Biff_Poindexter
Diamond Member
How Vincent Chin's Death Gave Others A Voice
Paula Yoo discusses her new book From A Whisper to A Rallying Cry and how the 1982 death of Chin, a Chinese American man in Detroit, led a new generation of Asian Americans into political action.
www.npr.org
"Vincent Chin was a 27-year-old draftsman who was celebrating his impending wedding at a strip club in Detroit, when he was brutally beaten by two white autoworkers. Those men were apparently upset by their perception that American auto jobs were disappearing as a result of Japanese success in the auto industry. Days later, Chin died from his injuries. (Chin was Chinese.)
Judge Charles Kaufman presided over the first trial; He gave both Ebens and Nitz three years' probation, fined them $3,000 and court costs and released them. He later said that they "weren't the kind of men you send to jail."
What was the justification for the attack? Chin and the 2 men got into an altercation where witnesses said Ebens told Chin "it's because of you motherfuckers that we don't have a job" -- Chin punched Ebens. The other man Nitz then pushed Chin -- Chin countered; leaving both men laying on the floor...Ebens and Nitz later see Chin in the parking lot-- Ebens gets a baseball bat and chases Chin and his friend out of the parking lot...Ebens and Nitz get into their car and search the neighborhood for 30 minutes looking for Chin..even paying a guy 20 bucks to help them find him....when they find him, they beat him with a baseball bat. The end.
Since anti-asian hate was so common and accepted at the time, in large part due to the competition from Japanese auto companies and the so-called "economic-anxiety" which is often the excuse for shit like this; I believe the judge and law enforcement in general had empathy for Ebens and Nitz...and since federal anti-hate crimes were very weak back then; the men beat the federal civil rights trial too...unfortunately, with so many people -- blaming Asians for COVID -- there are more hate crimes committed against Asians; especially by sub-human savage darkies...but hopefully with stronger hate-crimes laws -- we won't have another instance of the judicial system basically excusing murder.