Sign this petition to protect our families and communities

Sign on against amendments to the current U.S.-Vietnam repatriation agreement.


Vietnamese American community members protest in Little Saigon. (Los Angeles Times)
You may have heard that the Trump administration, in its ongoing aggression against immigrants, is resuming its efforts to deport thousands of protected Vietnamese refugees who have lived in the United States for decades -- many of them having fled the country during the Vietnam War.

The community is watching. A coalition of Vietnamese community members, and local, state and national immigrant, civil rights and human rights organizations are urging folks to speak out, sign this petition and let the Department of Homeland Security and Vietnam know the community is watching.

SIGN-ON AGAINST AMENDMENTS TO US-VIETNAM REPATRIATION AGREEMENT 2008

The petition demands that the protections afforded to Vietnamese immigrants under the current U.S.-Vietnam repatriation agreement be maintained, established in 2008, and oppose any amendments that further threaten to tear apart families and upend communities.

The petition has further information (also translated in Vietnamese):

Petition seeks full honors military burial for Florida shooting victim

15-year-old Peter Wang, a JROTC cadet, was shot repeatedly while holding a door open to let others escape.



From CNN: Peter Wang, a 15-year-old JROTC cadet, died in last week's shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. According to his friends, he was shot repeatedly while holding a door open to let other people escape.

"He died a gentleman holding the door for other students," his classmate Kelsey Friend told CNN.

On Tuesday afternoon Wang will be laid to rest, and thousands of people have signed a White House petition asking for him to be buried with military honors.

"His selfless and heroic actions have led to the survival of dozens in the area. Wang died a hero, and deserves to be treated as such, and deserves a full honors military burial," reads the petition. As of Monday afternoon, it had more than 25,000 signatures.

More here: People are calling for this Florida shooting victim to be buried with military honors

Stop the Fence at Tule Lake

Proposed airport fence threatens historic site of Japanese American resistance.



The Tule Lake Segregation Center is recognized as the World War II concentration camp where thousands who protested the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans were punished for speaking out. The maximum security camp housed the largest number of detainees (housing over 18,000 prisoners at its peak), stayed opened the longest and was the place where "troublemakers" from other camps were sent.

Now considered the crucible for Japanese American resistance to incarceration during World War II, the infamous site is today preserved as a monument to one of our nation's darkest chapters. In 2006, Tule Lake was officially designated as a U.S. National Historic Landmark, the highest level of recognition for a historically significant property. In 2008, the site was dedicated as a National Monument.

But now the physical and historical integrity of Tule Lake, located in Modoc County, California, is threatened by the potential construction of a massive fence, and community members are asking for your support.

Stop the Unjust Deportations of the Minnesota 8 #ReleaseMN8

Cross-Posted from 18 Million Rising



This past summer, 8 Cambodian Americans in Minnesota ("MN 8") were detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for unjust deportation. Families, friends, and neighbors have banded together by launching the #ReleaseMN8 campaign. Watch their call to action video here.

What is happening is unjust because the Obama Administration pledged to deport felons, not families. Unjust deportation is an important Asian American issue and families are fighting to stay together (e.g. the Adam Crapser Korean Adoptee case). Now the next Trump Administration may escalate attacks on Asian American families, even though we understand that deporting people who contribute to society is a waste of time and money.

Call Governor McCrory to #VetoHB972!

Cross-Posted from 18 Million Rising.



Police recordings -- taken on vehicle dashboard cameras and body-worn cameras -- are a matter of public record vital to preserving civil liberties. Under most states' laws, it's up to city government to decide whether or not to release them in cases of public interest, like when an officer uses deadly force against a civilian.

In North Carolina this week, the state legislature passed House Bill 972: a bill that gives police departments direct control, and greater discretion, over how and under which circumstances this crucial video footage is released to the public. We have 10 days to convince Gov. Pat McCrory to veto the bill -- or it becomes the law.

Laws like HB972 will make it harder for families to find justice for their loved ones. It already took the family of Chieu Di Thi Vo, a Vietnamese woman with bipolar disorder, two years to see video footage of her last moments of life after she was shot and killed by Greensboro Police Department (GPD) officer T.J. Bloch.

Her family repeatedly requested to see Officer Bloch's body camera footage. The Greensboro Police Department denied their requests while publicly claiming that "Chieu Di lunged at officer Bloch [with a knife], yelled that she would "gut" the police officer in Vietnamese, and that Chieu Di's mother's life was in danger."

Last month, the footage was finally released revealing that the police had lied.

Judge Lu: We Demand You #FreeJasmine

Cross-Posted from 18 Million Rising.


Pasadena Black Lives Matter chapter leader Jasmine "Abdullah" Richards was just wrongfully convicted of "felony lynching," and faces up to four years in prison. This takes the targeting of BLM leaders to a whole new level.

On Tuesday, June 7, Judge Elaine Lu will determine Richards' sentencing. As Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, we need to make sure Judge Lu hears our demand to #FreeJasmine and stop the political persecution of Black Lives Matter activists.

Tell Judge Lu: AAPIs back the calls of ColorofChange.org and Black Lives Matter International Network and demand no jail time for Jasmine Richards.

Jasmine was arrested and charged for "lynching" last September after she attempted to shield a Black woman from what she deemed to be an unlawful detainment by Pasadena police after a Peace March she and the chapter organized. Although the peaceful march was made up of twenty-some children, mothers, and community members, the prosecutor claimed it was a "riot" in order to pursue the "lynching" charge.

Stop the racial profiling of Chinese American scientists

#SCIENTISTSNOTSPIES



On Sunday, 60 Minutes aired a story on physics professor Xiaoxing Xi and hydrologist Sherry Chen -- two of several recent cases involving Chinese American scientists who have been wrongfully prosecuted by the U.S. government with espionage-related crimes -- falsely accused of spying for China.

In each of these cases, American citizens -- Xi and Chen, as well as Guiqing Cao and Shuyu Li -- were widely labeled as spies for China before the government dropped all their charges with no explanation, apology or compensation. Supporters believe they were profiled and targeted because they are Asian American.

#ScientistsNotSpies
This week, advocates across the nation are demanding accountability and transparency from the federal government, urging for a stop to these reckless prosecutions and an investigation into the possible use of racial profiling in the case of Asian American scientists who have been accused of espionage.

The government still hasn't publicly acknowledged any wrongdoing for its recent wrongful prosecutions. The #ScientistsNotSpies campaign is asking for your support sending a message to the Attorney General and Inspector General of the United States to stop possible racial profiling in the Department of Justice.

Here how you can take action:

No hate crime charges in attack on Sikh man

Inderjit Mukker was repeatedly punched in the face and called "terrorist" and "Bin Laden"



In Illinois, charges have filed against the teenager who brutally beat a 53-year-old Sikh man last week, calling him "terrorist" and yelling "Go back to your country, Bin Laden!" However, inexplicably, the assailant is not being charged with a hate crime. Prosecutors are calling the incident a "traffic altercation." The hell?

Charges filed against Willowbrook teen in Darien beating

The 17-year-old assailant, who was not named by the state's attorney's office, is charged with five counts of aggravated battery for the "traffic altercation," in which he punched Inderjit Mukker multiple times in the face last Tuesday evening in the Chicago suburb of Darien.

Mr. Mukker, who wears a turban and beard in observance of his Sikh faith, was on his way to the grocery store when another driver began yelling at him, calling him a "terrorist" and "Bin Laden." After repeatedly cutting off Mukker's vehicle, they pulled over to the side of the road. The other driver got out of his car and repeatedly beat Mukker in the face, knocking him unconscious.

How is this not a hate crime?

Auction house drops plans to sell internment artifacts

George Takei will act as an intermediary between Rago and Japanese American community institutions.


A watercolor by an unknown artist at Tule Lake War Relocation Center.
Pressured by community outcry, a New Jersey auction house has dropped plans to sell hundreds of artifacts crafted by Japanese Americans while they were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II.

The Japanese American History: NOT for Sale Facebook page has announced that lots 1232-1255, which contain artwork and crafts created in ten different World War II internment camps, will be removed from the Rago auction on Friday. According to a company spokesman, George Takei has agreed to act as an intermediary between the auction house and Japanese American community institutions.

"We have withdrawn the lots from the auction," said Guy Benthin, the phone bidding coordinator for Rago Arts.

Japanese American History is Not For Sale

Rago is auctioning off hundreds of historical crafts and artifacts made by Japanese American internees.



A New Jersey auction house is offering hundreds of artifacts made by Japanese Americans while they were incarcerated in internment camps during World War II. These items are now up for sale to highest bidder. Does that sound right to you? Concerned community members are speaking up and taking action.

The Japanese American History is Not For Sale Facebook page is protesting the auction of 450 historical crafts and artifacts made by Japanese Americans while confined in ten World War II concentration camps. The items will be auctioned off this Friday, April 17, by Rago auction house in New Jersey.

Call Rep. Judy Chu: stand with the many, not the few

Cross-posted from 18 Million Rising


One of our greatest victories is under attack.

Last month, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) used their legal regulatory power to pass rules to ensure the internet is fair, open, equal, and accessible for all. After a long fight where over four million people--maybe even you!--submitted comments to the FCC, Chairman Wheeler decided to stand on the right side of history and regulate the internet so service providers can’t decide what you can post, read, and watch online. For Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, an open internet means a fair chance to be heard and the opportunity to thrive.

Now, Republican-controlled Congress is trying to do the dirty work for the big telecoms after they lost at the FCC. On March 25, a key hearing will be happening in the House Judiciary Committee. It’s important that our allies in Congress on Team Internet stand firm in support of the FCC’s Title II rules. Representative Judy Chu (D-CA) is on the Judiciary Committee and is the Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, which makes her a leading voice for our communities in Congress. We’re calling on her to stand firm as a champion for the internet and for our communities.

Sign 18 Million Rising's petition here.

#KeepAdamHome: Stop Adam Crapser's Deportation Now

Cross-posted from 18 Million Rising


In 1979, Adam Crapser arrived in the United States as a Korean adoptee. Accompanied by his older sister, Adam's life in this country quickly became a nightmare.

First adopted by the Wright family in Michigan, Adam found himself the victim of physical abuse. In 1986 and without completing Adam's naturalization papers, the Wrights relinquished their parental rights to county services in an effort to "rehome" the adopted siblings. As wards of the state, the county separated Adam from his sister and sent him to live in a group home.

One year into life in the group home, Adam was adopted the by Thomas and Dolly-Jean Crapser in Oregon who -- along with their biological children -- subjected Adam to unspeakable physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and torture. Four long years later, the Crapsers were arrested, charged, and plead guilty to multiple counts of child abuse, child sex abuse, and child rape.

Domestic Violence Survivor Faces Child Abduction Charges, Deportation | #StandWithNanHui

By Jenn Fang. Cross-posted from Reappropriate.



This is a terrible story of the American legal system getting it really wrong.

Nan-Hui Cho is a single mother of 6-year-old daughter Hwi. Cho is currently imprisoned in the Yolo County jail facing trumped up child abduction charges after she made the impossible decision to take her daughter home to South Korea, in hopes of escaping the physical and emotional abuse inflicted upon her by the child's father, Iraq war veteran Jesse Charlton.

For five years, Cho cared for Hwi in South Korea; for that same five years, Charlton sent over a hundred emails to Nan-Hui that ranged from concern to threats of hiring a bounty hunter. Unbeknownst to Cho, Charlton also filed charges against Nan-Hui for child abduction. When Cho -- a Korean national in the process of applying for permanent residency -- applied to travel to Hawaii to check out schools for the American-born Hwi, ICE was notified by the US embassy in Seoul and Cho was arrested and sent to Yolo County to stand trial on the child abduction charges. Meanwhile, Hwi was sent to live with Charlton -- a father she didn't know -- who has since denied Cho a chance to see her daughter.

Cho's first trial last December on the child abduction charges ended in a hung jury. Now, she faces retrial and, if she loses, will likely be deported without ever having a chance to see her daughter again.

Let's celebrate Fred Korematsu Day with a Google Doodle

Sign 18 Million Rising's petition asking Google to honor a civil rights hero.

Fred Korematsu Day honors the life and legacy of Japanese American civil rights hero Fred Korematsu, who, at 23-years-old, stood up against racism and discrimination and refused to be injustly incarcerated by the United States government during World War II. It's the first day in U.S. history named after an Asian American.

This Friday, January 30, people across the country will honoring Fred Korematsu on the fifth annual Korematsu Day. Hopefully, there will be schoolkids getting classroom lessons about Mr. Korematsu and the importance of preserving civil liberties. But wouldn't be great if more people knew about his story?

That's where Google might be able to help. Our friends at 18 Million Rising are leading the charge to request that Google dedicate Friday's "Doodle" to Fred Korematsu:

Community demands justice for 64-year-old assault victim

Petition calls on district attorney to drop charges against Qingyou Li



In New York, concerned community members are calling for justice in the matter Qingyou Li, a 64-year-old man who faces assault charges after an altercation with a couple on the street in Flushing last month.

Petition: Drop all charges against Qingyou Li

The incident seems to have been set off by a minor accident and exacerbated by miscommunication. Mr. Li, who does not speak English and is mostly blind in one eye, was walking on the sidewalk and passed a couple walking a dog, when he accidentally tripped over the leash, causing the dog to bark. Mr. Li attempted to apologize, but the dog's owner began cursing at him and altercation ensued. That's when things turned violent.

Meet Mark Wahlberg's hate crime victim, 26 years later

Hoa Trinh says he forgives Mark Wahlberg for the 1988 assault.



Many folks have expressed outrage and plentiful "oh hell nos" over Mark Wahlberg's attempts to officially erase the hate crimes of his youth, including that one time he was arrested and convicted of viciously beating two Asian men while calling them racial slurs. The actor/producer recently applied to the Massachusetts Board of Pardons to have the 1988 assault conviction removed from his record.

EXCLUSIVE: Wahlberg gets his pardon from the only person who matters - the VICTIM: Man he beat and racially abused says he forgives star and reveals he had no idea who his attacker was until now

Twenty-six years later, one of the men Wahlberg assaulted says he forgives Wahlberg for the attack, and supports his efforts to get a pardon. He also says he had no idea that his assailant had grown up to become a world-famous movie star. (I'm guessing he is also unaware of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.)

Hmong man assaulted in hunting dispute

Family and community members demand justice for the attack on 64-year-old Sao Lue Vang



Last month in Wisconsin, a Hmong hunter was severely injured after he accidentally wandered on to private land and was assaulted by the son of the property owner. The victim's family and members of the Hmong American community are demanding answers for the vicious attack on 64-year-old Sao Lue Vang.

Family speaks out about Hmong hunter assault

Vang was hunting with friends on public land in Pepin County. At some point, Vang separated from the group and was approached by another hunter, 43-year-old Kevin Elberg, who started harassing, yelling, and accusing him of being on his property. Vang apologized, but the confrontation escalated.

When Vang tried to walk away, Elberg allegedly assaulted him from behind, knocking him to the ground, and kicking and hitting him in the stomach and body. Vang suffered lacerations to his liver and injuries to his hand.

Here's more information on what happened:

Tell the Department of Justice to #LetUsVote!

40,000 voters in Georgia have no idea if they'll be able to vote tomorrow.



Got this passed along to me from our good friends at 18 Million Rising... In Georgia, at least 40,000 people don't know if they'll be able to vote in tomorrow's election. Forty thousand new eligible voters haven't been added to the state's voter registration rolls, even though they turned in all their completed registration paperwork.

The majority of these 40,000 voters come from Asian, Black, and Latino communities.

Despite a lawsuit filed by national and local organizations against Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp to speed up the processing of these "missing" new voter registrations, Fulton County Superior Court Judge Christopher Brasher failed to intervene on behalf of these voters.

It's being called "The Most Brazen Attempt at Voter Suppression Yet."

Last week, 18MR launched a petition demanding that the Department of Justice investigate Secretary of State Kemp's inaction, and to hold him and the state of Georgia accountable for these missing voter registrations. Today, with less than 24 hours until the polls open, let's turn up the pressure on the Department of Justice.

Are you active on Twitter? Here's 18MR's call to action:

Dr. Vivek Murthy is the Surgeon General we need right now

Sign the petition to tell the Senate to stand up to the NRA and confirm Dr. Murthy.



As you might recall, President Obama nominated Dr. Vivek Murthy, a highly qualified and experienced medical professional, to the post of U.S. Surgeon General nearly a year ago. While his credentials make him a no-brainer for the job, Dr. Murthy's confirmation have been stalled by the usual partisan politics.

A Surgeon General nominee 'tied up in politics'

Dr. Murthy, a guy who probably knows many more things about health and medicine and stuff than you, has some thoughts about gun violence in this country: it is bad, and it is indeed a health care issue. This opinion put him in the sights (no pun intended) of Republicans and the NRA, who decided to block his nomination.

So now, in the midst of some serious public anxiety over the Ebola virus, America finds itself without a Surgeon General, whose job is to effectively and authoritatively communicate what the public needs to know in situations like this. Raise your hand if you would appreciate the leadership of someone like Dr. Murthy right now.

This online petition implores the Senate to stand up to the NRA and confirm Dr. Murthy as surgeon general now. As I write this, the petition has more than 70,000 signatures.

Petition: Protect immigrants and keep families together

Sign the petition urging President Obama to go big and bold on executive action for immigration relief



Helping to get the word out... Our friends at Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC recently launched an online petition urging President Obama to go big and bold on executive action to stop or limit deportations and make other important changes to immigration enforcement.

Protect immigrants and keep families together!

We need changes to protest immigrants from deportation, reduce family visa backlogs, and end programs that encourage racial profiling. In light of the continued failure of the House to move progressive immigration reform legislation, it's more critical than ever for the administration to provide relief.

Here's what the petition is calling for: