This week in Los Angeles, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to rescind support of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II: County supervisors rescind 1942 Japanese American internment vote.In January 1942, Los Angeles County supervisors unanimously approved a resolution to urge President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proceed with Executive Order 9066, which incarcerated thousands of Americans of Japanese descent.
Their reasoning, at the time: it was difficult "if not impossible to distinguish between loyal and disloyal Japanese aliens."
"Because Japanese aliens are a potential source of danger to our security, it would be advisable for the Federal government to transfer them from Pacific Coast areas," their resolution read.Even George Takei, who was 4 years old when his family was interned, was at Wednesday's meeting to testify: George Takei recalls 'degrading' internment of Japanese Americans
The resolution was sent to the president, California's U.S. senators, Los Angeles area members of Congress and the FBI.
Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, who wrote the motion to rescind, called the resolution an "assault on the U.S. Constitution."
Roosevelt issued Order 9066 in February 1942, and nearly 120,000 Japanese Americans were held in camps for several years. Thousands of people of German and Italian descent were also interned.
Props to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors for approving this resolution. It only took seventy years. More here: L.A. County rescinds support of WWII internment of Japanese Americans.
