Former JACL National Director Ron Wakabayashi was among the speakers.
On June 19, 1982, Vincent Chin, 27, was brutally murdered by two unemployed autoworkers who said they lost their jobs because of the growing presence of Japanese auto manufacturers.
Forty-two years ago, Chin was at a nightclub with his friends, celebrating his upcoming wedding. Chin left the club, but the angry autoworkers found him and beat him severely. He died of his injuries four days later. His murder was a hate incident that galvanized Asian Americans in the 1980s, ignited a nationwide civil rights movement, and continues to resonate today.
Dr. Gay Yuen, board chair of the Chinese American Museum, guided the retrospective of the 1982 tragedy and led the discussion as emcee.
Among the spokespersons on hand on June 23 for the commemorative vigil at Monterey Park City Hall was Rep. Judy Chu, chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and former Monterey Park mayor, who said, “As we remember Vincent’s life and legacy today, we are reminded of the harms that anti-Asian hate and xenophobic rhetoric continue to have on AANHPIs nationwide.”
Chu added, “This is why we must not let the rhetoric and tension about the U.S.-China relationship escalate and play our communities. We must not let history repeat itself.”
Brandon Tsay, widely commended for the heroic act that prevented a mass shooting in Alhambra in January 2023, pointed out, “Vincent Chin was a young man, like myself, who looked like many of us and had similar dreams like many of us. His history should not be forgotten, and our history should not be forgotten.”
Ron Wakabayashi, former U.S. Justice Department regional director and former executive director of the Los Angeles Human Relations Commission, framed the 1982 incident historically, noting that the two assailants were 43-year-old Chrysler foreman Ronald Ebens and his 22-year-old stepson Michael Nitz, who had been working for Chrysler. Chin was bludgeoned “so hard and so many times that there was gray matter on the sidewalk. That’s not upset. That’s hate.”
Wayne County Circuit Judge Charles Kaufman on March 16, 1983, found them guilty of manslaughter, fined them $3,000 each plus court costs of $780, and sentenced them to three years’ probation. Neither received jail time.
According to Wakabayashi, who was national director of the Japanese American Citizens League at the time, Chin’s death hadn’t been seen as a major news story until after verdict was handed down.
Monterey Park Mayor Thomas Wong stated, “Out of a dark moment, a legacy was born of a civil rights movement.”