Redress at the Supreme Court and the second Vincent Chin trial

Vol. 104, No. 17, May 1, 1987. 12 pages. View this issue

The Pacific Citizen followed two court cases closely in this May 1, 1987 issue. Karen Kai reported from the U.S. Supreme Court, where Solicitor General Charles Fried argued that the redress lawsuit in Hohri v. United States was filed in the wrong court and too late. Rep. Robert Matsui called the hearing a positive step, and Bill Hosokawa wrote about Senate redress bill S. 1009. The front page also carried the retrial of Ronald Ebens in Cincinnati for the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin, with a further report on page 8. A third front-page story described a boycott call against Asian merchants in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Inside are Mark J. Jue on Oakland’s city election, Bebe Toshiko Reschke on a singles forum, and Barry Saiki on a book remembering astronaut Ellison S. Onizuka. Other pages cover proposed INS rules for the new immigration law, a plan for a delegation to Washington in July, and the 90th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Mexico.

What’s in this issue

National

• Asians in Pa. City Greeted With Hostility, page 1. In Chester, Pennsylvania, a coalition of Black business owners is calling for a boycott of Asian merchants, accusing them of harming Black-owned businesses in Black neighborhoods. Asian merchants counter that they are simply filling vacant storefronts in a declining city and operating lawfully.
• Issue of Racial Motivation Debated in 2nd Chin Trial, page 1. The retrial of Ronald Ebens on civil rights charges in the 1982 beating death of Vincent Chin began in Cincinnati, with prosecutors arguing the killing was racially motivated and the defense claiming it stemmed from a bar altercation unrelated to race. Jury selection explored potential biases, and testimony touched on alleged racial slurs and witness coaching.
• Mineta: Smithsonian Should Fully Divest, page 2. Rep. Norman Mineta, a Smithsonian Board of Regents member, announced he would ask the regents to sell all Smithsonian stock in firms doing business in South Africa. Mineta criticized the current limited divestment policy as paradoxically increasing the institution’s South Africa-related investments.
• Urge Revisions in INS Rules, page 3. The National Democratic Council of Asian and Pacific Americans and the Asian Law Caucus urged the INS to revise proposed regulations implementing the new immigration law to prevent family separation and employment discrimination. The Asian Pacific American Legal Center in Los Angeles also opened a legalization center to assist applicants seeking amnesty.
• Vincent Chin Trial Continues; Racial Slur Testimony Disputed, page 8. Testimony in the Ronald Ebens retrial focused on whether racial slurs were used against Vincent Chin before his fatal beating, with witnesses disputing accounts and the defense alleging coached testimony. Media groups objected to being barred from hearing taped conversations played to the jury under a judge’s gag order.
• Family Still Charging NYPD With Brutality, page 12. Charges against four Chinese Americans arrested in their apartment were dropped, but the family continues to allege excessive police force and is considering a lawsuit against the NYPD. Community pressure from the Coalition Against Anti-Asian Violence was credited with influencing the district attorney’s decision to drop charges.

Community

• Ogawa Wins, Hirota Defeated in Oakland, by Mark J. Jue, page 1. Incumbent Oakland City Councilman Frank Ogawa was reelected with 56 percent of the vote, while Patricia Hirota lost her bid for a Board of Education seat. Candidates discussed issues including racial tension, jobs, and bilingual education during the campaign.
• Examining Today’s Singles Scene, by Bebe Toshiko Reschke, page 4. Over 70 Nisei and Sansei singles attended a Greater L.A. Singles Chapter JACL forum on changing dynamics in Japanese American dating relationships. Panelists discussed the shortage of eligible men, evolving gender roles, and strategies for building successful singles organizations.
• Women Rap Article About Asian Brides, page 6. The JACL Women’s Concerns Committee criticized a newspaper article about a mail-order bride business matching American men with Asian women, calling the practice exploitative and sexist. Co-chairs Lucy Kishaba and Sandie Ito argued that such services place brides in vulnerable, isolated positions.
• Deukmejian Proclaims AP Heritage Wk., page 7. California Governor George Deukmejian issued a proclamation recognizing Asian Pacific Islander Heritage Week, May 3-9, honoring the contributions of Asian Pacific Islanders to the state’s economic and cultural development. The proclamation highlighted their role in building California’s industries and institutions.
• Bay Area AP Democrats to Raise Funds for D.C. Group, page 7. The San Francisco Bay Area Asian Pacific American community will host a fundraising reception for the National Democratic Council of Asian and Pacific Americans, honoring Secretary of State March Fong Eu. The Washington-based organization works to elect Asian Pacific Americans and increase their representation at the 1988 Democratic Convention.
• Poston II Reunion Scheduled, page 8. A fifth reunion of Poston II internees is scheduled for May 13-15, 1988, at Bally’s in Reno, with friends of ‘Camp 3’ internees also welcome. Additional information is available through the Poston II Reunion organizing committee.
• Coalition Tries to Save AA Studies Program, page 10. A coalition of students and community members is fighting to preserve the Asian American studies program at East Los Angeles College after the district’s board voted to terminate faculty positions, including the program’s only full-time instructor. Students argue the courses are vital for understanding Asian American history and combating rising anti-Asian sentiment in Monterey Park.
• Tsukamoto Scholarship Award Offered, page 10. The Northern California Asian Peace Officers Association is accepting applications for the Ronald Tsukamoto Memorial Scholarship, established in 1977 in memory of a Berkeley police officer. Up to $1,000 will be awarded to students pursuing careers in criminal justice based on need, achievement, and leadership.

Incarceration & Redress

• Redress Lawsuit Filed Too Late, U.S. Govt. Contends, by Karen Kai, page 1. The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hohri v. United States, with Solicitor General Charles Fried arguing the redress lawsuit was filed in the wrong court and too late under the statute of limitations. Justices questioned both sides on the government’s suppression of evidence in WW2-era internment cases and the lawsuit’s timeliness.
• Supreme Court Hearing Is ‘Positive Step,’ Says Matsui, page 2. Rep. Robert Matsui said the Supreme Court’s hearing on Hohri v. United States has focused national attention on redress efforts for Japanese Americans interned during WW2. He criticized the Justice Department for opposing the lawsuit, calling redress a matter of basic constitutional rights.
• NCRR Plans Delegation to Washington, page 6. The National Coalition for Redress/Reparations is organizing a delegation to Washington, D.C. from July 25-29 to lobby Congress for redress legislation. Spokesperson Bert Nakano reported support for the effort from several members of Congress and JACL-LEC leadership.

JACL

• More Testifiers Scheduled for Subcommittee Hearing, page 1. An updated list of witnesses was announced for the April 29 House Judiciary Subcommittee hearing on redress bills H.R. 442 and H.R. 1631. Witnesses include members of Congress, JACL officials, and representatives of Aleut organizations.
• Smithsonian Curator to Speak at JACL Tri-District Dinner, page 3. Tom Crouch, curator of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, will give the keynote address at the JACL Tri-District Convention dinner on May 2 in Los Angeles. He will present the exhibit ‘A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution,’ set to open in October.
• PSW Director Saito Named to Los Angeles Drug Panel, page 8. Pacific Southwest District JACL director John Saito was named to a 14-member citizens’ panel holding hearings on Los Angeles’s ‘War on Drugs’ in May. The panel, co-chaired by Mayor Tom Bradley and Police Chief Daryl Gates, includes community leaders and will hear testimony on drug treatment and prevention programs.

Commentary

• Bill 1009, by Bill Hosokawa, page 4. Columnist Bill Hosokawa reflects on his wartime experiences in internment camps and life outside them, then discusses Senate redress bill S. 1009 introduced by Sen. Spark Matsunaga. He praises the bill’s recognition that even those not physically confined in camps suffered hardship, and expresses hope the legislation will pass.
• A New Kind of ‘Kibei’, page 4. This column explores a modern phenomenon of Americanized children of Japanese businessmen struggling to readjust when their families return to Japan, paralleling the difficulties faced by original Kibei decades earlier. It cites examples of children who struggled with Japan’s rigid educational system after growing up in the U.S.
• Letters to the Editor, by Jimmy Tokeshi, Itu Miyashita, page 5. A Downtown JACL board member thanks the Nishizu family for a generous donation in memory of their mother, a ‘Mother of the Year’ honoree, which will seed a chapter scholarship fund. A reader from Texas writes to express appreciation for the Pacific Citizen’s role in keeping her connected to the Nikkei community.
• Ugly Ghost From 1942, page 5. A reprinted Denver Post editorial argues that while the WW2 internment of Japanese Americans was a racist act that must never recur, lump-sum redress payments may be less effective than funding a bicultural educational exchange program. The editorial cites former internee Bill Hosokawa’s concern that individual payments might cheapen the experience.

In-Depth

• Remembering Ellison, by Barry Saiki, page 4. A review of the commemorative book ‘Ellison S. Onizuka: A Remembrance,’ describing the astronaut’s upbringing in Kona, Hawaii, and drawing parallels to prewar Nisei community life on the West Coast. Proceeds from the book support the Onizuka Memorial Committee’s efforts to preserve his memory.
• JAs to Help Mexican Nikkei Celebrate 90th Anniversary, page 11. A delegation of Japanese Americans will travel to Mexico City to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Japanese immigration to Mexico and the 100th anniversary of the Japan-Mexico Treaty of Friendship. The celebration includes the dedication of a new cultural museum and a gala banquet attended by Mexico’s president and a member of Japan’s imperial household.

Military & Veterans

• Kiyoko Motoda Obituary, page 7. Kiyoko Motoda, a philanthropist, author, evangelist and businesswoman, died April 12 at age 37. She founded the Seattle Japanese Holiness Church and the Motoda Foundation, and donated her church building to a museum in Japan.

Arts & Entertainment

• Asian Artists Say They Need Community Support to Break Barriers, by Mark J. Jue, page 9. Poets Janice Mirikitani and Nellie Wong and filmmakers Emiko Omori and Peter Wang discussed the challenges Asian American artists face in gaining access to publishing and film industries during a panel at Herbst Auditorium. They emphasized the need for both external recognition and greater support from within the Asian American community itself.
• Tokuda Takes on New Duties, page 12. KPIX-TV news broadcaster Wendy Tokuda gave up her co-anchor role on the 11 p.m. news to focus on investigative reporting through a new segment called ‘Tokuda Reports.’ She continues to co-anchor the station’s popular 6 o’clock news broadcast.

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