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Civil rights journalRemember Vincent ChinBy BENJAMIN F. CHAVIS JR.Call and Post contributing columnistLet’s play pretend.Let’s imagine that a white man got into a fight with two Asian-Americans who then beat the white man to death with a baseball bat. Let’s also pretend that the two Asian-Americans were brought to trial and given only a fine and pro-bation because they were ’’responsible citizens and the judge felt nothing would be served by jailing them.If you find this scenario too difficult even to imagine, it is understandable. For it is inconceivable that the defendants, as described, would get off under these conditions.Now, let’s return to reality and switch the race of those involved 'For, iuch a murder ws commit* te3 'BOYtKe man bealen todeat* was 27-yfear old Vincent Chin, ^h Asian-American. And his attackers were two white men, 43-year old Ronald Ebens and his 23-year-old step-son, Michael Nitz.The two white men set upon Mr Chin, following an argument, outside a Detroit restaurant in June of 1982 Mr. Chin, an engineering draftsman, had been celebrating with friends as he was to be married two days later.Mr. Ebens and his son had earlier shouted “Chink” and “Nip at Mr Chin. They then cornered Mr Chin in the parking lot of the restaurant and, according to one eyewitness, an off-duty police officer, Mr Ebens repeatedly smashed Mr. Chin over the head with a baseball bat.“If you find this scenario too difficult even to imagine, it is understandable...it is inconceivable that the defendants ... would get off under these conditions._Mr. Chin died four days later. That’s when the courtroom high jinks began. The two men were allowed to plead guilty to the lesser charge of manslaughter and both men were then placed on probation and fined $3,000They never served a day in jail Why, you might ask, were they not jailed? Why were they not charged with first degree murder? Because, explained Judge Charles Kaufman, the sentencing judge in the case, We’re talking here about a man (Mr. Ebens) who’s held down a responsible job with the same company for 17 or 18 years and his son who is employed and is a part-time student.”Then, added Judge Kaufman, as if his previous statement were not damning enough, You don’t make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal. In other words, it’s okay to batter a man to death as long as you have a good employment record and. of course, as long as the attacker is white and the victim is Asian-American. .or African American, or Hispanic American, or Native American.“You don't make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal. ”After Judge Kaufman freed both men, the national Asian-American community became licensed, as did many others committed to justice. As a result of the mobilization around the case, a federal civil rights indictment was obtained.The verdict in the ensuing federal trial was recently handed down: Ronald Ebens was acquitted, yes, acquitted of the murder Keep in mind now, both Ebens and his son admitted from the beginning that they had killed Mr. Chin. Yet, they are now free and walking around, just across town from the .hoiTip offh§ Chm family f-Ikir,CWnVmother his been described as utterly delastated by the decision and now fears for her life.What happened to Vincent Chin should never be forgotten. As the recent Howard Beach incident did for African Americans, the Chin murder will, hopefully, bring Asian Americans and others to resolutely take a stand against the escalating violence now stalking the Asian American community on a national level.The general permissiveness toward racism shown by the Rea-gan Administration has thus touched not only African, Hispanic and Native Americans, but Asian Americans as well.And across the board, this rising tide of racial violence has forced our communities to organize themselves and to unite across racial and ethnic lines.As Atty. James Shimoura of American Citizens for Justice in Detroit noted, “We know that unless we organize to combat this violence, there will be more and more Vincent Chins. And, he added, we know that many others are with us.”“ The general permissiveness toward racism shown by the Reagan Administration has thus touched not only A frican, Hispanic and Native Americans, but Asian Americans as well.It is up to all of who are committed to justice to join with progressive members of the Asian Ameri-can community. We must challenge this racist violence which threatens not only racial and ethnic communities, but the nation as a whole.United in struggle we all win; divided we all lose.Chavis is the Executive Director of the United Church of Christ, Commission for Racial Justice.
Newspaper Details
Cincinnati Call and Post
Cincinnati, Ohio, US
Thu, May 14, 1987
Page 9
Full Page
Clipped by
Bowling G.
OH, USA 30 Mar 2025
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