The not guilty verdict in the Trayvon Martin trial is drawing comparisons to the case of Vincent Chin.
The Chinese American was beaten to death with a baseball bat in 1982 because he was mistaken for Japanese American. It happened in Detroit during a period of massive layoffs in the auto industry when many were blaming competition from Japan. Both suspects were eventually cleared of all charges.
“As a civil rights organization, we believe the (Trayvon Martin) case illustrates the pervasiveness of racial prejudice in our society and our legal system and the unique history and ongoing struggle of African Americans against racism and oppression,” Asian Americans Advancing Justice-ALC wrote in a statement. “For the Asian American community, this painful tragedy echoes the infamous case of Vincent Chin, a young Chinese American man who was killed in 1982 by men who harbored racial prejudice against Japanese and Japanese Americans.”
Emil Guillermo in his blog shared a picture tweeted to him from a protest in Philadelphia. In the picture a protestor is holding up a sign that reads “The Ground I stand on says all people matter, Trayvon Martin, Vincent Chin.”
In his blog for the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Guillermo says like Martin, Asian Americans have also been racially profiled. Just ask South Asian Americans the next time they go to the airport. Just ask an Asian American who is perceived as a foreigner in the eyes of many.
As Asian Americans Advancing Justice-ALC put it “the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman remind us that the struggle for racial justice is far from over and that all communities must stand together to call for justice for Trayvon Martin and his family.”
RE: Asian Americans & Trayvon Martin: The difference between Trayvon Martin and Vincent Chin is that Vincent Chin was not beating a guy up MMA style on the ground and pounding his head into the pavement. He was killed without provocation. Please don’t even try to compare the two cases.
RE: Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin: Trayvon did not provoke anyone. He was a kid walking home with some drink and candy in hand. How dare you…. OH i guess… in your book, anyone who is Black would NATURALLY PROVOKE ANYONE BY JUST LOOKING AT THEM.. I SEEEEEE NOW.
Re: Asian Americans & Trayvon Martin: no connection at all… #problems #alsharpton
Re: Asian American & Trayvon Martin: #alsharptoncausingproblems **
From @MagoKid Via Twitter: Asian American & Trayvon Martin: True.
Nplooj Ryck Lis via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: No… It doesn't even come close.
Jay Guan via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: It's an eerie parallel.
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: The public outrage for Trayvon is much, much larger. Non-Asian people forgot about Vincent Chin almost immediately.
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: more info on vincent chin case at http://rememberingvincentchin.com
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: No connection. For one thing, both attackers were screaming racial slurs as they were beating up Chin.
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: In Zimmerman case, it was a Hispanic who got attacked by a black. There was no racism involved. No slurs screamed. Anyone who says otherwise is trying to use you for their ends. Asians are supposed to be smarter than that.
Philip Wong via Facebook RE: comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin : In terms of racial profiling? Unfortunately there is.
Vuddha Tran via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: I don't see the connection.
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: The two men who killed Chin were looking for a "Jap". They were verbal about it because some of their buddies got laid off cos of the "Japs" who built better cars than they did. They focused on Chin because he looked like a "Jap" and he fought back against their racist crap.
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: There were witnesses who saw the two White men beat Vincent Chin to death with a baseball bat. The White men tried to use self defense as an excuse … but it was obvious that Chin didn't stand a chance, he ran away from them and they chased him down, broke his legs, and smashed his skull.
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent chin & Trayvon Martin: Zimmerman did not attack Martin because he was black, Martin attacked Zimmerman because (according to witnesses) Zimmerman was watching Martin, cos he thought he was suspicious. It's not illegal to watch someone. Why would Martin attack Zimmerman who was watching? Some would assume that Martin was up to no good, since criminals don't like to be watched (see Martin's rap sheet and cell phone). Considering it was pitch black outside (with no lighting) when Martin attacked Zimmerman, it's weird that the Hispanic man is getting grief cos he chose to defend himself against the only other man out there who happened to be on top of him, smashing his skull on concrete. Oh yeah, he happened to be black. If that was an Asian brother that was being attacked in the same way, would he have to die instead of defending himself?
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: My question would be: Chin was in that bar with a group of "friends". Where were they when this escalated?
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: Good point Rodney. They were with Lin at McDonald's when the two racists attacked them. They both ran away, the attackers focused on Chin when he tripped and fell while running.
Nplooj Ryck Lis Yeah via Facebook RE: Comparting Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: , that was what I was thinking the who time, Rodney Leong, when I read about this case in one of my Asian American Studies during my undergrad. Had that happen around my group of friends and I, those low life union thugs would have ended up in the hospital instead. What good friends huh?
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: Chin and his friends decided to scatter and run instead of standing their ground. Perhaps if they fought back and seriously injured or killed the 2 White men IN SELF DEFENSE … Chin and his friends would be doing time in prison right now. Believe that.
odney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: Hmm. The original trial was in Detroit? I do remember the Federal civil rights trial got moved to Cincinatti, where an all white jury acquitted. It should not have been moved there
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: The irony is that most liberals and democrats want you to retreat instead of standing your ground and fighting back. A lot of good it did for Vincent Chin.
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: It's a White man's world, Asians aren't supposed to fight back.
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: *SARC on* Nope, it's a white and black man's world. Asian men and women are here to serve them, albeit in different ways. *SARC off*
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: "Oh you Racist bastard White man, you killed my brother !!! Here … come and sleep with my daughters while I cook fried rice for you."
Rodney Leong via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: Heh, think I saw that movie.
Whitman Lam via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: Yeah, it comes out again this summer as "The Wolverine".
Brendan Seeto via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: LMAO
Brendan Seeto via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: And it was also done as "Last Samurai"
Te-Yee Jonathan Eng via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: The Vincent Chin case helped bring about minimum sentencing so perpetrators of violent crimes are guarantee a prison sentence. Hopefully the Trayvon Martin case can help bring about some sort of legal change.
Te-Yee Jonathan Eng via Facebook RE: Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin: The Vincent Chin case helped bring about minimum sentencing so perpetrators of violent crimes are guarantee a prison sentence. Hopefully the Trayvon Martin case can help bring about some sort of legal change.
from Dennis Fogg via Facebook RE Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin: Vincent Chin was having his bachelor party when his group got into a fight. The Chinese American beaten to death in 1982. The murder generated public outrage over the lenient sentencing the two men originally received in a plea bargain, as the attack, which included blows to the head from a baseball bat, possessed many attributes consistent with hate crimes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Vincent_Ch…
from Sherman Chen via Facebook RE: Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin The murder of Vincent Chin is a hate crime as the attackers thought he was Japanese who stole their auto jobs.
from Warren Tom via Facebook RE: Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin: No
from Leland Wong via Facebook RE: Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin: But watch the wording on this incident. It is often said that Vincent was murdered because he was "mistaken" for a Japanese person. When they say that, it's insinuating that had he was Japanese it would've been all right.
From Sue D. Nim via Facebook RE: Trayvon Martin & Vincent Chin Yes.
From Dana L. Carter via Facebook RE: Comparing Vincent Chin & Trayvon Martin: There are a lot of Asian Trayvons…. Where the hell have you all been. How are you going to be advocates for something you are completely oblivious to?