"Slant eyed" insult caught on camera in the World Series

INSTAGRAM

Astros ballplayer Yuli Gurriel went from "hero to zero," with this racist gesture.

WHAT? REALLY? Did this really happen in baseball's World Series? The same night a ballplayer was making fun of an Asian player, he was getting an Asian/Amerian baby named after him.

The Houston Astro's first baseman Yuli Gurriel mocked Dodgers pitcher Yu Darvish by pulling his eyes back to make those infamous slant eyes.

Just about every Asian or Asian/American has suffered the indignity of stupid bigots who want to make fun of people from Asia by pulling back their eyes. The hateful gesture, as harmless as might seem to non-Asians, is destructive to kids' self-esteem and still gets the blood boiling, even as adults.

Gurriel had just hit a homerun last night (Oct. 27) off of starting pitcher Darvish putting his team ahead 1-0. Back in the dugout, cameras caught Gurriel making that racist gesture while saying "Chinito," Spanish slang for "Little Chinese," then laughing.

Darvish, who is half-Japanese, said the gesture was "disrespectful" and "offensive to everybody," while calling for Gurriel to be reprimanded.

“I’m sure the Astros have Asian fans, too," he told journalists in Japanese.

Well. Gurriel had at least one Asian/American fan. And after last night, he has at least two.

Ironically, the same night Gurriel was acting like an ass, a Japanese/American fan Rickie Sakamoto from Houston was naming his newborn son Yuli, after the ballplayer.

As of late last night, there has not been any apology from Gurriel or Astro's management.

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is expected to meet with Gurriel Saturday (Oct. 28) to discuss the incident and will "consider discipline," per the New York Times.

MLB's Sam Dunn wrote: "Yuli Gurriel may have himself two home runs in the World Series, but he just went from hero to zero.

​"To say that this is not okay is a titanic understatement."

According to MLM, there's precedent for suspension for making derogatory comments of gestures, though none applied to race or occurred during the postseason, let alone the World Series. Yunel Escobar was suspended three games in 2012 for featuring a homophobic slur on his eye black, while Matt Joyce and Kevin Pillar each received two-game bans in the last year for making anti-gay remarks during games.

In this era of heightened sensitivity because of the racially insensitive - or to be kind, racially ignorant -  leadership in Washington and the reemergence of the presence and teachings of white supremacists, racist gestures, words or actions - intentional or unintentional - need to be pointed out and condemned. As people of color, we can no longer remain silent and just internalize the emotions stirred up by those situations.

It may have not been Darvish's night. In his first World Series appearance, he lasted only 49 pitches before being pulled. The Dodgers went on to lose the game 5-3, giving the Astros a 2-1 advantage in the best of seven World Series.

Despite his poor performance, Darvish doesn't deserve that. Nobody does.

________________________________________________________________________

REPORT: Hate groups emerging from the shadows

Social media has allowed groups to share their ideology of hate with millions.

I HAVE A LOT of white friends. I work alongside many white people and we get along rather well. I have white people in my family. I fear those statements might sound like the  cliche, "I have a lot of (fill in the blank) friends." Nevertheless, they're true.

I had to get that paragraph stated right away because I don't want readers to think I'm talking about ALL white people. There is a small segment who have re-emerged in American society in a more vocal way and, some say, in a more powerful presence largely due to the recent presidential campaign.

Vox has an interesting report that should worry Asian/Americans and Pacific Islanders. It says most of our country's hate groups are rooted in white supremacy. This confirmation is nothing new for people of color but it might open a few eyes among Vox's readers.

In an extensive 2015 analysis, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) determined that 892 hate groups exist in America. Of these groups, 528 — or roughly 60 percent — subscribe to white supremacist ideologies.

“White supremacy” is a very broad term, says the Vox report, "referring to the racist ideology that whites are superior to nonwhites and should maintain political, economic, and social authority.

But under that umbrella, there are a number of factions, each slightly different in its set of beliefs. Specifically, SPLC breaks down America’s white supremacists into six subgroups: the Ku Klux Klan, white nationalists, racist skinheads, neo-Nazis, neo-Confederates, and followers of Christian Identity, says Vox.

I'm not sure when the study concluded but 2015 shows a marked spike in membership among these groups, but the highest membership grown occurred in President Obama's first term, 2008-2011. The groups membership showed a sharp decline in 2014 when Obama's popularity surged and Americans began to believe that an economic recovery was occurring. 

We can surmise - with some degree of confidence - that with the so-called alt-right wing bold enough to do Nazi salutes and shouting "Sieg Heil" in the shadow of the nation's capitol, 2016 might literally be off the charts.

How America's white supremacist hate groups have fluctuated in the 21st century

Of particular concern of the SPLC authors is  the growth of the "lone wolf" racist who are impossible to track.

“There is a social stigma attached with hate groups,” says Lenz. “In recent years, people join forums online anTrumd find confirmation of their beliefs without joining a group. And now, with Trump {nd his recent appointment of Steve Bannon, the head honcho of the alt-right website Breitbart), they can find it in mainstream politics too.”

The decline in traditional hate groups here may be, in part, a result of the alt-right movement’s growth. Ignited in 2010 with the creation of Richard Spencer’s Alternative Right blog, the alt-right has offered a community that both confirms its members’ beliefs and offers full anonymity.

RELATED:

• Trump-inspired hsate continues to ooze out of America's sewers
• Hate groups increase as campaign rhetoric incites fear, anger
• Steve Bannon thinks there are too many Asians in Silicon Valley

Hate groups aren’t truly declining — they’re just becoming more covert and secretive, says the authors. I'm not sure I agree with that. With Bannon whispering racist sweet nothings into president-elect Donald Trump's ear and some of his Cabinet picks repeating the same complaints about what they call "socialist" government programs, that isn't exactly secretive.

The so-called alt-right, a term created by Bannon, may be the newest brand, but it's belief system borrows from its predecessors in the white-nationalist movement. Combining its racist ideas with anti-women and anti-LGBTQ platforms, the alt-right has just branded itself in more palatable, modern terms. 

The more moderate GOP members have to be wary about the very volatile formula brewing among Trumps more extreme supporters. They need to be brave enough to denounce the racist, misogynistic and homophobic rhetoric and actions. All Americans should beware of this dangerous breed of haters and at the same time, support those that expose and fight against the actions of the extremists. 

The growth of the white supremacist hate groups should concern us all -- no matter what color we are. Those upcoming battles could very well occur in the streets, the Internet, the courts, the halls of Congress ... and even (irony upon irony) in the White House.

White supremacist groups are no longer hiding in the shadows or keeping their beliefs to themselves.

###

Message of hate mars San Francisco neighborhood

Neighbors changed this message to "(heart) more Chinese" before city workers painted it over.

SOMEBODY is spray painting "No More Chinese" in the Portola district of San Francisco. 

The Portola neighborhood has changed in the last few years with Asians making up more than half of the households. That apparently, doesn't sit well with some of the old-timers. 

Over the Labor Day Weekend, someone scrawled this anti-Chinese message throughout the Portola district, one of the few remaining neighborhoods in the city where homes are still affordable for middle-class families.

It is being investigated by the police not just as acts of vandalism, but as hate crimes. The paint color, the message and the writing style seems to indicate it was done by the same person.

The graffiti took place Sunday, according to a police statement, with the message spray-painted at several locations in the Portola neighborhood, just south of where Highway 101 and Interstate 280 merge.

Among the targets were the Palega Recreation Center, an out-of-business supermarket, the 100 block of Brussels Street and the 1300 block of Silver Avenue.

Vickie Chau saw the offensive graffiti and posted photos of them on Facebook. Phil Yu of Angry Asian Man blog reposted the photos on Monday. Her post has been shared over 1,100 times as of Monday afternoon.

“I’ve seen graffiti in my neighborhood before, but never with this type of message,” Chau said. “Overall based on the messages I’ve received, the community has been supportive and want to find the culprit.”

Chau said some neighbors have painted over the “NO” and left “MORE CHINESE” to make the message more positive.

Police spokeswoman Grace Gatpandanm a Filipina/American, said they are handling this as a vandalism and hate crime investigation. Hate crimes carry heavier fines and jail terms.

UPDATE: Neighbors respond.

What's most disturbing about this incident is that this is happening in San Francisco with one of the largest concentrations of Asians of any U.S. mainland city. You would think that anyone - ANYONE - in San Francisco would have social interactions with Asians, in particularly Chinese, since they make up the largest Asian group in the city.

If this type of sentiment is being expressed in a city that is supposedly Asian-friendly, imagine what can happen in other cities? Even more hateful messages or deeds against Asians is even more likely since 2012 when immigrants from Asia became the largest number of immigrants entering the United States.

Anyone with information regarding the graffiti is encouraged to contact the SFPD Anonymous Tip Line at 415-575-4444 or text a tip to TIP411 with SFPD at the beginning of the message.

###