Wednesday marked the 39th anniversary of the racially motivated murder of Vincent Chin, a defining moment in the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.
During a period of strong anti-Asian sentiment in Detroit, Michigan due to the rise of the Japanese automotive industry, Chin was assaulted and beaten to death by two former autoworkers who believed Chin was Japanese and blamed him for the loss of their jobs.
“The brutal murder of Vincent Chin, and the injustice of letting his killers off with a slap on the wrist, was a defining moment in the history of the Asian American and Pacific Islander community – one which underscored the ongoing prejudice and invisibility AAPIs experience every day," said Rep. Judy Chu, D-CA, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus made up of the AAPI members of Congress.
A week before his wedding, Chin and his friends were celebrating at his bachelor party at a club on the night of June 19, They group was saproached by Ronald Ebens, 43, and Michael Nitz, 23, his stepson, according to NBC News, who, witnesses said, blamed the men for being out of work because of car imports from Japan.
A week before his wedding, Chin and his friends were celebrating at his bachelor party at a club on the night of June 19, They group was saproached by Ronald Ebens, 43, and Michael Nitz, 23, his stepson, according to NBC News, who, witnesses said, blamed the men for being out of work because of car imports from Japan.
Following a fight, Ebens and Nitz searched for the group, finding them at a nearby fast-food outlet, where Ebens attacked Chin with a baseball bat while Nitz held him down.
Convicted of manslaughter in a plea deal, Ebens and Nitz were sentenced to three years probation and a $3,000 fine with no jail time. The verdict lead to outrage and protests in the Asian American community. Kin Yee, the president of the Detroit Chinese Welfare Council, called the sentence "a license to kill for $3,000, provided you have a steady job or are a student and the victim is Chinese,'' according to The New York Times.
Convicted of manslaughter in a plea deal, Ebens and Nitz were sentenced to three years probation and a $3,000 fine with no jail time. The verdict lead to outrage and protests in the Asian American community. Kin Yee, the president of the Detroit Chinese Welfare Council, called the sentence "a license to kill for $3,000, provided you have a steady job or are a student and the victim is Chinese,'' according to The New York Times.
The attack and the resulting and the lenient sentence sparked outrage and led to the emergence of a pan-ethnic AAPI movement that has gained more energy and attention in amdst the recent surge of attacks against AAPI.
"As we take time to remember Vincent’s death and honor his memory, we must also reflect on the movement and awareness that his life has inspired.," said Rep. Mark Takano, D-CA. "Vincent’s death is a constant reminder to the AAPI community, and to communities of color, that our fight against xenophobia is not over. We must continue to stay united against every form of hate and keep demanding justice.”
"Thanks to the AAPI movement that started nearly 40 years ago after Vincent Chin’s murder, our community is no longer invisible," added Chu. "While the same prejudice and xenophobia that killed Vincent continues to plague our society today, one major difference is that we now have an outpouring of support from other communities of color, religious groups, and even the President of the United States to address anti-Asian hate. But there is still more to do."
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