Michigan Remembers Vincent Chin

This week, the Michigan Bar Association association is remembering Vincent Chin by dedicating a plaque as part of their statewide Legal Milestones series, citing his case for spurring key legal changes in the state of Michigan law which include victim impact statements and mandatory minimum sentences.

Chin’s attackers received no jail time, and had only three years of probation and $3,000 in fines. That was what an Asian American’s life was worth in 1982.

Additionally, a second plaque by Ferndale, Michigan officials cites the city as “the birthplace of the Asian-American civil rights movement,” Mayor Craig Covey said. Both plaques are next to each other near the Post Bar (then, the Golden Star restaurant) where Chin’s supporters first met after Chin’s death.

With the rise in China, I do wonder if we will start to see the rise of hate crimes against Asian Americans as Americans increasingly see the Chinese as an economic and possibly military threat. I can remember a distinct fear of Japan taking over the United States back in the mid-to-late 1980s – despite the fact that countries like the United Kingdom and other European countries owned or invested vastly more amounts of capital with the United States.

Thanks for rating this! Now tell the world how you feel - .
How does this post make you feel?
  • Excited
  • Fascinated
  • Amused
  • Disgusted
  • Sad
  • Angry

About John

I'm a Taiwanese-American and was born & raised in Western Massachusetts, went to college in upstate New York, worked in Connecticut, went to grad school in North Carolina and then moved out to the Bay Area in 1999 and have been living here ever since - love the weather and almost everything about the area (except the high cost of housing...)
This entry was posted in Current Events, Discrimination, Politics. Bookmark the permalink.