House hearing on redress bill H.R. 442, and the Vincent Chin verdict

Vol. 104, No. 18, May 8, 1987. 8 pages. View this issue

The House Judiciary subcommittee hearing on redress bill H.R. 442 led this issue. The Pacific Citizen reported on the April 29 testimony, with Reps. Norman Mineta, Robert Matsui, Patricia Saiki and Daniel Akaka speaking in favor and the Department of Justice as the lone dissenting voice. Assistant Attorney General Richard Willard argued that the 1948 Claims Act was enough. Grayce Uyehara’s column recounts the hearing, and a separate story reports that the bill had reached 139 co-sponsors.

The front page also reported that a federal jury in Cincinnati found Ronald Ebens not guilty of civil rights violations in the death of Vincent Chin, with reaction and trial details on page 2. Inside are a documentary on life in Topaz, an obituary noting Teiho Hashida’s time at Tule Lake, Jerome and Heart Mountain, columns and letters on the JACL personnel manual, and a preview of the 1988 national convention in Seattle.

What’s in this issue

Incarceration & Redress

• House Hearing: Justice Dept. Is Lone Voice Against Bill, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A House Judiciary subcommittee heard testimony on April 29 largely supporting redress bill H.R. 442, with the Department of Justice as the lone dissenting voice. Members of Congress including Mineta, Matsui, Saiki, and Akaka spoke in favor, detailing refinements to eligibility and payment schedules, while Rep. Don Young and attorney John Kirtland advocated for a related Aleut compensation bill.
• Vincent Chin Case: Community Reaction and Trial Details, by from reports by Associated Press, Cincinnati Post and Pacific Citizen staff, page 2. This follow-up piece details reaction to the Ebens verdict, including statements from the Americans for Asian Concerns coalition linking the Chin case to broader anti-Asian violence amid trade tensions. It also covers trial testimony, including a controversial coaching tape used by the defense to discredit witnesses who testified about racial slurs.
• House Hearing: Testimony Continued, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Continuing coverage of the April 29 House hearing on H.R. 442 details additional testimony, including Rep. Patricia Saiki’s account of wartime experiences of Japanese Americans in Hawaii and Rep. Don Young’s advocacy for Aleut compensation. Assistant Attorney General Richard Willard presented the Justice Department’s opposition, citing the 1948 Claims Act as sufficient past remedy.
• House Hearing: Justice Department’s Opposition and Other Testimony, by P.C. Staff, page 5. This continuation details Assistant Attorney General Richard Willard’s argument that the 1948 Claims Act already provided adequate compensation, and his opposition to the bill’s educational fund provision. Other witnesses, including Angus MacBeth, William Robinson, Grayce Uyehara, Harry Kajihara, and Mike Masaoka, testified in support of the bill.

National

• Asian Lawyers Urge INS to End Arab Deportation Case, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Asian Law Caucus urged INS Commissioner Alan Nelson to drop deportation charges against seven Palestinians and one Kenyan arrested in Los Angeles, arguing the case is part of an INS contingency plan targeting Middle Easterners. The group compared the tactics to those used against Japanese Americans during WW2 and warned against creating stereotypes of terrorism.
• Ebens Found Not Guilty in Vincent Chin Retrial, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A federal jury in Cincinnati found Ronald Ebens not guilty of civil rights violations in the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin, ending a four-year legal saga. Asian American civil rights advocates called the verdict a sad day and pledged to continue efforts against anti-Asian violence.
• H.R. 442 Gets Co-Sponsors, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The number of co-sponsors for redress bill H.R. 442 reached 139 as of April 29, with five new additions including Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon. The bill needs six of ten subcommittee votes to advance to the full Judiciary Committee, and JACL-LEC says the sixth vote is expected to be confirmed.
• Mineta, Matsui Take Sides on Trade Amendment, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Reps. Norman Mineta and Robert Matsui split on Rep. Richard Gephardt’s amendment to the 1987 Trade and International Policy Act, which would require retaliatory tariffs against countries like Japan with large trade surpluses. Mineta supported the measure citing jobs, while Matsui warned it could trigger a trade war and pushed instead for provisions addressing Japanese rice and citrus import barriers.
• Asian Law Caucus Urges INS to End Deportation Case (continued), by P.C. Staff, page 3. This continuation details the Asian Law Caucus’s April 23 letter to INS Commissioner Nelson, warning that the deportation plan mirrors the internment-era stereotyping condemned by historians and the Supreme Court. The eight individuals facing deportation were accused of ties to a radical PLO faction and advocating world communism.
• Rep. Mineta Getting Divorced, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Norman Mineta and his wife May are divorcing after 25 years of marriage, according to a statement released by his office. A divorce petition sought joint custody of their 16-year-old son Stuart.
• Trade Bill: Matsui Secures Rice and Citrus Language, by P.C. Staff, page 3. This continuation of the trade bill story details Rep. Robert Matsui’s arguments against the Gephardt amendment and his successful push to direct U.S. trade negotiators to prioritize Japanese rice and citrus import barriers. The overall trade bill was approved April 30 with Matsui’s language included.

Arts & Entertainment

• TV Documentary Focuses on Life in Topaz, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Public TV station KUED 7 in Salt Lake City will air “Topaz,” a documentary exploring the WW2 internment camp and the experiences of Japanese Americans from the San Francisco Bay Area who were sent there. The film uses archival footage and interviews with former internees and camp workers to examine daily life and loss during incarceration.
• Hiroshima to Raise Funds for Asian American Theatre Co., by P.C. Staff, page 6. The jazz/fusion group Hiroshima will perform a benefit concert for the Asian American Theatre Company on May 16 at San Francisco’s Masonic Auditorium. Comediennes Linda Hill and Diane Amos will open for the band, which is known for blending jazz, R&B, and traditional Japanese instruments.
• ‘Silk Screen’ Series to Air on KQED-TV, by P.C. Staff, page 7. KQED-TV’s “Silk Screen” series, hosted by actor Robert Ito, will air two programs on Asian Americans in May, including “Fool’s Dance” featuring Mako and Esther Rolle, and “Talking History” by Spencer Nakasako profiling five Asian immigrant women. The series showcases dramatic and documentary films by and about Asian Americans.

Community

• Sacramento Nursing Home for Asian Community Opens, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The $6 million Asian Community Nursing Home in Sacramento was officially dedicated on April 18, with speeches from Mayor Anne Rudin, Supervisor Illa Collin, and philanthropist Angelo Tsakopoulos. ACC chair Yasushi “Chewy” Ito and administrator Fred Takayesu spoke, and resident Matsu Horita performed the ribbon-cutting; the home now serves 10 residents.
• Six Bay Area Asian Women to Receive Award, by P.C. Staff, page 6. The Pacific Asian American Women Bay Area Coalition will present the 1987 Woman Warrior Awards to six recipients recognized in arts, human services, politics, community service, health, and education. Honorees include P.J. Hirabayashi, Dora Kim, Alice Bulos, Dorothy Wong, Effie Chow, and Elaine Kim.
• Toshi Koba Scholarship Being Offered to Black and JA Youth, by P.C. Staff, page 7. Applications are being accepted until May 30 for the Toshi Koba Memorial Scholarship, which awards two $900 scholarships to Black and/or Japanese American students based on financial need and community involvement. The scholarship honors the late Toshi Koba, who supported Bay Area youth through her work at the Booker T. Washington Community Center.

Commentary

• Patience and Understanding, by Bill Marutani, page 4. JACL National Board member Bill Marutani responds to concerns raised by Dr. Roy Nishikawa and George Kodama about the proposed personnel manual revisions, acknowledging their validity while defending the need for organizational change. He calls for patience as the board works to address declining membership and financial struggles through necessary, though unsettling, reforms.
• The House Hearing, by Grayce Uyehara, page 4. LEC executive director Grayce Uyehara recaps the April 29 House subcommittee hearing on H.R. 442, noting Chairman Barney Frank’s strong support and the near-unanimous backing from witnesses except for the Department of Justice. She details the hearing’s extended length and the final testimony from a panel representing internment victims.
• Comic Relief for Illiteracy?, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa examines America’s illiteracy crisis and contrasts it with Japan’s nearly universal literacy, highlighting Japan’s innovative use of comic books to explain serious topics like economics and politics. He expresses mixed feelings about oversimplifying complex issues through comic book formats but concedes some knowledge may be better than none.
• The Fugu Plan, by Joseph Ugoretz, page 5. A letter to the editor corrects a misconception in Bill Marutani’s earlier column, explaining that the Fugu Plan was not a humanitarian effort but a calculated Japanese government scheme to use European Jews for economic gain. The writer cites a quote from Capt. Koreshige Inuzuka revealing underlying prejudicial attitudes behind the plan.
• More on Manual, by Deena Hard, Jonathan T. Kaji, Lance Izumi, page 5. Leaders of the Gardena Valley Chapter express dismay over proposed JACL personnel manual changes, particularly the “at will” employment provision, while supporting changes needed for legal compliance. They call for the matter to be referred to the national vice president of operations with a committee including the national director.
• Caveat Editor, by Raymond Okamura, page 5. A letter humorously notes a historical pattern in which PC editors who try to reduce the frequency of Bill Hosokawa’s “From the Frying Pan” column end up leaving their position, citing 1983 and 1987 examples. The writer warns future editors to take heed of this apparent curse.
• Wronged Americans, by Seattle Post-Intelligencer (reprinted editorial), page 5. This reprinted editorial argues that restitution, while inadequate to fully repair the injustices of WW2 internment, can provide tangible justice to Japanese Americans. It criticizes the government’s legal argument against monetary claims and urges either Supreme Court action or congressional passage of redress legislation.

JACL

• Coming Together in ’88, by Yosh Nakashima, page 4. JACL Vice President of Operations Yosh Nakashima previews the 1988 National Convention in Seattle, themed “Coming Home,” describing plans for the University of Washington campus venue, sports tournaments, a leadership seminar, and a youth convention. He notes the convention will run Aug. 5-12, 1988, and cost significantly less than previous hotel-based conventions.
• PSW District Council Passes Resolution Rejecting Personnel Manual, by J.K. Yamamoto, page 5. The Pacific Southwest District Council JACL passed a resolution on April 25 rejecting the proposed personnel manual and calling for a new standing personnel committee, amid staff concerns over benefit cutbacks and an “at will” employment provision. Eighteen of nineteen chapters supported replacing the ad hoc committee with a broader, cross-sectional national personnel committee.
• PNW Hears About Manual, Multicultural Education, by P.C. Staff, page 8. At the Pacific Northwest District Council’s quarterly meeting, PC Board Chair Peggy Liggett faced tough questions about the proposed JACL personnel manual revision, with some members questioning why the matter wasn’t solely a National Board concern. The meeting also featured a workshop by Mako Nakagawa on multicultural education and cooperative pluralism, plus a preview of the 1988 Seattle convention.

Obituaries

• Teiho Hashida, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Teiho Hashida, who served as Japanese section editor of the Rafu Shimpo for 36 years, died April 16 of heart failure. Born in Walville, Wash., and interned at Tule Lake, Jerome, and Heart Mountain, he helped rebuild the newspaper after the war and grew its readership from 3,000 to over 20,000.

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