She Called the Cops on a Guy Stenciling "Black Lives Matter" on His Own Home

And Other Things to Know From Angry Asian America.



She 'Rode That Bias Off a Cliff'
A San Francisco couple got their asses dragggggged for calling the cops on a man who was stenciling "Black Lives Matter" with chalk on the retaining wall outside his own home. Jaime Juanillo, who is Filipino American, pulled out his phone to record Lisa Alexander and all her fake politeness, as she questioned his presence there and falsely claimed she knew the property's owner. Lies. The video has since inevitably gone viral, and Lisa Alexander's ignorance has been costly to her personal and professional reputation. Shrug.

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Man Faces Hate Crime Charges for Pepper Spraying Two Men
In Sonoma County, California, a man faces hate crime charges after pepper spraying two men. 43-year-old Anthony Pelfrey reportedly sprayed two men -- one Asian and one Latino -- with a "bear deterrant" after attending an outdoor yoga class. Witnesses took photos of him and his white Honda Civic, and identified him as having been part of their yoga class. Pelfrey, who was investigated in connection with two similar incidents earlier in the week, was arrested and charged on suspicion of a hate crime, a felon in possession of pepper spray, and illegal use of pepper spray. I blame the yoga.

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East of La Brea
Taking place in Koreatown, Little Bangladesh, and South LA in the dead heat of summer, East of La Brea chronicles the lives of two Muslim woman and highlights the vibrant stories of different communities where folks are broke, rent is high, and it’s less of a melting pot than people just melting. Created by Sameer Gardezi, the mini-series started as an out-of-the-box idea: to create a writers room that was POC-centered, broke the hierarchy of creative development, and used a community-based methodology to ideate true, authentic characters and stories. East of La Brea is the result, premiering this week from Powderkeg, with new episodes dropping every day.

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NASA Explains How They'll Return to the Moon
In this animated short, narrated by Kelly Marie Tran, NASA explains all of the things that they need to do to make it possible to return to the moon -- and this next time they go up, they are planning to stay.

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2020 APAICS Virtual-National Leadership Academy
The APAICS National Leadership Academy is a leadership training event for current AAPI elected officials, individuals seeking to run for public office, and community stakeholders. The program consists of interactive political training with topics ranging from developing your campaign plan, communications, digital organizing, power mapping, and fundraising. This year, the training will be conducted virtually Apply by June 19 to reserve your slot. Visit the APAICS website for full dates, details, and how to apply.

Oscars Still Pretty Damn White

Things to Know From Angry Asian America



Oscars: Full List of Nominations
Nominations for the 92nd Academy Awards were announced this morning, and considering some of the amazing work of the past year, the overall lack of diversity among the nominees is pretty appalling... but more or less business as usual. I'm particularly bummed that The Farewell was completely shut out without a single nomination. On the other hand, Bong Joon Ho's Parasite made history as South Korea's first Oscar nominee, receiving six nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay.

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Andrew Yang won the internet, but can he win a 2020 primary?
"After months of running on unconventional campaign strategies, cool branding and novel ideas, Yang has arrived at a pivotal, new point in the 2020 campaign — one governed by the conventional rules of election and where the idea that matters most is your strategy for winning. The candidate powered by the online buzz is now trying to make it on the real, and often uncool, campaign trail through Iowa and New Hampshire."

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My Child Is An Honors Student at Iltiong-Vera Cruz Middle School
On Friday, Alvarado Middle School in Union City, California was renamed the Itliong-Vera Cruz Middle School in honor of Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz, honoring two of history's most important (and too often overlooked) Filipino American leaders in the state's civil rights and labor movements.

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Meet the 13 astronauts who could be the first humans on Mars">
NASA welcomed 11 new astronauts to its ranks Friday -- the first class to graduate under the Artemis program that will send humans back to the moon for the first time since 1972. The new graduates may be assigned to missions destined for the International Space Station, the Moon, and ultimately, Mars.

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'Young Rock': Dwayne Johnson Teams With Nahnatchka Khan For NBC Comedy Series Inspired By Him
NBC has given an 11-episode straight-to-series order to Young Rock, a single-camera comedy inspired by the formative years of Dwayne Johnson, written by part of the Fresh Off The Boat team, creator/executive producer Nahnatchka Khan and co-executive producer Jeff Chiang. I think we can all agree that this show will only be legit if it is the broadcast television embodiment of the above photo.