and cartoons.

[tripostrophe]

i'm representing a teenage Asian boy right now - his sentencing ("disposition") will be next week. i just took over the case. the charge is criminal threats. he was overheard in his high school yelling out, "i hate all of you, i want to shoot all of you," into a crowd of students after being a target of racial epithets (not very many asians at that school.) they reported him, and the school psychologist spoke with him. they went through his belongings and found pictures of stick figures shooting each other and dead stick figures in pools of blood. they called the police. he explained to the police that he was drawing pictures of scenes from a movie called "Matchpoint", and that he was merely doodling. the sketches are extremely UNdetailed and unsophisticated.

when he was first arrested, they refused to release him at the detention hearing citing - guess - v-tech and other school shootings. that was back in october.

since then, a background check was done. this is an A's & B's student. he goes to church. his mom knows all of his friends and his friend's parents. he has never been charged with another crime before. he has no violent history.

he spent Christmas in juvenile hall.

he will spend NYE in juvenile hall.

although the probation department and social workers have recommended (in writing) that he be released home on probation, the prosecution and the courts don't feel comfortable sending him home, considering instead boot camp or a psychiatric residential treatment program for 6-9 months.

in my opinion, this is very extreme. i have represented kids who committed robberies, made (real) criminal threats, carried out assaults, who were never detained for a single day.

i know my line of work may color my judgment - and i want to make sure that i'm not overreacting bc i've seen references to v-tech throughout his file. i have never seen such stereotyping before. but please tell me - from your perspective, do you see anything here that calls for outrage?

I'd say that's pretty outrageous - but then again, the wording of what he said is a bit problematic in that it's a bit more specific than "i'm gonna kill you all!" At the same time, he was expressing desire in a moment of rage, rather than calculated intent, right? If you have access to a sociologist or a psychologist with a good grounding in APIA psychological issues, I'd recommend you use that to back the kid up. I personally have experienced the same kind of rage as well towards a class filled mostly with racist sexist bigoted assholes. Glad I never acted on it, I suppose.

And ditto on the violent sketches - if it were of one person shooting a bunch of others who were unarmed, i'd be concerned but otherwise it sounds like a tame version of what many people i used to know did in school.

Can you get them for bias in citing v-tech, or are those people unrelated to the case? It seems like a really elusive case of bias though - citing v-tech calls up racial imagery, but most white liberals won't acknowledge the racial overtones in the name of "colorblindness," and will probably accuse you of picking up on things that aren't really there. so again, a sociologist.

[kasia]

i can't really disclose too much more about the case, but in response to some of your questions -

1) his mom met with the school authorities before charges were filed and told them that he had no access to guns. no guns were ever found in his possession. aside from the fact that he told the police that he knows a couple of wah ching members from his old school, he has no ties to any gangs (but which asian kid hasn't proclaimed to know a couple of wah ching members?) he has no tats. no record of gang affiliation, drug sales, anything of the sort. this is your short-for-his-age, skinny, soft-spoken nerdy asian boy.

2) his name is very similar to that of the v-tech killer, and more than once in his file, he was referred to by that rather than "the minor" or his first name. never have i heard the courts refer to another minor as "henderson" or "garcia." first names are used because juvenile proceedings are less formal. he has an english first name. maybe i'm reading too much into it, but by using his last name rather than his first, i feel like they have labelled him as a foreigner.

3) i read the plot summaries from the movie matchpoint and i understand what his sketches are of now. they aren't even of a school campus!

4) i think he is being singled out because of his race bc other kids i represented went home in situations similar to this. and staying in custody creates a snowball effect. if you're out of custody while your case is pending, you can go to school, do well, behave at home, kiss ass, and the court will be reluctant to take you out of an environment where you are thriving even after you admit to the charge. if you're in custody, you're in juve where it's hard not to get in a fight, where you'll miss home and act out and get written up for not following rules, and where you really won't get a shot at letting the court see how well you can do (and how you won't endanger the community) if you are out of custody.

5) i get probably at least 3 new cases a week of a kid bringing a knife to school. nobody gets detained for that.


what i want to do:

i'm preparing the dispo brief for the court and i'm using mostly the articles that you guys posted here a while back (i found more here than from just googling.) the judge in that court is actually fair, in my mind, and rather progressive - i believe she wants to do the right thing in every case. it may just be that she may not see how the media has influenced her perception in this case. so my purpose in using those articles is to show her that there may be a possible bias.

he had a mental health screening for the psychiatric placement and the doctor wrote back that he should just go home on probation. he doesn't have any severe mental illness that would allow them to house him. at most, he has depression from the cultural differences. so we have that doctor subpoenaed.

mom is supportive and attends all the hearings.

i just wish i got this case sooner (rather than 2 weeks ago!) so i could contact his old classmates and have them write the court on his behalf.

any other ideas are appreciated.

and thanks so much for your feedback - i needed the motivation.

[AngryABCGirl]

It sounds totally racist and paranoid. It may be useful to bring up a lot of the remincent paranoia that happened after Columbine too even though it wasn't racially based? I remember during the histeria some elementary kid was sent through all this crazy stuff, after drawing a picture of a man with a gun (turns out it was his dad, who was a cop) and a lot of similar cases that went nowhere.

[bluemonq]

I don't mean to be flippant at all, but considering how adults are getting more "afraid" of kids, it won't be too long at this rate before we get a "Millennium Education Reform Act" of our own...

[mr. x]

I've always had a saying. If a kid showed up to school with a rubber chicken and beat someone to death with it, there would be a national rubber chicken crisis and rules against them on campus

[snailpoo]

What normal boy doesn't draw guns in one form or another? Cowboys & indians, Buzz Lightyear, Star Wars, Star Trek, Doom, Quake, Counterstrike, GI Joe, Die Hard, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, every single other computer game that boys play, every single cartoon that boys watch, and just about every single other movie that boys like.


Good luck, Kasia!

[Faithless]

This is a tough one Kasia. Not sure what you'll be asking the courts. Release from arrest?

Just look at the number of stories (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&q=high-school+student+arrested+threats&btnG=Search+News) about kids accused of various threats. Some do get arrested, as well as suspended, if not expelled.

If you're trying to beat the arrest, maybe you can review similar cases where an arrest hasn't occurred. If you're trying to be end the suspension, that's going to be tougher. And you'll have a parents fight if you try to beat the expulsion.

Some backers of these students have tried to claim first amendment rights. Others have tried to claim it was a hoax.

[kasia]

This is a tough one Kasia. Not sure what you'll be asking the courts. Release from arrest?

Just look at the number of stories (http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&um=1&tab=wn&q=high-school+student+arrested+threats&btnG=Search+News) about kids accused of various threats. Some do get arrested, as well as suspended, if not expelled.

If you're trying to beat the arrest, maybe you can review similar cases where an arrest hasn't occurred. If you're trying to be end the suspension, that's going to be tougher. And you'll have a parents fight if you try to beat the expulsion.

Some backers of these students have tried to claim first amendment rights. Others have tried to claim it was a hoax.

can't fight the suspension with the zero-tolerance rules these days. kids get kicked out after one incident of vandalism. it's the detention that i'm concerned about. he's been in since october and will be sentenced next week. is 6-9 months in a psych placement or boot camp necessary to "rehabilitate" him? that's the issue.

[Faithless]

OK. Well maybe there's something there in other recent "threat incidents" to refer to where detentions have never been that long even when kids are accused of talking about using guns or bombs.

Are you sure you can pull that one off by yourself? Or do you have a team?

[Napoleon Chynamite]

I used to draw re-enactments of all the fatalities from the Mortal Kombat games in high school when I didn't feel like paying attention in class, excessive blood and spinal fluid and innards and all. The girls weren't as impressed as I thought they'd be. I thought everyone loves a tough guy.

[kasia]

thanks for ALL of your feedback. i used just about all of it in one way or another. i even quoted Arex in my argument :)

i lost so much sleep over this case during my Christmas vacation but it was worth it!

he went home today. released from court, right back into mom's care :)

[tripostrophe]

nice! great work!

[Arex]

Good job, Kasia! Did the DA put up a strong fight? What were their arguments?

What a nice way to start off the new year!

[Faithless]

Good job!

Outside of that, if the kid did have issues with his school, is he getting help dealing with that?

[bluemonq]

If he didn't, he sure as hell will now, with the other students knowing about this mess.

[kasia]

The DA basically held onto their position that he might be a gangster, might have used drugs before, they can't deny that the pictures were very similar to the scene in Match Point and were not of a high school, and they still maintained that "he shouldn't be drawing pictures like that."

Whatever.

I left it to the Court's discretion - I prepared a disposition memorandum ahead of time for the Court to review, attached the movie plot synopsis, had ready the articles from the other incidents where Asian students were arrested for drawing and writing essays, and had the kid's letter to the Court.

the DA, (unfortunately even the Asian one that I spoke with that I thought would understand), was hoping that he'd get some sort of mental health placement and even cited "the present climate" in high schools. again, Alex made a great point about what Vtech has taught us - to be more cautious - not to hold onto an irrational fear (and definitely not to be all self-righteous about the irrational fear). i just stuck to that.

we didn't know how the Court was going to rule until the very last minute - very stressful. but that's the nature of my job, i guess.

he's not returning to the same school. he'll be on house arrest for a few months. he'll be in counseling. he won't have internet access for a few months.

the kid is great - super smart, humorous despite the predicament that he had gotten himself into. it's just still a little surreal how he was locked up for drawing a scene from a movie.

btw, has anyone watched Match Point?

[mr. x]

hah, the "present climate?" I thought statistics have shown that school shootings are down. Of course numbers have no place in America, they get their truth from some ripped from the headlines Law and Order shovel

[Faithless]

...
he's not returning to the same school. he'll be on house arrest for a few months. he'll be in counseling. he won't have internet access for a few months.
...
What did you think about the "house arrest" part? Didn't like it/willing to accept it?

[kasia]

What did you think about the "house arrest" part? Didn't like it/willing to accept it?

i thought - he shouldn't be going anywhere else except school, home and other approved counseling/extra curricular activities anyway - so house arrest for a teenager isn't so bad. maybe i'm a little worn down, but given the fact that they really were going to send him to a facility for 6-9 mos, i thought we were given a break this time. it is actually very hard in our system to find a judge who will listen and a judge who actually cares. in our case, we had a judge who did both.

[kasia]

today, a boy was cited into a court for drawing a stick figure shooting another stick figure on his test. the teacher reported him. he actually had knives on him.

he was not detained.

he is latino.

i probably don't need to say more but since we can't make these statements in court for fear of being accused of "playing the race card", i want to get it out of my system here - so i guess when you are latino and drawing violent stick figures, there is no risk of you being psychotic like the violent v-tech killler because...you aren't asian...? oh, and he made up his little drawing. it didn't come from a movie scene.

[Arex]

^ What the hell?? Who draws pictures of people shooting each other on their tests? Dumbass.

They probably found the knives on him and thought, "oh, this guy's not the shooting type, let him go..."

[kasia]

They probably found the knives on him and thought, "oh, this guy's not the shooting type, let him go..."

brilliant.

that's not to say that latino kids have it easy, though. they have different stereotypes to fight. today, my latino client who was drawing graffiti was labelled as a "tag banger" by the gang expert. he "tag bangs." he will tag bang you.

[mr. x]

Well to be "fair" in the fox news fair and balanced kind of way, the uptighty whitey school administration has pretty much given up on latino kids and probably figures it's part of his "culture." However since school shootings are tied to the war on terror now it's all about those shifty quiet white/asian middle class kids.

[sageb1]

can't fight the suspension with the zero-tolerance rules these days. kids get kicked out after one incident of vandalism. it's the detention that i'm concerned about. he's been in since october and will be sentenced next week. is 6-9 months in a psych placement or boot camp necessary to "rehabilitate" him? that's the issue.

it may be a child"s rights violation if his behavior is worse after completion. this may include nightmares, hanging out with undesireable friends, and developing substance abuse problems. however, i am speculating here. this may be his only time incarcerated as a youth. he will need representation to have his records cleaned at the age of majority, though...