Burmese Refugee Abandoned by Border Patrol Found Dead

And Other Items of Note from Angry Asian America.

Nearly blind refugee abandoned by US border patrol found dead in Buffalo

A nearly blind Burmese refugee who was abandoned by border patrol agents has been found dead in Buffalo, New York. Following his release from a holding center, immigration officials dropped off 56-year-old Nurul Amin Shah Alam, who spoke little English, at a coffee shop miles from his home. His body was found five days later.

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Asian American residents targeted in 8 Fairfax County burglaries

In Fairfax County, Virginia, police are investigating a string of home burglaries targeting Asian American residents. Between January 12 and February 21, suspects entered eight homes scattered throughout the county, stealing cash, jewelry, handbags, gold bars and even safes that had been bolted to the floor. The victims have been primarily Asian American small business owners.

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KPop Demon Hunters Songwriter EJAE Put Her Whole Heart - and Her Past - into "Golden"

For over a decade, Kim Eun-jae, aka EJAE, trained to become a K-pop idol under SM Entertainment, one of South Korea's top agencies. But the label deemed her too tall and her voice too low and husky -- and ultimately decided not to debut her. But that rejection turned out to be a "redirection."

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Vang: The Olympic loyalty test no one asked for

"This winter, two Asian American women, Alysa Liu and Eileen Gu, soared across Olympic ice and snow. One wrapped herself in the Stars and Stripes. The other chose to compete for China. And suddenly the country had very strong opinions about Asian daughters. I learned the quickest way to make America nervous is to let an Asian American woman make her own decisions, especially if she wins a gold medal."

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Muralist honors gold medal Olympian Alysa Liu with mural

Seen on the streets of Gardena, California: a tribute to Olympic gold medalist figure skater Alysa Liu.

ESPN pulls Virginia game announcer named Robert Lee

Because Robert Lee is too similar to Robert E. Lee.



Really? We live in ridiculous times.

ESPN decided to move an Asian American announcer, Robert Lee, off the University of Virginia's upcoming home opener football game against William and Mary, "simply because of the coincidence of his name."

Because Robert Lee is too similar to Robert E. Lee.

Earlier this month, violence erupted at a white nationalist rally that gathered in Charlottesville, Virginia to protest the removal of a statue of the Confederate general. The night before a counter-protestor was killed, white nationalists marched across the UVA campus, carrying torches and chanting racist slogans. So yeah, you could say it was a minor coincidence that a guy named Robert Lee was going to call the play by play.

That minor coincidence was enough for ESPN to reassign Lee to announce the Youngstown versus Pitt game being played on the same day. It was supposed to be a minor change -- reassignments happen all the time, and neither game is even scheduled to be televised. But then word of the network's switch leaked on Tuesday.

Muslim teen abducted, assaulted and murdered in Virginia

Darwin Torres is accused of killing 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen with a baseball bat.



In Virginia, a Muslim teenage girl who was reportedly assaulted and disappeared has been found dead, and a 22-year-old man has been charged in her murder in connection with the case.

Teen Missing in Fairfax County Believed Dead; Suspect Charged: Police

Police believe a body found Sunday afternoon in a pond in Sterling is 17-year-old Nabra Hassanen, who was reported missing after she and some friends got into an altercation with a motorist near their mosque.

According to police, a group of girls was walking back from breakfast at IHOP early Sunday when they got into a dispute with a motorist -- witnesses say he appeared to be drunk and was brandishing a baseball bat -- who got out of his car and assaulted one of them. The rest of the teens ran back to their mosque, the All Dulles Area Muslim Society (ADAMS), where the group reported that Hassanen had been left behind.

"Immediately thereafter, the ADAMS' personnel notified both Loudon County and Fairfax County authorities who immediately began an extensive search to locate the missing girl," the mosque said in a statement.

Police searched the surrounding wooded area for several hours, and found the body in the pond, located about two to three miles away from where the original altercation happened.

Security guard charged with murder of 60-year-old man shot while playing Pokemon Go

Jonathan Cromwell is charged with second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Jiangsheng Chen.



In Virginia, a security guard has been charged with murder in the death of a 60-year-old grandfather who was fatally shot last month while he was in his van apparently playing Pokemon Go.

Security guard charged with 2nd-degree murder in death of Chesapeake man killed in minivan

On Thursday, the Chesapeake Commonwealth's Attorney's Office announced that it is pursuing criminal charges against 21-year-old Jonathan Cromwell, the security guard who fatally shot Jiansheng Chen on January 26. Cromwell is charged with second-degree murder and use of a firearm.

According to prosecutors, Chen was driving his van around 11:00pm that night when he turned into the driveway of the River Walk clubhouse parking area. When Cromwell saw the van, he confronted Chen and stopped his vehicle directly in front of Chen's van. Chen then backed up and turned around to the entrance of the driveway facing the street. That's when Cromwell got out of his car, said "stop," then fired his weapon.

Chinese grandpa fatally shot while playing Pokemon Go

60-year-old Jiansheng Chen was shot and killed by neighborhood security guard while sitting in his minivan.



You've got to be kidding me. Last week in southeast Virginia, a 60-year-old grandfather was apparently playing Pokemon Go when he was shot and killed during a fatal altercation with a neighborhood security guard.

Chesapeake man shot, killed by security guard while in minivan a half mile from his home

Jiansheng Chen was sitting in his minivan, playing the popular augmented reality game on his smartphone late Thursday in Chesapeake's River Walk community when he was confronted by a security guard. According to police, an altercation ensued, and the guard fired his gun at the car several times, killing Chen.

Customers leave racist "tip" for waitress

"Build that wall, Trump Daddy"



More dispatches from Trump America... A waitress in Virginia received a hateful message from a group of teenage diners who left the message, "Build that wall, Trump Daddy" on the check.

Virginia Beach IHOP server receives hateful message from customer

Rachel Mau, a server at the IHOP in Virginia Beach, says the incident occurred when she waited on a group of high school students on Saturday morning. On one of the receipts, in the area where customers are supposed to add a tip, they left the xenophobic reference to Donald Trump's proposed wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

On the split bill's other receipt, the customers simply wrote "Nah."

Racist flyers target "Job Stealing Ching Chongs"

"Get out and go back to Communist land."



We are now living in the time of racist bullshit perpetuated in the name of Donald Trump. Like, this is an everyday normal thing. For example... These signs were recently found placed on cars in a private parking lot in Arlington, Virginia. One of the recipients, who posted this photo on social media, says that whoever left them was clearly targeting Asian employees. You know, the "Job Stealing Ching Chongs."

Who the hell has time to design and print up this shit? Who the hell would waste precious ink -- printer cartridges are expensive, dude -- and the effort to go from car to car to distribute these damn things?

After the flyers were discovered, several employees understandably didn't feel safe walking to and from the parking lot. Flyers on cars is cowardly shit, but who knows? Thankfully, according to the original poster, management took steps to make sure people felt safe and the property's security measures were escalated.

Joe Montano, Regional Director for Sen. Tim Kaine, dies at 47

Virginia Democrat is remembered as a passionate community activist and public servant.



Sad news out of Virginia... Joe Montano, the Northern Virginia regional director for Democratic vice presidential candidate and Senator Tim Kaine, died suddenly this week at his home in Falls Church. He was 47.

Joe Montano, regional director for Sen. Kaine's office, dies at 47

Described by many as the face of Senator Kaine's office, Montano is remembered as a passionate community activist, committed public servant, advocate for immigrants and champion of the Filipino American community.

"My staff and I are deeply saddened by the death of our Northern Virginia Regional Director," Senator Kaine said in a statement. "Joe was an outstanding representative of this office, enthusiastic servant of the people of Northern Virginia, and admired colleague by all who worked with him. We will remember him by his positive energy, tireless work ethic, and infectious smile. Our thoughts and prayers are with Joe's family."

At a DNC breakfast on Wednesday, Kaine remembered Montano's friendship, service and spirit, calling him a "proud, patriotic American" who was about "outreach, bridge-building and bringing people together."

She thought the robber's gun was fake. It wasn't.

Fearless Virginia restaurant owner fights off armed robber with her bare hands.



A badass Virginia restaurant owner fearlessly wrestled a gun out of the hands of a would-be robber because she thought the firearm was fake. She realized later that it was very real -- after it went it off in her hand.

Caught on camera: Business owner fights back with robbery suspect

Last week, an armed robber walked into Crazy Wings in Norfolk and pointed a gun at Keqiu Wang, demanding she open the cash register. Wang, who owns the restaurant with her husband, wasn't having it with this punk-ass robber and his fake-ass firearm. She fought back.

Surveillance camera footage shows Wang struggling with the hooded robber, grabbing his gun by the barrel and refusing to let go. The two wrestled behind the counter until Wang's husband came out of the kitchen with a huge knife and slashed the would-be robber in the back, chasing him off.

Yes, your servers are talking sh*t about you.

Restaurant servers enter rude notes about customers... then forget to delete them from the printed check.



A word to rude or annoying restaurant diners: yes, your servers are talking shit about you. In the recent case of some servers at a Chinese restaurant in Virginia, they entered their opinions about a couple of customers into the restaurant's computer system... then forgot to delete them from the printed check. Oops.

Servers trash customers in private note on check — then forget to delete it

Management at the Peter Chang restaurant in Arlington, Virginia apologized to customers who were the recent targets of a server's snark after a Saturday night dinner. On the check, under the notations for customer designation, they were identified as "im a plad asshole" and "i have a small penis."

Two servers had apparently typed the comments into the restaurant's point-of-sale system as a joke to one another, then neglected to delete them before presenting the check.

Virginia college student fatally stabbed and beaten at party

Police say 21-year-old Hosung Lee was attacked by a mob the night before he was found dead.



In Virginia, authorities are asking for the public's help identifying some people who attended a house party last month in Fairfax County, where a George Mason University student was fatally attacked.

Police ask for help identifying partygoers in GMU student's death

21-year-old Hosung Lee, also known as Steven, was beaten and stabbed by a group of 10 to 15 people at a party in Herndon on the night of April 23. His friends later drove him back to his family's home in Centreville and placed him in his bed, where he was found dead the next day.

According to the state medical examiner, Lee died from a stab wound to the chest.

Fairfax police have released a photo from the party and are asking for the public's help identifying attendees:

Roanoke Mayor apologizes for remarks on Japanese American internment

David Bowers clearly did not understand how the internet works.



On Friday, the mayor of Roanoke, Virginia apologized for his statement about Syrian refugees in which he invoked the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as model policy.

Roanoke Mayor Apologizes for Japanese Internment Remarks

After basically getting his ass kicked with widespread backlash over what can at best be described as a piss-poor of one of U.S. government's greatest injustices, Mayor David Bowers apologized for his remarks.

"I apologize to all those offended by my remarks," Bowers said at a special meeting of the Roanoke City Council. "No one else is to be blamed but me."

Virginia mayor rejects Syrian refugees, because it worked so well when we locked up Japanese Americans

"It seems to me to be better safe than sorry."



This is troubling on a dozen levels. In Virginia, the mayor of Roanoke joined the growing chorus of intolerance, calling for the suspension of help in relocating Syrian refugees to the area. To make matters worse, he cited the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II as historical precedent for his reasoning. Oh hell no.

Roanoke Mayor David Bowers: No Syrian refugees to Roanoke Valley until security assured

On Wednesday, Mayor David A. Bowers issued an unsolicited statement requesting area governments and nongovernmental agencies to suspend and delay any further Syrian refugee assistance "until normalcy is restored," warning of safety concerns in the wake of the apparent bombing of a Russian airliner, Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris and threats on Washington DC.

"I am convinced that it is presently imprudent to assist in the relocation of Syrian refugees to our part of Virginia," Bowers said his statement, which also vowed to "protect Roanokers from harm and danger from this present scourge upon the earth." Oh, but wait, it gets much worse.

Women drugged, raped after being lured for cleaning job

Suspects are possibly targeting young Mongolian women



This is some horrifying news out of Virginia, where two international students say they were lured to a home on the pretense of working at a housecleaning job, and then sexually assaulted and beaten.

Women said they were raped after being lured to Burke home from Ballston

Earlier this month, two Mongolian women, ages 21 and 30, went to the mall looking for jobs and met another Mongolian woman who claimed to run a housecleaning business. She introduced them to a man who lured them to a home in Burke, where they were apparently drugged, raped and assaulted.

Tech entrepreneur Minh Nguyen charged with murder

Plaxo co-founder allegedly shot and killed his ex-wife's husband in domestic dispute



Last week in Virginia, the co-founder of the contact management and social networking startup Plaxo was arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of his ex-wife's new husband.

Plaxo Co-Founder Minh Nguyen Charged With Murder

38-year-old Minh Nguyen, who co-founded Plaxo with Sean Parker, was arrested Thursday night after he allegedly broke into his ex-wife's home in Ashburn Village and shot and killed Corey Mattison.

According to the Loudon County Sheriff's Office, two children were home at the time, and Nguyen's ex-wife and another child returned home during the shooting, but no one else was injured.

Sign up to help defend voting rights for Asian Americans

Volunteer as a poll monitor on Election Day

Do you want to help defend voting rights for Asian Americans?

The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund is looking for volunteers to help monitor upcoming midterm elections for bilingual ballots under the federal Voting Rights Act and to document instances of anti-Asian voter disenfranchisement.

Volunteers Needed On Election Day, Nov. 4, 2014

They're looking for volunteers in to work 3-hour shifts on Election Day at polls in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Nevada, Michigan, Texas, Georgia, Louisiana, Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC. There will be a 90-minute training session for all volunteers.

Here's schedule of AALDEF's poll monitoring trainings:

FedEx employee refers to package recipient as "Ching Chong"

Sorry, nobody here by that name. Also, you ought to be fired.



Not this again. Got word passed along to me about a recent racist incident involving a FedEx employee... In northern Virginia, a FedEx employee left a doortag regarding a package delivery to the residence of an Asian customer. In the space denoting the recipient's name, the delivery man wrote "Ching Chong Lee."

Oh, hell no.

Diana L., whose parents received the doortag, contacted customer service to inquire about the name on the package, and how exactly this happened. During the course of this attempted delivery, "Chang" somehow became "Ching Chong" -- a familiar racial slur we all know and love. This was not somebody's honest mistake.

Man assaulted on train for speaking Bengali

Muslim victim harassed, assaulted and accused of being a terrorist on Virginia commuter train



News of a hate crime out of the DC area... In Fairfax, Virginia, a man is accused of harassing and attacking a Muslim man on a commuter train last month because the victim was speaking on his cell phone in Bengali.

Commuter Attacked for Speaking Bengali

58-year-old government worker Patrick Sullivan apparently became agitated because the victim, an unnamed Muslim man, was talking on the phone to his wife in his native language of Bengali. According to police, Sullivan began shouting at the man, telling him to speak English. He then hit the man in the head and tried to get him thrown off the train, suggesting to the conductor that the man was a possible terrorist.

Virginia mom dresses son in KKK costume for Halloween

It's apparently a family tradition.



Sorry, I guess we're still talking about Halloween... This year, we saw people dressing up in all manners of racist costume foolishness, including those guys who dressed up bloody Asiana flight attendants.

Now, it's one thing when grown-ass adults put on a racist costume... but what about the Virginia parent who dressed up her kid in a Ku Klux Klan robe for Halloween? Oh hell no. Yes, this happened. Happy Halloween: Mom Lets Son Wear KKK Halloween Costume, Says It's A Family Tradition.

Jessica Black of Craigsville, Virginia let her 7-year-old son Jackson dress as a Klansman for Halloween. When confronted about the costume by local ABC news affiliate WHSV, Black defended her decision, insisting that the robe is a family tradition. Also, as you can deduce from her comments, she's racist:

Court documents reveal chilling details in the murder of Vanessa Pham

The murder remained a mystery for two and a half years.

An update on this awful murder case out of Virginia from a couple of years ago... Next week, Julio Miguel Blanco Garcia will face trial in the 2010 murder of 19-year-old Vanessa Pham, who was stabbed repeatedly and left to die in her car: Pretrial filings reveal details in 2010 killing of Falls Church teen Vanessa Pham.

According to pre-trial documents filed by the prosecution, Pham was giving Blanco Garcia and his infant daughter a ride to the hospital after they approached her at a shopping center in Falls Church. At some point, Blanco Garcia, who was apparently high on PCP, grabbed a butcher knife from his bag and stabbed Pham. Thirteen times.

The fatal assault sent the car into a roadside ditch. All of this happened while Blanco Garcia's 1-year-old daughter was riding in the car with them: