The problem of Asian hate crimes in Boston and surrounding neighborhoods was the topic of a May 8 forum at the Asian American Civic Association. In attendance and speaking were City Council President Ed Flynn, Executive Director of the Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement Monique Tú Nguyen, Executive Director of Lawyers for Civil Rights Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, Boston Police Community Service Office Sgt. Paul Chevette, MBTA Transit Police Crime Investigation Sgt. Joseph Sacco, and Boston’s Senior Advisor for Community Safety Isaac Yablo.
Nationally, the problem of Asian hate only seems to be growing. Stop Asian Hate partnered with NORC at the University of Chicago on their report “Righting Wrongs How Civil Rights Can Protect Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders,”:
“The NORC survey found that 49% of AAPIs experienced discrimination or unfair treatment that could be illegal…51% said the discrimination occurred while they were a customer at a business. Another 47% say they experienced discrimination in the workplace…The survey found that only one in five AAPIs who experienced discrimination in the workplace reported it.”
The biggest takeaway from the May 8th forum was simple. Crime cannot be investigated and justice cannot be found unless people speak up. If we see something, we need to say something. The overflow audience, filled with Chinatown residents and other concerned Bostonians, spoke (via translators) of being threatened while sitting in Mary Soo Hoo Park or while in subway stations. While the simplicity of “see something say something” can be easily understood and accepted by many, that’s not always the case. Many elderly residents, for whom English is not their first language, feel lost and unheard. The only way we can start the wheels of justice is to start putting a face to the city officials and police officers whose focus is to represent and protect all of us,
While the speakers ran the spectrum from police, politicians, and City officials, it was arguably the legal component that meant the most to the audience. After all, legal options are the first and sometimes last places where justice is found or denied. Lawyers for Civil Rights, a legacy of President John F. Kennedy, saw full bloom in 1968 as The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights. It was a year which also gave us a seismic shift for the United States in the wake of such trauma as civil unrest in Northern cities, the assassinations of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, and the somber findings of the Kerner Commission that declared as a nation we were “moving toward two societies, one black, one white- separate and unequal.”
Sometimes it takes disasters to shine spotlights on dirty truths we’d rather remain hidden. The Kerner Commission, formed by President Johnson in the wake of 1967 civil unrest, identified a “separate and unequal” status that still rings true today. Lawyers for Civil Rights Executive Director Iván Espinoza-Madrigal spoke with Sampan after the forum about his perspective in the wake of the emotional discussions. With 18 years of legal experience in such areas as immigration, housing, education and public health, Espinoza-Madrigal’s concern remains strong. The forum was important but there’s still a great deal of work to be done.
SAMPAN: How do you feel right now after the community forum? Was it helpful to see the large turnout and active discussion about such an unfortunately still incendiary topic?
ESPINOZA-MADRIGAL: Lawyers for Civil Rights is grateful for the leadership and partnership of the AACA. Thank you for including us in this powerful discussion with a strong audience full of community members. It is very helpful to see such a large turnout and it speaks to the importance of working towards a solution. We need to protect our families and communities.
SAMPAN: Is there hope right now on the horizon to confront Asian hate crimes? It’s one thing to acknowledge, and a bigger thing to confront and take action. Are you optimistic that all groups involved in the meeting (police, government, community activists) are now working from the same playbook? If not, what can be done to change the mixed messages?
ESPINOZA-MADRIGAL: At Lawyers for Civil Rights, we have hope. We believe our work with AACA will help create change. This starts by raising awareness of the problem and notifying the relevant authorities. We have put them on notice and now we need to work together to make sure we are confronting Asian hate crimes.
SAMPAN: Are you seeing possible problems on the national front not only re: Asian hate but hate crimes in general? Is your organization aligned with other similar groups regionally or nationally to create a buffer of security in the event there’s a regime change in the White House?
ESPINOZA-MADRIGAL: At Lawyers for Civil Rights, we know that Asian hate crimes are a national problem. Boston is not immune. We see the same problems here. We need to keep applying pressure at all levels so that the relevant authorities take these issues seriously.
SAMPAN: What would you like social service agencies to know about legal issues you’re seeing when dealing with hate crimes? Is the key for all groups involved to maintain an intertwined network for the sake of serving victims of hate crimes?
ESPINOZA-MADRIGAL: We need more victim support services. We need more guidance for victims to navigate the complex investigation process.
