Alysa Liu repeats as US women's figure skating champion

US FIGURE SKATING

Alysa Liu, 14, wins back-to-back skating figure skating titles.

You couldn't write a more dramatic finish to the finals of the US women's figure skating championships in Greensboro, N.C.

As last year's champion 14-year old Alysa Liu skated last. While waiting Friday evening, she saw Bradie Tennell, the woman who led the scoring after the short program Thursday, falter in her last jump in the long program.

Next, Alysa clapped along with the audience as they cheered the third place woman Mariah Bell skate the program of her life punctuated with seven triple jumps to move into first place.

Alysa took to the ice while the cheers for Bell still echoed in the arena. "I was like, 'wow,'" she told NBC afterwards. "I was kind of clapping along with the crowd . . . I was kind of inspired by her emotion and her happiness."

SCREEN CAPTURE / NBC

Alysa Chen reacts to her winning score.

She didn't waste any time. Right from the start, she did a triple axel, followed by the quad lutz, followed by another triple axel. In doing so, she became the first female skater to land the quad lutz at US Nationals.

Her athleticism and skill moved her pass the two other women. Up until then, it had been a close contest with only a couple points separating the top three. Alysa ended up 10 points over the second place finisher.

Olympian Karen Chen came in fourth place. As the alternate, she would replace either Tennell or Bell if they are unable to compete.

Despite her first-place, Bell and Tennell will represent the US in international competitions this season because Alysa is still too young.

Alysa will become 16 and age-eligible for international competition in 2022, just in time for the Winter Olympics. She will be the United States' best hope in medaling in women's figure skating in last ten years.

NY Chinatown fire may have damaged Chinese museum collections

Screen capture of video by Joe Chan via Facebook.

NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio was in Chinatown this afternoon to examine the extent of the fire damage at 70 Mulberry Street with NYC Council Member, Margaret Chin and NY State Assembly Member, Yuh-Line-Niou.

ASAM NEWS

Officials at New York City's Museum of Chinese in America told NBC News Friday they the fire that tore through a building in Chinatown may have destroyed as many as 85,000 irreplaceable pieces stored in the building.

“This is literally a pillar to the community. A painful moment on the eve of a joyous celebration,” the Mayor Bill DeBlasio said, referring to the Lunar New Year. “This is a horrible blow to the community, there is still fire operations going on. Once those are concluded the buildings department will go in again to establish whether the building is safe enough for people to enter and get their possessions out.”

He called 70 Mulberry Street a “beautiful historic building,” which is owned by the city.

“We will restore it. The city is committed in bringing this building back to life,” the Mayor said.

“One hundred percent of the museum’s collection, other than what is on view,” was stored in the building said Nancy Yao Maasbach, the president of the museum. She said that the collection was one of a kind and that she was “just distraught” after receiving the news.

The city will work quickly within the next two days with the organizations that were located in the community center, to find them other city owned sites so they may continue their work.

The organizations that called the community center their home were, Chinese American Planning Council, Chinatown Manpower Project, Chen and Dancers, Museum of Chinese in America and the United East Athletics Association.

Fire Commissioner Daniel Nigro, said the fire started on the fourth floor on the Bayard Street side of the building and is still under investigation. When asked about the 59- year old -hospitalized man who is still in the hospital, Nigro said there are still unknown reasons as to why he was in the building and what his relation is to being there.

Councilmember Chin said seniors relied on the Chinatown Planning Center’s senior center for possibly the only meal of the day and now they will need to find a meal another way.

One of the concessions for the new jail that is slated to built just a block away was to build an elevator in the community center, which the Mayor said he will still do.

The people in the community are saddened to see that the roof has burned through and the thought of the archives that are housed there by the Museum of Chinese in America that that took many decades to collect may be damaged or completely gone is just heartbreaking. The archives are immensely priceless to community as it exhibits the Chinese immigration experience and the history of Chinatown.

With the start of the Lunar New Year tomorrow, the celebrations will take place despite Mulberry and Bayard Streets being closed by the fire.

TGIF Feature: 14-year old Alysa Liu defending her ice skating title

Alysa Liu is defending her title.

After the short program, figure skater Alysa Liu finds herself in a familiar position. Last year at the U.S. Figure Skating Championship, she was a few points behind leader Bradie Tennell. Alysa went on to win the gold medal on the strength of her long program.

Alysa and US men's figure skating champion Nathan Chen begin the defense of their respective skating titles this week.

Thursday (Jan. 23) at the competition held in Greensboro, N.C., Bradie Tennell leads the women skaters with a record-setting score of 78.96. Alysa is in second with a 75.4 score.

Amber Glenn (73.16), Mariah Bell (73.22) and Karen Chen (70.41) round out the top five.

Last year, when Alysa was just 13, she was able to overcome a short-program deficit to become the youngest US champion in history. She overcame a 2.71-point deficit last year to win by 3.92, landing a pair of triple Axels in the free. 

Alysa has since added a quad Lutz to her arsenal of jumps, which isn’t allowed in short programs. She remains the only active US woman skater to land a triple Axel or a quadruple jump.

"I don't really worry or think about pressure," Alysa told the L.A. Times. "I don't feel pressure that much, right now at least. I don't think I will as it comes closer, either. I'm just excited and I think I've trained enough. I think I'm ready for nationals, and we'll see how I do."

Karen Chen, the 2017 US champion and 2018 Olympian, is in fifth place. Chen, a Cornell student, missed all of the 2018 season due to a stress fracture in her right foot.

Jessica Calalang and Brian Johnson.

In the pairs competition, Jessica Calalang, a Filipina American skater from Elk Grove, California, is within striking distance in fourth place with her partner Brian Johnson.

Audrey Lu and Misha Mitrofanov with a score of 65.06 rounds out the top five.

US men's figure skating champion Nathan Chen.

The first two finishers in women's and pairs will represent the US in international competition in the upcoming skating competitions in preparation for the 2022 Winter Olympics.

However, If the Oakland-based ALysa Liu finishes in first or second, the third place finisher will join the US team because the 14-year old is too young to compete in international senior competitions.

The long program for women and pairs will be skated Saturday in Greensboro, N.C. 

On Friday Jan. 34, the men's short program will begin the men's figure skating competition where Nathan Chen  -- noted for his quadruple jumps -- is a heavy favorite to repeat as national champion. 

Vincent Zhou is expected to compete for the second spot. The men's finals is slated for Sunday, Jan. 26.

Since Chen's disappointing finish at the 2018 Olympics, the Yale sophomore has been undefeated.

The short program for dance pairs will also be skated today (Jan. 24). Hawaiian Chinese  Madison Chock and her partner Evan Bates are expected to compete for a spot on the US team.

Social media favorites Maia and Alex Shibutani used the 2019-2020 season to take a break. Maia is still recovering from kidney surgery in December.

Updated Jan. 24, 12 p.m., in include more details.

New immigration rules target pregnant women and immigration advocates

Pregnant women are the latest targets of Donald Trump's harsh immigration policies. The administration also wants to make it harder for immigrants or refugees to find legal help.

The Trump administration on Thursday published new visa rules aimed at restricting "birth tourism", in which women travel to the United States to give birth so their children can have a coveted US passport.

“This ugly development is ultimately an issue of racial profiling of Asians. The Trump administration will go to any lengths to demean immigrant women. Millions of Asian people come to the U.S. to visit their families and targeting them because of their race or country of origin is discriminatory and wrong," said National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum Executive Director Sung Yeon Choimorrow in a statement.

As an immigrant woman who has experienced harassment at an airport when I was pregnant, this incident and the administration’s rule are disturbing, invasive, and reveal the coercive and invasive methods that our government will use to enforce the new rule," Choimorrow's statement continued.

"This administration has a track record of detaining pregnant people and has made it impossible for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault to seek asylum. There is no justification for the harm they have done to immigrant women or for their xenophobic agenda.”"

Visa applicants will be denied tourist visas if they are determined by consular officers to be coming to the US primarily to give birth, according to the rules in the Federal Register. It is a bigger hurdle to overcome, proving they are traveling to the US because they have a medical need and not just because they want to give birth in the country, according to Al Jazeera.

Trump's administration has attempted to restrict most forms of immigration. Birthright citizenship, which is embedded in the US Constitution - anyone born in the US is considered a citizen. Trump has threatened to go against the Constitution in order to end that right, but scholars and members of his administration have said it is not so easy to do.

Consular officials be placed in a nearly impossible position of having to visually determine if a woman is pregnant because they are not allowed to asked a visa applicant if she is pregnant.

Trump also wants to make it illegal to offer legal help when people have problems with immigration rules or their status in the US, 

Advancing Justice | AAJC (Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC) filed an amicus brief Jan. 22 before the Supreme Court in United States v. Sineneng-Smith to urge the Court to strike down a federal statute that makes it a felony to “encourage or induce” individuals to enter or remain in the U.S. unlawfully.

This statute has the potential to chill the everyday work of immigrants’ rights advocates and service providers who often assist undocumented individuals, their families, and their communities. The brief was joined by 33 community-based, advocacy, and social services organizations.

“This statute threatens everyday interactions with immigrants and people advocating on behalf of them because any speech that could be construed as helping an immigrant stay in the United States would be seen as a violation of the law,” said Niyati Shah, assistant director of legal advocacy at Advancing Justice | AAJC. 

“In a time where there is already so much fear, immigrant communities and their advocates should be able to receive legal help and information without fear that such help will subject them to prosecution.”

Day 82: The hunger strike is a protest of last resort for South Asian asylum seekers

Five South Asian men on the 82nd day of their hunger strike are on the precipice of death as their organs begin to shut down in the LaSalle Detention Facility in Jena, Louisiana.
“The men in Jena-LaSalle are on the brink of death," said Lakshmi Sridaran, Interim Executive Director of South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT).

"No one should have to go to such great lengths simply to have their cases heard and to gain their freedom. They should not be in detention in the first place and the only legitimate alternative is release.“ said  Sridaran.

Freedom for Immigrants (FFI) has filed two complaints with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL) on behalf of the five men, demanding DHS address the systemic civil rights violations the men have faced under ICE custody.

The first CRCL complaint calls on ICE to use its prosecutorial discretion to release all five men. Each of them have formal sponsors in the United States committed to supporting and housing them while they fight their asylum case.

The second complaint, submitted in collaboration with Physicians for Human Rights, addresses the significant delays in receiving critical medical records from ICE. Beginning in November, an FFI affiliated volunteer submitted multiple requests to ICE for these records, with the consent of the men engaging in hunger strikes. However, ICE has refused to release these records. Without this critical information, independent physicians cannot conduct an assessment of the medical treatment these men are receiving while in detention.

“Under ICE’s own policies, people in detention have the right to independent medical evaluation. However, staff at the LaSalle Detention Facility have denied our repeated requests, which were made in line with their policies, for accurate and updated medical records," said Dr. Catherine Jones, MD, a physician in New Orleans.

"This makes it impossible for us to have a clear understanding of the hunger strikers’ current medical conditions and completely negates their access to independent evaluations, which is especially crucial as they enter the critical time in their hunger strike when vital organ functioning begins to shut down,” saud Hibes,

Medical review of individuals on hunger strikes by medical experts not connected with the government is critical because of ICE’s history of systemic medical neglect of individuals -- from children separated from their parents to the hunger strikers -- in their custody. 

In October last year, Dr. Parveen Parmar reviewed the medical records of a man who had been on hunger strike for approximately three months while detained at the El Paso ICE Processing Center. Upon review of the medical documents Dr. Parmar stated that it was “the worst medical care I have seen in my 10 years of practice.”

The hunger strike has long been the only way to resist, the weapon of last resort, by the powerless and disenfranchised. It can involve either a time-limited symbolic refusal of food, or – in more extreme cases like the one at the LaSalle detention facility – a prolonged fast that eventually leads to loss of cognition, organ damage and even death.

Mahatma Gandhi used political fasting to great effect against the British in India and to pressure Hindus and Muslims to halt sectarian violence. He came to regard the hunger strike as one of the most powerful tools in the arsenal of non-violent resistance.

Gandhi's longest hunger strike was only 21 days but it was long enough to embarass the British government eventually leading to colonizers to grant independence to India.

From their strict enforcement of questionable immigration policies including the detention of asylum seekers who have not committed any crimes, the US government under Donald Trump appears to be a more stubborn animal than the British colonizers.

“The growing number of hunger strikes in ICE prisons across the country are no coincidence. It is indicative of complete disbelief in a fair legal process and the lengths ICE is willing to go to indefinitely detain them. Some of these men have been locked up for nearly 2 years," said Sofia Casini, FFI's southern regional coordinator. 

"We are deeply concerned that ICE appears willing to let these men die in detention to make an example of them rather than be released to community, where each man has family or close friends willing to provide housing and support.” she said. 

With Gandhi's example, the detained men know that the refusal of food can shame the authorities who bear ultimate responsibility for the lives of those in their custody. In this way, it can be understood as a form of “moral jiu jitsu” that uses the overwhelming power of the government rationalization against it.

By their action, hunger strikers also exert some measure of control against a system that strips them of their humanity. They demonstrate that they are sovereign over their own bodies and that the most serious decision of all – over life and death – is still in their hands.

'Star Trek: Picard' debuts today; it's takes place in the future but its really about today

COURTESY ISA BRIONES

Star Trek: Picard stars Patrick Stewart and Isa Briones at ComicCon.

Star Trek: Picard, the newest spinoff of the Star Trek franchise, takes place in the 24th century but it is really about today's world.

Filipina American actress Isa Briones wasn't even born when Star Trek: The Next Generation ended its 7-season run in 1994. Debuting today (Thursday, Jan. 23) the Star Trek: Picard TV series stars Briones as the mysterioius Dahj along side Patrick Stewart, who reprises his role as Jean Luc Picard, who captained the USS Enterprise in The Next Generation.

In the almost two decades between TNG and Picard, the world has changed, particularly in the United States and the United Kingdom, says Stewart, emphasizing that his new show will not be in the same tenor as his original show.

"Our world has undergone such a transformation. There is no reason why that shouldn’t have happened to the world of ‘Star Trek,’ too," says Steward. "The Federation is no longer the Federation that it was—reliable, trustworthy, dedicated to the prime directive. Starfleet is no longer that, too. 

“Then of course, there was the whole massive refugee problem. The world that we’re in in ‘Star Trek: Picard’ is a different world from ‘Next Generation.’ And that ought to say enough.”

"One of the big things for me that's been exciting is seeing the Asian American community coming out, because I'm Filipino and Swedish and Irish," the actress told The Hollywood Reporter at the Makeup Artists and Hairstylists Guild Awards this month.

"Getting to see how me being in Star Trek has connected with them and how they've really appreciated seeing someone who looks like them on screen... that will always be my favorite about the show, especially because it's such a progressive show."

Like the other iterations of creator Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek, Picard has a diverse cast reflecting the real world and adding to the richness of the characters. Like George Takei who played Helmsman Hikaru Sulu in the original Star Trek, and John Chu who played the young Sulu in the Star Trek prequels, Briones is keenly aware of representing Asian Americans.

"We're telling stories about the future and we're saying, 'Hey, in the future, we're still going to be here. What you see now in the world is still going to be here in 2339.' We're all here and we all deserve to be represented. I feel so honored that we get to portray that and... keep pushing that narrative forward."

When asked why "Star Trek" has such staying power after multiple franchises and more than 50 years on the air, Stewart's answer was simple: "Hope. It resonates positive feelings about the future that things can be better."

Briones agreed. "(That's) a sentiment we need more than ever."

"You speak truth," Stewart said to Briones. "We have to be positive about the difficult situations that we find ourselves in."

Star Trek: Picard is now streaming airs on CBS All Access. The network is offering a one week free trial so you can watch the first episode.

Google honors first Asian American Hollywood star, Anna May Wong

ASAM NEWS

Today’s Google Doodle celebrates one of the first Asian American movie stars, Anna May Wong.

According to CNET, Wednesday (Jan. 22) marks the 97th anniversary of the general release of a silent movie called The Toll of the Sea. It is the movie in which Wong claimed her first starring role.

In honor of that anniversary, Google created a slideshow of artwork depicting scenes from Wong’s life and roles. Sophie Dao is the  artist who created the doodle, CNN reports.

“Asian American actors are underrepresented even now, so amazingly Anna May Wong was so active right at the beginning of film history, bridging the gap between silent films and talkies,” Diao told CNN.

According to CNET, as a child, Wong used to hang around film sets in her Hollywood neighborhood where she was born. At the age of 11, she landed her first role as an uncredited extra in Red Lantern. 

When she was 17, she played opposite Douglas Fairbanks in The Thief of Baghdad in 1924. The international success of that film made her the first Asian American star.

Wong’s path to stardom wasn’t easy. She was often cast in supporting roles based on racial stereotypes. In 1928, she moved to Europe in order to pursue lead roles. Two years later she returned to Hollywood to star with Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express, the movie many know her for.

From the 1920s to the 1950s, Wong appeared in several film, stage and television shows.

Wong died of a heart attack in 1961 at the age of 56. Her achievements in the film industry had been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame a year earlier.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Several years ago, noting the lack of recognition given to AAPI actors and productions, Views From the Edge  initiated an alternate award and called it the Anna Awards in her honor.

Views From the Edge contributed to this report.

Vibrant, healthy teenager dies from flu in three days

LACIE RIAN FISHER

The vibrant, cheerful teenager caught the flu and and three days later, 15-year old Lacie Rian Fisher passed away.

Lacie, who was a cheerleader at Pisgah High, had to miss cheering on her school's basketball team on Dec. 30 due to her flu-like symptoms.

Her father, Kieth Fisher, brought her to the pediatrician about 72 hours after Lacie showed her first symptoms of body ache and clammy skin. But when they arrived at the clinic, Lacie passed out, according to Citizen-Times. She never regained consciousness.

Lacie usually gets a flu shot but this year, she kept putting off getting the innoculation despite seeing her doctor in November.

Technically, the outgoing teenager died from septic shock – a severe form of sepsis – with Influenza B as an underlying cause of death.

Doctors at Memorial Campus of Mission Hospital later determined that the untreated flu had triggered sepsis, which caused life-threatening inflammation throughout the body, resulting in organ failure and death.

"Anyone can get an infection, and almost any infection can lead to sepsis," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Lacie's "levels were all over the place," Lacie's mom Rosalind Fisher Payne said. "It was affecting her heart, her liver ... every part of her body, every organ."

"As sepsis worsens, blood flow to vital organs, such as your brain, heart and kidneys, becomes impaired," the Mayo Clinic's sepsis guide says. "Sepsis can also cause blood clots to form in your organs and in your arms, legs, fingers and toes – leading to varying degrees of organ failure and tissue death."

Her father remembers Lacie as a "big hugger." Even walking around the house some days, "we had to have hug time four or five times before I could get where I was going," he said. "She just wanted to love on you." 

Lacie was born in Changsha, China and grew up in Canton, North Carolina, She enrolled at Pisgah High School this fall and was on the junior varsity cheer team. She was also a straight-A student, a member of school band, chorus and several civic organizations.a who “was goal-oriented and refused to accept failure,” according to her obituary.

The school had a celebration of Lacie's life on Jan. 4. Besides her parents, she leaves behind three sisters and a set of grandparents.

Her parents say that they hope their late daughter's story is a cautionary tale for any parents hesitating about getting their child vaccinated.

‘I know that there’s people out there that’s afraid to get the flu shot,’ Payne told the Citizen-Times.

‘If there’s just some way that I can get people to realize because of Lacie – get that shot. People just don’t understand how bad it is. No, it’s not just a cold, or a not-feel-good for a couple of days. I mean, this happened in hours.’

REVIEW; Awkwafina shines in over the top comedy Awkwafina is Nora from Queens

'Awkwafina is Nora From Queens' is a self-explanatory title.

By Louis Chan

ASAM NEWS

Awkwafina’s new show, Awkwafina is Nora from Queens debuts today on the Comedy Central network.
The Golden Globe award winning actress plays Nora, a ride share driver who’s living with her parents at age 30 and struggling to find herself. The show is inspired by Awkwafina's life: Her real name is Nora Lum and she did grow up in Queens.

If you recall Awkwafina’s high energy role in Crazy Rich Asians, you know what to expect in her new comedy. Only this time she’s competing for the top of the energy peak meter with Lori Tann Chinn (Orange is the New Black) who plays her spirited grandma. The two provide much of the comedy during the half hour program.

Mercifully, the role of the father is played by Tony Award-winning actor BD Wong whose understated performance as the doting father serves well to balance the animated performances of Awkwafina and Chinn. Bowen Yang of Saturday Night Live fame takes on the role of Nora’s Stanford-educated cousin.

The Asian American star-studded program is scheduled to run at least two seasons. Its comedy is refreshing for its depiction of an Asian American family not usually seen on television. How often do we see Asian Americans as overachievers? The portrayal of a lower middle class family is in stark contrast to the extravagant Crazy Rich Asians we saw recently on the big screen. Chinn is anything but a tiger mom and BD Wong is pretty laid back compared to other Asian American dads we’ve seen in the media.

The comedy is edgy with many sexual and drug references in the five episodes AsAmNews previewed. The gags aren’t for everyone, but should resonate with the Millennial audience Comedy Central targets.

While Awkwafina’s characters show many vulnerabilities, its still not clear whether she will strike an emotional chord with the audience. We begin to sympathize for her in episode 4 when she struggles to get her vehicle out of the impound lot. More character development would serve this program well.

From left: Awkwafina, Lori Tann Chinn and BD Wong in 'Awkwafina is Nora From Queens.'

More like what we see in episode 5 with Nora’s dad. The character begins to show his vulnerable side when the emotional turmoil he’s facing as a single father begins to surface. While brimming with overconfidence, the internal struggle Nora’s cousin is trying to overcome begins to bubble to the top also in episode 5.

Grandma serves as a foundation for Nora who’s looking for a springboard to a better life. She also provides a sounding board for Nora, but her character will need to grow beyond that for this show to reach its full potential.

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens will add levity to your Wednesday nights. Whether it gets you to care about the characters remains to be seen.

Awkwafina is Nora from Queens will air Wednesdays, 10:30/9:30 p.m.

Correction: Earlier versions of this story misidentified BD Wong.

'Little America' series tells stories of the humanity of America's immigrants you won't find in the news

KUMAIL NANJIANI

ASAM NEWS

A gay Syrian immigrant. A Ugandan baker. A 12-year-old Indian boy turned hotel manager. These are a few of the immigrant stories that Little America hopes to tell.
The anthology-structured series tells eight different immigrant-centered stories from around the U.S. It premiered Jan. 17 on Apple TV+, and has already been ordered for another season, Variety reported.

Known for his actor-producer role in the 2017 romantic comedy The Big Sick and as one of the protagonists in HBO’s Silicon Valley, the Pakistani American multi-talent brought in different directors and writers for almost every episode, hoping to tell stories that may be unique to American audiences.

For example, there’s an episode that revolves around Rafiq, a gay Syrian refugee in Boise, Idaho, struggling to find a community of his own. The stories intentionally take place in a variety of small town American settings.

“I grew up in Pakistan, and my America that I knew was from movies, which is L.A. and New York,” Nanjiani said in an interview with TV Guide. “And then when I moved, I moved to Iowa. And I remember being like ‘Oh, you guys did not advertise this part.’ I think pop culture usually portrays very specific centers, so that was also exciting was in the show to be able to show, somewhat ironically, more of America than people usually see in movies and TV shows.”

Nanjiani himself immigrated from Pakistan when he was 18. Although some of the stories will portray more formidable challenges, such as deportations, he said that the tone of the show is mainly “optimistic,” according to an interview in The New York Times.

“Listen, despite all the issues, I personally do feel optimistic about this country. It is my home, and I chose it to be my home for a reason,” Nanjiani said. “But I do feel optimistic in this country, and so the show obviously has that perspective in it, too.”

Although he and the other producers — including Nanjiani’s wife Emily V. Gordon, Lee Eisenberg, Alan Yang, Sian Heder, and Joshuah Bearman — are aware of the current anti-immigrant climate of America, they hope that the series will not be overly “politicized” and that the audience will focus on the stories and people.

Nanjiani, although not acting in this series, will be preparing for a role of his own: the first South Asian superhero onscreen in Marvel’s Eternals. He will be starring alongside Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and Salma Hayek in the film, which will be released on November 6, 2020, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Little America is now streaming on Apple TV+.

MLK fought for a 'guaranteed income' in 1968 - Andrew Yang is fighting for the Freedom Dividend in 2020

Let me begin by saying that I am not a shill. I do not work for the Andrew Yang campaign. In fact I've stated numerous times that I most likely, I would not be voting for Yang in this primary.

However, I came across this very effective video put forth by the Yang campaign. The timeliness of it on Martin Luther King Jr. Day and the Yang campaign surprising campaign is why -- with my editor's hat on -- I thought it would be interesting to share.

King advocated for a Universal Basic Income and advocated for a guaranteed income.

"I am now convinced that the simplest approach will prove to be the most effective — the solution to poverty is to abolish it directly by a now widely discussed measure: the guaranteed income," King wrote in his 1967 book, 'Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?'"

Yang's Freedom Dividend  -- $1000 a month for every adult over 18, rich or poor -- is his version of the UBI and is his most compelling plank on his platform. 

"Thomas Paine was for it at our founding, called it the citizen’s dividend. Martin Luther King, champion in the ‘60s, called it a guaranteed minimum income for all Americans, and it is what he was fighting for on the day he was killed in 1968," Yang told Iowa voters on Sept. 21. "A thousand economists endorsed it. It passed the U.S. House of Representatives twice in 1971."

RELATED: 

• Some thoughts on MLK Day and today's America
• The debt AAPI owe to Martin Luther King

Yang asserts that the UBI would be paid for by making those corporate entitties and individuals who at present avoid paying any taxes to pay their fair share along with the savings that would incur from certain government assistance programs like food stamps or housing assistance.

I haven't seen the actual numbers to see if Yang's claim can be verified. 

The Freedom Dividdend is not an original proposal and not as radical as some of Yang's critics claim.

It's MLK Day and keeping with the intended purpose of this blog, Views From the Edge, here's your Asian American angle.

Again, I cannot say this enough: by posting this video, I'm not endorsing Andrew Yang for president.

Two police officers killed in Honolulu

Officers Tiffany Enriquez and Kaulike Kalama were killed 

Updated Jan. 21, 12 a.m.

ASAM NEWS

A fatal stabbing resulted in a raging fire which destroyed seven homes and the tragic deaths of two police officers in Honolulu, reports KITV.

The officers have been identified as Tiffany Enriquez, a 7-year veteran of the force, and Kaulike Kalama, who had been with the department for nine years.

With her voice cracking, Honolulu police chief Susan Ballard unsuccessfully struggled to hold back tears as she talked about the fallen officers.

“The HPD Ohana grieves along with you and shares your loss.” Ballard called it a a “selfish, senseless” act. She identified the suspect as 69-year old Jerry Hanel who the department will continue to search for or until they find his remains.In the first 24 hours since the fatal shootings, Hanel's body has not been recovered.

“They were like my kids. They were with me for five years at receiving desk when I was major there,” Ballard said. “So when they first came into the department up until I made chief, I knew them personally.”

Three people are missing, including Hanel and two women of unknown ages.

Officers responded to a 911 call of a stabbing and found a woman stabbed in the leg. Enriquez was among the first officers to arrive at the scene and suffered a fatal shot. At that point, a fire broke out at the suspect’s home in Diamondhead, a wealthy Honolulu neighborhood. That fire would quickly spread and destroy seven homes. A second group of officer’s arrived. More shots were fired, fatally wounding Kalima.

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he met with the 75 officers who responded to the incident, “looked at their faces and saw their emotion.

“This is a family and people are grieving. Officer Enriquez and Kalima put on their uniforms this morning and didn’t get home.”

According to Hawaii News Now, Hanel is believed to have died when his house went up in flames, but his remains have yet to be identified.

Court records indicate he has a history of erratic behavior and making false 911 reports. His attorney has said he’s had delusions of being tracked by the FBI.

His landlord had tried to evict Hanel on Friday, but he refused to sign the papers. The woman originally found stab is in serious condition at the hospital. At least one other person is believed to have been stabbed. One of the victims is described as the landlord.

The suspect is believed to have set the fire to his home.

Pastor Wayne Surface, of Ohana Baptist Church told KITV the family of one of the officers killed is a member of his congregation.

“They’re hurt. They’re not sure why this happened. They’re looking to the lord to provide comfort at this time,” he said.

Enriquez, who was originally from Guam, leaves behind three daughters and a grandson.

'Parasite' cast receives standing ovation at SAG gala

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Five members of the Parasite cast received a two-minute standing ovation.

Song Kang-ho, Park So-dam, Choi Woo-sik, Lee Sun-kyun and Lee Jung-eun were surprised to receive a two-minute standing ovation when they took the stage to introduce their movie, the movie, Parasite, at the 2020 SAG Awards Sunday night.

The reception from their peers was a harbinger for things to come later in the evening when the Parasite cast won the best ensemble in a movie award, making history as the first non-English film to win that accolade.

The win by the South Korean film was the only award given to actors of color at the star-studded Sunday night ceremonies. Despite the warm, spontaneous reception of the movie's cast, none of the film's actors received individual nominations.

The prestigious SAG award was given to the 10-member cast of the dark comedy, including Chang Hyae-jin, Cho Yeo-jeong, Choi Woo-shik, Jung Hyeon-jun, Jung Ziso, Lee Jung-eun, Lee Sun-kyun, Park Myung-hoon, Park So-dam and Song Kang-ho.

"Although the title is Parasite, I think the story is about co-existence, and how we can all live together," Song said through a translator. "But to be honored with a Best Ensemble award, it occurs to me that maybe we haven’t created such a bad movie. I am so honored to receive this award in front of such amazing actors that I admire, I will never forget this beautiful night, thank you so much.” 

Choi Woo-shik, who plays Ki-woo, the poor family's son, said he hoped that this meant more recognition for foreign language films going forward. “Other than us, there are so many legends out there in foreign countries. I really truly hope that after this moment, maybe next year, we can see more foreign-language films and Asian films,” according to Deadline.

Parasite director Bong Joon-ho acted like a proud father as he taped the standing ovation from his table. 

Later, backstage, Bong was asked if the SAG award would increase the chances of winning an Academy Award.

“It is true that the momentum is building, and we are a part of the awards race, but I think today was truly important as these actors were acknowledged by fellow peers and that’s the greatest joy of this night. With regard to the Oscars, no one can predict what will happen,” he said through a translator.

Hank Azaria to retire from voicing controversial Apu

Hank Azaria, left and Apu.

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After 30 years playing the voice of Apu in the long-running show Simpsons, Hank Azaria says he’s stepping aside.

The character has long been controversial for its stereotypical depiction of Indian Americans, but the issue gained wide attention two years ago after the release of Hari Kondabolu’s documentary, The Problem with Apu.

There has been some speculation the character would be eliminated from the show.

“All we know there is I won’t be doing the voice anymore, unless there’s someway to transition it or something,” Azaria said exclusively to /Film.

On the Simpson’s, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is an Indian immigrant who works at Kwik-E-Mart. He speaks in a heavy Indian accent and thanks every customer with his catch phrase, “Thank you, come again.”

The voice actor says his decision has been met with agreement from the show’s producers.

“We all made the decision together,” Azaria said. “We all agreed on it. We all feel like it’s the right thing and good about it. The Indian community deserves to know they’ve been heard. Hopefully this is a step towards opening The Simpsons up so even more fans can love it as much as I have without feeling like the show is mocking them personally.”

Kondabolu went to Twitter to plead that the character not be phased out, but changed.

Sunday Read: After 78 days, South Asian hunger strikers in ICE custody are on the brink of death

EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was first published in Truthout.org on Jan. 9. It has now been 78 days since the South Asian men have been on their hunger strike. A petition drive has been launched by MoveOn.org asking for their release.

By MIKE LUDWIG
TRUTHOUT

Copyright, Truthout.org. Reprinted with permission 

NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — 
With hunger strikes sweeping immigration jails across the country, two Indian asylum seekers protesting their incarceration at a remote Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) jail in Louisiana are reportedly on the brink of death after refusing to eat or drink for 68 days, according to a volunteer who regularly visits the two men.

The hunger strikers have a clear demand: to be released so they can pursue their asylum cases outside of jail.

Medical staff at the LaSalle ICE Processing Center are force-hydrating both men, a painful and disturbing process that involves restraining the striker and forcing fluid through nasal passages with tubes, according to Michelle Graffeo, a volunteer with Freedom for Immigrants. Mr. Singh, whose name has been changed to protect his identify, described the forced-hydration process as terrifying and confusing because jail staff do not speak his native language, and videotaped the procedure.

“It’s a really scary process,” Graffeo said in an interview.

Both men fear they will face violence if they are deported to India and asked volunteers to keep their names out of the press. One is 37 years old and the other is 22, and both filed asylum claims after crossing at a legal port of entry at the U.S.-Mexico border before being shuffled through the nation’s vast immigration detention system.

Graffeo said the two men can no longer walk and are in wheelchairs. They could suffer organ damage or even death within a week, as many hunger strikers do not make it past 75 days.

“It’s a rapid decline at this point,” Graffeo said.

Three other men at the facility are also on strike but recently began drinking some fluids, and all five have been subjected to forced hydration over the past month after refusing to eat and drink, according to Freedom for Immigrants.

Hunger strikes have erupted at immigration jails nationwide as the Trump administration responded to an influx of migrants and asylum seekers at the southern border with policies that prioritize incarceration, with many adults held indefinitely as they wait to see a judge. Last year, immigrant rights groups documented 14 hunger strikes at immigration jails across the country. Strikers typically protest poor conditions and medical treatment and demand their right to freedom and due process. Freedom for Immigrants has identified 1,600 hunger strikers in immigration jails since 2015.

“The reason for me sitting on hunger strike is because I want freedom,” Mr. Singh wrote in a statement and said he began his hunger strike on November 1. “Since January 21, 2019, I have been locked inside four walls. For about a year I have been living my life inside suffocating. In my whole life I have not lived inside four walls like this.”

In 2016 — the last year of the Obama administration — immigration judges in Louisiana approved the release of nearly 60 percent of jailed immigration defendants on bond, but that number has steadily decreased, and dropped to 27 percent in 2019, according to data obtained from the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.

Last year, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) named LaSalle, where the two men have been on hunger strike for 68 days, in a class-action lawsuit against ICE and the Trump administration. SPLC alleged that immigrants at isolated, privately run jails were systematically denied proper access to legal representation. Immigration defendants with legal representation are more likely to be released on bond and are 10.5 times more likely to win their cases than those without a lawyer, the group argued in its complaint.

The United States’s system for incarcerating immigrants has grown steadily over the past three decades and is now the largest in the world. Comprehensive immigration reform remains elusive in Congress, and the number of migrants and asylum seekers held in immigration jails and border holding pens has swelled under the Trump administration’s brutal immigration crackdown. The Trump administration has forced other asylum seekers to wait in Mexico, where they live in squalid camps and face frequent harassment from gangs and the police.

At the ICE field office in New Orleans, the agency’s regional headquarters, the number of people released after being arrested by ICE agents dropped from nearly 76 percent in 2016 — the last year of the Obama administration — to 1.5 percent in 2018, according to the SPLC. Meanwhile, a number of local and privately run jails in Louisiana have signed lucrative contracts with ICE to incarcerate people awaiting immigration hearings as detention has rapidly expanded under the Trump administration. Many asylum seekers jailed in Louisiana were detained at the southern border and transferred from others states.

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The entrance to the LaSalle ICE Processing Center in Louisiana.

“People need to remember these are people who came in from legal ports of entry,” said Graffeo, who regularly drives three hours to visit the hunger strikers at the remote jail. “They claimed asylum, their claims are legal, but during this administration nothing has been consistent. I mean, policy changes by tweet.”

Graffeo said both men in deteriorating condition at LaSalle appear to have legitimate asylum claims, with documentation to back them up. One was violently attacked after converting to Christianity. The other was attacked and beaten by members of a rival political party. He told Graffeo that he would be a “dead man” if he was deported to India, so he might as well take his chances at LaSalle, even if the hunger strike kills him.

Advocates say forced medical treatment of hunger strikers has become more common in ICE jails, particularly at the El Paso Processing Center in El Paso, Texas. Last year, 16 men on prolonged hunger strike were force-fed at the El Paso facility, according to the local chapter of Advocate Visitors with Immigrants in Detention (AVID).The latest round of strikes began in October, with five men refusing to eat by mid-November, including two men transferred from a privately run jail in Louisiana for forced medical treatment.

By now, three of the five strikers at the El Paso facility have been deported, an AVID volunteer said in an email. One man reached 65 days on hunger strike and was force-fed for a month before being granted bond by an immigration judge and released. The fifth man remains on hunger strike and is in poor condition. He is currently being force-fed and receiving “subpar” medical treatment, the group said.

ICE has set protocols for responding to a hunger strike and jail officials typically obtain a court order before force-feeding a prisoner. A number of medical and human rights groups consider force-feeding to be a form of torture.

“Force-feeding, especially when carried out by medical professionals, is ethically unacceptable,” said Ranit Mishori, the senior medical adviser at Physicians for Human Rights, in a recent statement. “This practice is condemned by national and international medical organizations and experts and violates a detainee’s right to refuse treatment and to use a hunger strike as a form of political dissent.”

An ICE spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about the hunger strikers in Louisiana.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Read the original Truthout article here.