The suspect said she stabbed the victim because it "would be one less person to blow up our country."
It would be nice to not live in fear of literally being stabbed in the head for being Asian.
In Bloomington, Indiana, a woman has been charged after an 18-year-old Indiana University student repeatedly was stabbed in the head on a public bus in an anti-Asian attack. The suspect told police she stabbed the victim because the victim was "Chinese," adding that it "would be one less person to blow up our country."
The victim told investigators she was standing and waiting for the exit doors to open on a Bloomington Transit bus Wednesday afternoon when another passenger began striking her in the head multiple times with a folding knife. Surveillance footage showed that the suspect and the victim had no interaction leading up to the assault.
56-year-old Billie R. Davis has been charged with attempted murder and aggravated battery. According to NPR, Davis has not been charged with a hate crime because Indiana is one of four states that lack a comprehensive law. So this is, officially, just a regular head stabbing attack -- not a hate-motivated head stabbing attack.
And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.
President McRobbie addresses IU’s WWII-era Japanese American student ban
This week, Indiana University formally apologized for a World War II-era policy banning admission of Japanese American students between 1942 and 1945. The official apology, issued in a letter from President Michael McRobbie, follows several years of advocacy and a petition delivered to the university in February. The statement expresses regret that the university "ailed to recognize the needs of the 12 Japanese American students who were seeking a new academic home during a time when they were unjustly excluded and removed from their home institutions, in violation of their civil rights." McRobbie also outlines several official actions the university will take to address the issue. Read the letter here.
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Suspect in 'racially motivated' attack on elderly man charged with assault
In Vancouver, a man has been charged in the racially motivated assault of an elderly Asian man. Cameras caught Jamie Allen Bezanson shoving the 92-year old victim, who suffers from severe dementia, in a convenience store on March 13. Store employees were trying to help the victim when the suspect started shouting anti-Asian remarks. The altercation continued outside, where the Bezanson shoved the victim, who fell to the ground and hit his head. Bezanson has been charged with one count of assault. I don't know, I feel like there should be another separate charge for being a Totally Despicable Racist Piece of Shit.
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Police, FBI Investigating Death of Professional Poker Player Susie Zhao
Police in Michigan have identified the woman whose badly burned body was found in a state recreation area as professional poker player The body was discovered at a parking area near the Pontiac Lake Trail the morning of July 13, according to police. Investigators say the case could be connected to Zhao's travels in the poker circuit around the country, or could be the result of meeting someone in the area when she returned recently. Anyone with information or who might have seen Zhao between July 11 and 13 is asked to contact the White Lake Township Police Department at 248-698-4400.
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Two Teens Charged in Murder of Arizona State University Professor
Two teenagers have been charged with murder in the death of an Arizona State University professor who was reported missing in March. Junseok Chae, an associate dean for research and an engineering professor, was reported missing on March 25 after he did not return home from work. The break in the case came after police in Shreveport, Louisiana, responding to a suspicious vehicle call, encountered Javian Ezell and Gabrielle Austin, both 18, and determined they were in Chae's car. Upon further investigation, deputies determined that Chae was killed at an intersection north of Phoenix, and his body was placed in a dumpster. Ezell and Austin were extradited to Arizona, where they were arrested on July 15 and charged with first-degree murder, armed robbery and theft of means of transportation.
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Promotional Image For Disney’s 'Raya and the Last Dragon' Has Debuted
Disney has released the first promotional image for the upcoming animated feature Raya and the Last Dragon, giving us our first good look at the title character. Raya and the Last Dragon will be an epic fantasy adventure with southeast Asian themes, set in a realm called Lumandra, described as "a reimagined earth inhabited by an ancient civilization." Five clans form the land of the dragon, and Raya is determined to find the last dragon. Featuring the voices of Cassie Steele and Awkwafina, the film is due out in theaters on March 12, 2021.
Minari Scores Double Top Honors at the Sundance Film Festival Awards
Writer/director Lee Isaac Chung's Minari took double top honors at the Sundance Film Festival's annual awards ceremony on Saturday night, winning both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition. Based on Chung’s real life, the drama follows a Korean American family that moves from Los Angeles to Arkansas to chase the American Dream. This is definitely one to watch, folks.
The Outbreak Narrative and How Fear Fuels Our Xenophobia and Racism
"Let’s be clear about this: Your fear does not justify your racism and xenophobia. Your jokes and performative panic about the coronavirus are not funny. They are deeply pointless and trivialize something that should be taken seriously. And they are creating an environment of fear, panic and disinformation that’s more dangerous than the disease itself."
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How Andrew Yang Quieted the Asian American Right
"The Chinese social-media platform WeChat, once a hub for anti-affirmative-action organizers, is now reverberating with blue-hat emojis and cries for universal basic income. The flip can largely be linked to excitement surrounding one particular presidential candidate: Andrew Yang, the 45-year-old entrepreneur and political newbie who is also among the most successful Asian Americans to ever run for president. With the high level of support that Yang is getting from Asian voters, he has quieted the vocal conservative Asian American contingent that had been pulling the community to the right."
Call upon Indiana University to rectify for its ban on Japanese Americans
In May 1942, in the wake of Franklin D. Roosvelt's Executive Order 9066, Indiana University's Board of Trustees ruled that "no Jap. be admitted to Indiana University." About a dozen Japanese Americans were denied admission, including those which lived in Indiana. The Nisei College Redress Project is currently working with faculty, alumni, and community members at Indiana University to secure an apology for the Japanese Americans who were denied admission. If you are a member of the IU community, sign on to the letter here.
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HBO Max Wins 5-Bidder Auction For YA Novel 'I'll Be The One'
HBO Max will adapt Lyla Lee's upcoming young adult novel I'll Be The One into a feature film, with Fresh Off The Boat's Nahnatchka Khan attached to produce and possibly direct, from a script by Colleen McGuinness. The story centers on 16-year-old Skye Shin -- a bi-sexual, Korean-American girl -- as she pursues her dreams as a participant on reality TV singing and dancing competition "K-Pop Shining Star." With the help of her new friends and her crush, world famous model Henry Cho, Skye faces the industry"s old-fashioned beauty standards head on, setting her sights on becoming a K-pop star -- one the world has never seen before.
21-year-old Yaolin Wang was fatally stabbed by her boyfriend, who killed himself.
Tragic news out of Indiana... Last week in Bloomington, an Indiana University student was found dead in her apartment, apparently stabbed by her boyfriend who then killed himself in a murder-suicide.
21-year-old Yaolin Wang, a junior at Indiana University, was found dead from apparent stab wounds last Wednesday. Police suspect her boyfriend, 20-year-old Chuanlin Xiao, killed her before hanging himself. They had been in a relationship for about six months and lived together in the apartment building.
Just days after Wang's murder, another IU student was found dead in a separate incident. 20-year-old Joseph Smedley II was found dead in an apparent drowning. Hundreds gathered on Indiana University's campus Wednesday night for a vigil to pay tribute to Wang Smedley.
