By Mary Uyematsu Kao
People might remember him as one of “them baad cats” from the Westside in the ’60s — someone you did not want to mess with no matter how good a fighter you thought you were.
People might remember him as one of the founders of the Yellow Brotherhood (YB) — created to stop the gang fighting and drugs that were killing our Sansei youth in the Japanese community in the ’60s and ’70s.
I remember Gary when he came to fix the plumbing in our apartment on Victoria Avenue, one block away from the Boys Market on Crenshaw Boulevard.
A lot of people know Gary as one of the original singers in Asian Persuasion, which started entertaining the Sansei generation with the R&B tunes of the day back in the ’70s. They continue to entertain us today, with Gary and Kenny Itagaki making up the original core, and now include Jeff Louie, Helen Ota, and Marlene Chau. The late Sharleen Inouye was one of the original Asian Persuasion members.
Gary retired from a career as a plumber, is the proud father of two and ojii-chan of three, and finally found a stable marriage with Linda, bonding through creating pottery together.
Thanks to Nick Nagatani, whom Gary shared his thoughts with, I received these two pieces that Gary wrote on the current situation. Nick thought they should be shared in The Rafu: “Gary’s message was not ‘doom and gloom,’ rather for me it served as a wake-up call, to remain vigilant and prepared to navigate through who knows what Trump’s gonna do next. I chose not to live in negativity, and it remains reassuring that because of our collective shared history, we know how to come together as needed.” Gary intended the second piece to replace the first, but I liked both, so here goes …
Frustration in Motion(Jan. 14, 2025)
The Year of the Snake, it’s so appropriate considering the statements of the upcoming administration’s ramblings of the confiscation of land and countries. It just never stops to amaze me. People, anyone who spouts about eating dogs and cats with no knowledge or proof (think twice). Think of the incoming Cabinet members, who have no previous experience, except being accused as sexual abusers, the very rich billionaires, and an individual with worms removed from his brain.
I say to all the working-class Americans, be very aware of what’s in store for us in the next four years. If you’re not in the top 1% of the rich and powerful, it does not sound like this new administration really cares about us or will do anything for our future generations. If whatever laws are passed do not line their pockets, regardless if it would benefit all, you will never see it come to life.
Thank goodness, if we as a country survive the next four years of MAGA, people remember what goes around, comes around. I’m only hoping people looking for protection from prosecution aren’t shielded by their position as a government representative. They must fear the saying, “Chickens coming home to roost”! Most people that have worked in government positions know when top officials screw up; they are usually “promoted to their total level of incompetence.”
I am most concerned about the tit-for-tat governing. When one considers, if the previous governing repeats itself, they will be too busy contemplating retribution against supposed wrongs and not paying attention to what is really plaguing our country. Our most important problem seems to be closing the gap between “the have and have-nots.” Only when this gap is honestly addressed can we really speak of equality and unification. As a nation, we must not bury our heads in the sand; we must pay close attention to the changes to come and for those changes after 2028 that are coming.
Hopefully, no more narcissism or imperialism of any one person taking us back to 1941 to become a dictator. NEVER FORGET! Let’s hope for the best in the next four years. As indicated before, FRUSTRATION is ahead, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Concerned Citizen
Gary Asamura
Words for Thought(Feb. 13, 2025)
With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I took it to heart when Elon Musk’s son, in front of millions of viewers, so eloquently stated what millions of people would like to say, although many are afraid to say for fear of losing their positions or some form of retribution from a very vindictive president.
As was reported: Little Musk, X, told Humpty-Dumpty Donald, “I want you to shut your mouth” and “You need to go away.” What a befitting statement this innocent child gave the American public as a Valentine’s Day gift. That statement by Little Musk renewed my faith in the future generations to come. It was so refreshing and honest coming from a child, telling a narcissistic, reckless adult what and where to go.
All the while his father stood stuttering and rambling through a Q&A press interview spinning a tale that the people had voted for major government change, instead of lower household costs, immigration, etc.
I’m truly hoping that parents are listening and teaching their children that they should be able to speak honestly and not fear being hurt, rather than speaking and expecting wild accusations to be believed and accepted. Instead, parents teach your children to “think before they speak” because “words do matter.”
I’d like to refer back to generations and decades past. It seems people have forgotten all the lessons from wrongs that were and are still being done. Our actions as humans, when we forget history and its lessons, have a strange way of repeating themselves.
During the 1930s and 1940s there was an individual spouting lies and hatred, writing books and making speeches exciting and inciting the masses. The general public, which includes many minorities, seems to have easily forgotten how many were abused: Jewish people had been annihilated; Asians were persecuted and incarcerated; Hispanics and Blacks brutalized and banned from “public” places and opportunities. These events seem to have been forgotten because many minorities have been able to assimilate into the Haves, leaving the Have-Nots still struggling to find a better life.
And while I must admit immigration must be controlled, it should be done in a humane and reasonable way. We cannot react the way one madman in Europe did or how many others professing some sort of superiority over time have. We must beware of wolves in sheep’s clothing. People of the world — remember the old Jewish statement: “NEVER FORGET.”
Retired Conscious Member of the Yellow Brotherhood
Gary Asamura
Finally, I want to include Gary’s closing words that I received by email:
“I really don’t wish to remain in people’s thoughts as someone looking for recognition in my writings. I’m not proud of my past, but will live out my remaining years learning to love all.
“I just get the urge to relay my disgust and anger at times. I’d like to leave people with the thought that not all YB members were ‘druggies,’ ‘gang bangers,’ or dumb jocks. There’s still a lot of us with a conscience. Nick and Mary, thank you for letting me vent.
“Peace out.”
This is a “Message from the Grassroots” that rings true for so many of us. And for those of you who remember Malcolm X’s “Message to the Grassroots”— this is living proof that Malcolm’s spirit lives on. And as we watch the thousands of high school students, born to immigrant parents, demonstrate in the streets of L.A. against Trump’s deportations, the grassroots is alive and well!
Who’s going to pick the fresh produce you enjoy?
Mary Uyematsu Kao is the former publications coordinator of the UCLA Asian American Studies Center (1987-2018). She is the author/photographer of “Rockin’ the Boat: Flashbacks of the 1970s Asian Movement.” She welcomes comments, questions, and/or criticisms at [email protected]. Opinions expressed are not necessarily those ofThe Rafu Shimpo.