Redress checks arrive, and hate crimes follow in Arizona and Denver

Vol. 111, No. 16, November 16, 1990. 8 pages. View this issue

Redress payments and a wave of hate incidents shared the news in this 8-page issue. Arizona JACL president Richard Matsuishi received a death threat after commenting on television about the redress checks, and the chapter’s center was spray-painted with a swastika. Phoenix police formed a bias-incident unit, and Japanese students were attacked in Denver. Susan Blocker wrote about Paul Kusuda, a Manzanar internee who planned to give his $20,000 payment to groups that helped Japanese Americans. Harry K. Honda reported on the Nov. 6 election results for Nikkei candidates. Paul Igasaki weighed what JACL learned from the 101st Congress.

Elsewhere, Bill Hosokawa wrote about a 50th wedding anniversary in Seattle. The paper reported that the National Park Service denied landmark status for Rohwer, and that Venice-Culver JACL joined a dispute over a veterans monument in Little Tokyo. A Harry Honda piece covered a booklet on the Olivers Club, founded in 1917. Frank Sakamoto reported on a Gila River camp reunion. Minidoka dedication pins were available again.

What’s in this issue

National

• Arizona JACL President Receives Death Threat for Redress Comment, Swastika Painted on Its Center, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Richard Matsuishi, Glendale dentist and president of the Arizona JACL chapter, received a death threat at his home and office after making comments on television news during redress check presentations in Washington, D.C. The chapter’s office and community center was also spray-painted with a swastika and the words ‘White Supreme.’
• Bias-Investigation Unit Formed by Phoenix Police, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Phoenix police formed a bias-incident-investigation unit in response to an apparent increase in crimes against racial and religious minorities, according to Police Chief Ruben Ortega. A coalition including JACL and the Arizona Asian American Association is drafting a state law to make racially motivated crimes felonies.
• Japanese Students in Denver Attacked, Two Arrested on $1-Million Bail Each, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Two young men and two juveniles, alleged skinheads with KKK ties, were jailed in Denver after attacking Japanese students from Teikyo Loretto Heights University in two separate incidents in September and October. James Clifford Close Jr. faces 36 felonies including attempted murder and ethnic intimidation charges under Colorado’s hate crime statute.
• E.O. 9066 Aftermath: Democrats Matsui, Mineta, Mink Win; Republican Pat Saiki Loses, by Harry K. Honda, page 1. The number of Japanese Americans in the upcoming U.S. Congress dropped from five to four following the Nov. 6 midterm elections, with Inouye, Mineta, Matsui and Mink winning re-election while Patricia Saiki lost her Senate bid to Dan Akaka. The article details election results and profiles of Nikkei candidates across the country.
• Dan Lungren Counting on Absentee Ballot Votes for Attorney General Win, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Former Congressman Dan Lungren trailed San Francisco DA Arlo Smith by less than half a percent in the California attorney general race, with hundreds of thousands of absentee ballots still uncounted. Lungren had faced opposition from Asian American voters for his stance against individual redress payments.
• Northern California: Mike Honda Elected Santa Clara Supervisor, by From the Nichibei Times, page 2. Mike Honda became the first Japanese American elected as Santa Clara County supervisor from District 1, receiving 61% of the vote. Other Nikkei candidates including George Shirakawa, Tonia Izu, Richard Tanaka and Roy Nakadegawa also won their races in the Bay Area.
• Judge Opposed by Asians Loses Vote for Retention, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Chicago Judge Gerald Murphy failed to reach the 60% threshold needed for retention after making derogatory remarks about ‘treacherous, no good Japanese’ in his courtroom in December. Attorney Sandra Yamate said voters made the right choice given his lack of sensitivity to minority concerns.
• Hawaii Democrats Continue Strong Hold in Election, by Clippings from Allan Beekman, page 2. Hawaii’s Nov. 6 election with 78% turnout was another setback for Republicans, with Democrats sweeping most major offices including Governor Waihee’s re-election and Daniel Akaka’s Senate win over Patricia Saiki. The article lists detailed results for numerous state and local races including many Nikkei candidates.
• The Matter of ‘Entitlement’, by P.C. Staff, page 4. An editorial warns that despite favorable publicity around redress payments, opponents are using the coverage as ammunition against the program, and that redress entitlement funding could be reversed by a simple majority vote in future Congresses. The piece credits Senator Dan Inouye for securing permanent funding status for the $1.2 billion redress program.
• U.S. and Japan Women Breast Cancer Compared, by P.C. Staff, page 7. USC researcher Dr. Ronald Ross found that estrogen levels may explain why breast cancer rates are six times higher in American women than Japanese women, according to findings published in the British Journal of Cancer. Researchers hope to determine ways to reduce estrogen levels in at-risk populations.
• Phony Flavors Detectable, USDA Nisei Chemist Says, by P.C. Staff, page 7. USDA Agricultural Research Service scientist Gary R. Tateoka developed a technique to detect fraudulent flavors sold as all-natural products by separating flavor compounds into natural and synthetic forms. The research was conducted at the ARS Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California.

Incarceration & Redress

• Internee to Donate $20,000 to Those Who Helped Japanese Americans, by Susan Blocker, page 1. Paul Kusuda, who spent more than a year at Manzanar, plans to donate his $20,000 redress payment to charities and organizations including the Salvation Army, American Friends Service Committee, JACL and ACLU. He explained that money cannot replace what was lost during internment but serves as a symbol so the injustice won’t be repeated.
• Minidoka Dedication Pins Available Again, by P.C. Staff, page 1. A second shipment of Minidoka Relocation Center Memorial Project Dedication pins is available for $4 each from Hero Shiosaki in Blackfoot, Idaho. The pin features the May 26, 1990 dedication date and a map of Idaho marking its statehood centennial.
• Nat’l Park Service Denies Landmark Status for Rohwer, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Arkansas Historic Preservation Program is appealing a National Park Service decision denying National Historic Landmark status to the Rohwer Japanese American relocation camp, reducing the proposed designation to just the camp cemetery. The JACL is more than halfway to its $25,000 goal to restore the cemetery to its original appearance.

Commentary

• Hohri’s Post-Redress Statement ‘Not Worthy’, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Fresno community leader Fred Y. Hirasuna criticized William Hohri’s letter calling JACL’s Legacy Fund campaign a ‘self-serving hustle for bucks’ and Hohri’s stated intent to use his redress money to buy a car. Hirasuna called the statement petty and suggested Hohri donate to charity instead.
• Rebuttal to ‘Ancestry Not Enough’, by Edwin Y. Mitoma, page 4. Edwin Mitoma responds to Bill Marutani’s letter questioning JACL’s involvement in U.S.-Japan relations, arguing that understanding economic and trade issues is necessary to address civil rights concerns affecting Japanese Americans. He describes JACL’s US-Japan Relations workshop program and its goals.
• $20,000 Check, by James Oda, page 4. A letter writer reflects on receiving his redress check as compensation for wartime imprisonment and recalls volunteering for the Military Intelligence Service in 1942 to prove his loyalty. He notes that many veterans who served and sacrificed died before receiving redress.
• Wedding Anniversary, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Bill Hosokawa reflects on attending the 50th wedding anniversary celebration of friends Sam and Aya Kozu in Seattle, using the occasion to reflect on the hardships Nisei couples endured through the Depression, wartime evacuation, and postwar rebuilding. He credits the survival of these marriages to the character of Nisei men and women and the upbringing from their Issei parents.
• Monitor, by Robert M. Garrick, page 4. A letter to the editor claims that many Issei were illegal aliens who now face exposure by coming forward for redress payments. The writer suggests taxpayers might save money due to this situation.
• Lessons from the 101st Congress, by Paul Igasaki, page 5. Paul Igasaki analyzes JACL’s legislative strategy in Washington, crediting Asian American and Nikkei members of Congress like Bob Matsui, Norm Mineta and Dan Inouye for major victories including redress entitlement funding and the Civil Rights Act. He emphasizes the importance of coalitions, non-partisanship, and grassroots engagement for future success.

Military & Veterans

• Venice-Culver JACL Board Joins Monument Fray, by P.C. Staff, page 1. The Venice-Culver JACL board became the first chapter to publicly side with the Nisei Veterans Coordinating Council of Southern California in opposing a proposed memorial design in front of the Japanese American National Museum. Critics say the plan is elitist because it would inscribe only 100th, 442nd and MIS veterans’ names while omitting other WWII Nisei veterans and Issei who died aboard the Maine.

Obituaries

• Book Editor Howard Cady, 76, Succumbs, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Howard Cady, who died Nov. 4 at a Middlebury, Vt. medical center, was remembered as editor of Bill Hosokawa’s ‘Nisei: The Quiet Americans’ and Michi Weglyn’s ‘Years of Infamy.’ He also edited other notable Hosokawa titles and Mike Masaoka’s autobiography.
• Obituaries, by P.C. Staff, page 8. This week’s obituary listings include Frank F. of Commerce City, Colo., a WWII veteran and city council member, and Shoso Nakamoto of San Juan Bautista, a former San Benito County JACL president, among many others across the country. The listings note survivors and biographical details for each individual.

Community

• Role of Amerasians in Asian American Community Topic for Panel, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Amerasian League and JACL-SCAN are sponsoring a Dec. 15 panel in Little Tokyo examining the role and acceptance of multi-racial Asians within the Asian American community, sparked partly by the ‘Miss Saigon’ casting controversy. Panelists include educators, writers, and community leaders discussing interracial marriage, labeling, and historical contributions of multi-racial Asians.
• Arizona Asian American Association Meets Some of Its Objectives in Political Arena, by Joe Allman, page 3. The Arizona Asian American Association, organized last year with political goals including securing Asian American appointments to state commissions, has seen several members appointed to boards and councils. Members were appointed to bodies including the Arizona Affirmative Action Advisory Board, Phoenix Women’s Commission, and Board of Regents Citizens Advisory Council.
• Sansei Places 3rd in National Ballet, by From Kathy Kaneichi, page 5. Brea Ishida, 14, of Porterville, Calif. earned third place and $3,000 in a national ballet contest in Pittsburgh performing the Black Swan Variation from Swan Lake. She has previously appeared with the Joffrey Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.
• Book Marks, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Brief reviews cover several new publications including ‘Mutual Hostages: Canadians and Japanese During the Second World War,’ the WWII novel ‘The Argon Furnace’ by Richard L. Graves, and the ‘Kimochi Cookbook’ featuring family recipes with health tips.
• 1000 Club Notes: Gila River Camp Reunion at San Luis Obispo a Success, by Frank Sakamoto, page 6. Frank Sakamoto reports on a successful reunion of Gila River internment camp alumni in San Luis Obispo, featuring entertainment and reconnections among former internees including actress Miiko Blondheim and Dr. James Araki. The event was organized by chairpersons Haruo/Rose Hayashi and George/Akiko Kikushi with karaoke and speeches.
• Chinese American Group Celebrates 11th Anniversary, by P.C. Staff, page 7. The Chinese American Service League in Chicago celebrated its 11th year with a corporate fundraiser chaired by Peter Norton, president of Encyclopaedia Britannica. Executive director Bermarda Wong noted the event helps meet the needs of the growing Chinese American immigrant community.

In-Depth

• Olivers: Since 1917 – Little Tokyo’s Olivers Memorialized, by By Harry Honda, page 6. A new booklet by Michito Frank Fukuzawa chronicles the history of the Olivers Club, a Nisei athletic and social organization founded in 1917 by Nellie Grace Oliver for Japanese American teenagers in prewar Little Tokyo. The book covers Miss Oliver’s biography, the club’s history through decades including WWII internment, and her legacy until her death in 1947.

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