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.

I can't believe I'm responding to another pro-Japanese Incarceration piece.

Guest Post by Joseph Shoji Lachman


Japanese Americans were moved "discretely" into horse stables.
This is a response to "Was the relocation of West Coast Japanese racist?", which appeared in the Tri-City Herald on January 29, 2017.

Today, January 30th, is the celebration of the birthday of Fred Korematsu, one of the bravest men of his time, who stood up to the U.S. government, and challenged the constitutionality of the Japanese Incarceration, where around 120,000 people of Japanese descent, 2/3 being American citizens, and the majority being women of children, and all of whom were innocent of any crimes of espionage, were stripped of their civil rights and human dignity, and forced into concentration camps for four years, resulting in the loss of many of their homes, livelihoods, and many of their possessions they could not take with them.

Today is a day to reflect on this history, and remind ourselves of why we should be careful not to repeat it. That said, why on earth is the Tri-City Herald publishing an article attempting to defend the Japanese Internment and say that it had nothing to do with racism?

I'm trying to get this written as quickly, but as accurately as possible, so I will pick out the major statements I take issue with.

Apply to CAPAL's Scholarship and Internship Program

Summer opportunities with the Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership



Hey, student leaders! The Conference on Asian Pacific American Leadership (CAPAL) is now accepting applications for its 2017 Public Service Scholarship and Internship Programs.

CAPAL's Scholarship and Internship programs are great opportunities for students to gain exposure and real-world experience in government and public service and to receive funding for their internships. The programs also include weekly leadership seminars, networking opportunities, and individual mentorship.

Here are some more details about the programs:

Today's Google Doodle honors Fred Korematsu Day

"If you have the feeling that something is wrong, don't be afraid to speak up."



Happy Fred Korematsu Day! On this day, January 30, we celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights icon Fred Toyosaburo Korematsu. And at long last, Google has honored Mr. Korematsu's birthday -- officially designated "Fred Korematsu Day of Civil Liberties and the Constitution" -- with a hallowed homepage Doodle. All things considered, the timing could not be more appropriate.

After Franklin D. Roosvelt signed Executive Order 9066 in 1942, more than 100,000 people of Japanese descent were forcibly removed from the west coast and relocated to internment camps throughout the United States. Fred Korematsu, however, did not go quietly. He was arrested and convicted for resisting incarceration. He appealed and took his case all the way to the Supreme Court in Korematsu v. United States, but lost.

But in 1983, the U.S. District Court in San Francisco formally vacated Korematsu's conviction after evidence came to light that disputed the necessity of the internment. At the time, he told Judge Marilyn Patel that instead of a legal pardon, he wanted to be assured the U.S. government would never again take such an action.

"If anyone should do any pardoning," Korematsu said, "I should be the one pardoning the government for what they did to the Japanese American people."

Read These Blogs

This Is Not a Test: "Japanese American incarceration didn't happen overnight. It happened after decades of vilification, legal measures, and discrimination, much like what Muslim immigrants, refugees, and citizens are now being subjected to."

* * *
After Trump Deemed China Foreign Enemy, Anti-Asian Hate Crimes In LA Surged: Expert: Responding to the alarming uptick in hate crimes, Asian Americans Advancing Justice recently launched StandAgainstHatred.org, a website to report and track anti-Asian hate crimes.

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What Today's Protesters Can Learn From the History of L.A.'s Asian-American Movement: L.A.'s Chinese American Museum's current exhibit, "Roots: Asian American Movements in the 1960s-80s," aggregates a history of intersectional, cross ethnic solidarity building.

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CA Congressman Ted Lieu's Twitter Account Is a Beacon of Light in the Post-Election Darkness: Reacting to White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer's b.s. about "alternative facts," CA Congressman Ted Lieu took to Twitter with some fantastic quips on the matter.

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During WWII Death Valley hosted 65 endangered internees after the #Manzanar Riot. #JapaneseAmericanInternment

— Death Valley NP (@DeathValleyNPS) January 25, 2017

Boy, I Wonder Why the Death Valley National Park Is Tweeting About Internment Camps: When the Twitter accounts of the National Park Service emerge as sites of resistance and dissent.

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My Menu For Lunar New Year: Guilt, Confusion, With A Side Of Angst: NPR's Kat Chow ponders a Lunar New Year tradition that works for her, free of guilt and confusion.

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All the Radical Words I've Loved: Interview with Jean Ho: Muriel Leung interviews Jean Ho about her short story "Korean Boys I've Loved," getting turned on by dentists, writing Asian American characters who challenge societal norms, literary politics, self-care, and getting your best life.

* * *
Books to Help Kids Understand What It's Like to Be a Refugee: "Stories can facilitate dialogue and promote healthy communication on this difficult topic, help to foster empathy and understanding, and even inspire young readers to take action to ensure safe and welcoming environments in their own communities."

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The Director of the Movie 'Gook' Wants You to Squirm at the Title: Filmmaker and star Justin Chon talks about the purpose and backlash of his Sundance film Gook, set during the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

* * *
Go Behind the Scenes as Fortune Cookie History Gets Made: Wonton Food gave TIME a look behind the scenes at its Queens, New York factory, which churns out 4.5 million fortune cookies a day, to see fortune-cookie history in the making.

* * *
How Bruce Lee Exploded a Stereotype With a One-Inch Punch: The Museum of Modern Art presents "Eternal Bruce Lee," a week-long film series showcasing 4K restorations of Bruce Lee's The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, The Way of the Dragon and Game of Death, as well as Enter the Dragon.

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Asian-Americans Re-Created Famous Vanity Fair Magazine Covers And It Was Beautiful: When's the last time you saw Asian Americans represented on the cover of Vanity Fair's iconic "Hollywood Issue"? Yeah. Some BuzzFeed staff decided to rectify that.

SF Symphony Lunar New Year Concert & Imperial Dinner

SPONSORED POST



Happy Lunar New Year! The San Francisco Symphony invites you to the Lunar New Year Concert and Imperial Dinner, a fun-filled family event celebrating the Year of the Rooster.

Featuring a diverse program of Eastern and Western repertoire, the concert will begin in a blackout with a 60-foot neon dragon dance performed by the Loong Mah Sing See Wui dance ensemble. Guest artists include Mei-Ann Chen (conductor); Tang Jun Qiao (dizi); Amos Yabng (cello). One hour prior to the concert, guests are invited to the Festival Reception with Asian instrument demonstrations, "lucky" red envelopes, tea bars, sweet and savory bites, entertainment, games are more.

It's happening Saturday, February 4 at Davies Symphony Hall. Here are some more details:

See MILCK perform "Quiet" on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee

Viral video of the a cappella empowerment anthem has inspired a movement.



Since hitting the web, this video of an impromptu a cappella choir performing "Quiet" last weekend at the Women's March on Washington has racked up over 11 million views and inspired a movement. Organized by Los Angeles-based musician MILCK, aka Connie Lim, the moving empowerment anthem was performed multiple times, flash mob-style, for unsuspecting onlookers around D.C. during the march.

And they're still singing it. This week, MILCK was invited to perform the song on TBS' Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, backed by GW Sirens and Capital Blend. Check it out (starting at 4:23):

Angry Reader of the Week: Lee Shorten

"I think good art asks interesting and important questions."



Hello, good people of the internet! It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Lee Shorten.

100+ AAPI orgs sign on to joint statement opposing Trump

"This is not business as usual, and we will not engage in business-as-usual tactics and strategies."



Over a hundred Asian American and Pacific Islander organizations, from community action groups to national civil rights orgs, have come together and signed on to a joint statement to resist the Trump administration.

Just days into this nightmare presidency and Donald Trump is signing executive orders left and right that have millions of Americans legitimately fearing for their healthy, safety and civil rights. Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders cannot stand by idly as this shit show of democracy ruins real lives and communities.

"We stand at a critical juncture in world history," the statement reads. "The election of Donald Trump as president of the United States represents a direct threat to millions of people's safety and to the health of the planet. As Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders committed to equality, inclusion, and justice, we pledge to resist any efforts by President-Elect Trump's administration to target and exploit communities, to strip people of their fundamental rights and access to essential services, and to use rhetoric and policies that divide the American people and endanger the world."

The statement calls on all Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to join the movement, refuse to legitimize or normalize Trump's administration, stand up to increased hate violence, and reject any of the administration's strategies that attempt to use AAPI as a wedge against other communities of color, among other principles.

Here's the full statement:

Ken's diagnosis could ruin the big game on 'Dr. Ken'

Watch a sneak peek clip from this week's 'Dr. Ken.'



This week on Dr. Ken, when the star of Molly's high school basketball team injures his ankle, Ken's routine exam and unexpected diagnosis shocks everyone since it might keep the young man from playing in the big game.

Inspired by executive producer/star Ken Jeong's real life and career as a medical doctor, ABC's multi-camera comedy Dr. Ken follows Dr. Ken Park, a physician with bad bedside manner trying to juggle medicine and being a family man to his wife and kids -- and not quite succeeding on either front.

Here's a sneak peek and some more info about this week's episode, "Ken and the Basketball Star"

No Ban, No Wall: A Resistance & Solidarity Vigil

Thursday, January 26 at JACCC in Los Angeles



Trump is signing executive orders to ban access to USA for people from Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen tomorrow. He is following through on his commitment to build a wall banning and deporting immigrants. The President and the Office continue to promote an agenda of hate and oppression.

If you're in Los Angeles, you're invited to join in solidarity with the #VigilantLOVE Coalition and South Asians for Justice - Los Angeles for a solidarity & resistance vigil against Islamophobia, state violence, and xenophobia.

It's happening Thursday evening, January 26 at the Japanese American Cultural and Community Center in Little Tokyo. Here are some more details.

Marvel's Asian American superheroes team up... for karaoke?

Totally Awesome Hulk #15 is Marvel's most unapologetically Asian American comic book issue of all time.



This is a dire situation that needs the attention of Marvel Comics' greatest Asian American superheroes! Amadeus Cho -- aka The Totally Awesome Hulk -- Ms. Marvel, Silk, Shang Chi, Jimmy Woo and Jake Oh have answered the call to action and assembled... at a bone marrow donor registration drive?

That's the opening scene of Totally Awesome Hulk #15, which is not only totally awesome, but quite possibly the most unapologetically Asian American issue of a comic book that Marvel Comics has ever published.

Starting with that bone marrow donor drive. As you may know, ethnicity matters when searching for a life-saving bone marrow match, and unfortunately, Asian Americans are seriously underrepresented on the National Marrow Donor Registry. And now you know. You can thank writer Greg Pak for that.

This Song is the Unofficial Anthem of the Women's March

Inspiring a cappella performance of MILCK's "Quiet" inspires a movement.



If you've paying to attention to some of the cooler stories coming out of last week's historic Women's March on Washington, you may have seen this flash mob singing "Quiet," organized by Los Angeles-based singer MILCK, aka Connie Lim. After video of the powerful performance garnered millions of views in a matter of hours, the song was being called the unofficial anthem of the Women's March movement.

Aziz Ansari is the SNL host we really needed this week

Comedian's razor-sharp opening monologue throws down a challenge to Donald Trump.



Over the weekend, comedian Aziz Ansari made his hosting debut on Saturday Night Live, becoming the show's first South Asian American host and only the fourth host of Asian descent in the sketch comedy institution's 42-year seasons. A historic moment of television, for sure, but also a moment perhaps made even more significant with Ansari serving as the first host following the inauguration of Donald Trump.

Because, as he has made quite apparent, Trump has an unreasonably obsessive, contentious relationship with Saturday Night Live. Because you could be absolutely certain that Trump, despite claiming to hate the show, was probably tuning in. And because you know Aziz was gonna bring it. And hell yeah, he did.

While most of the show was fairly standard fare, Ansari devoted his opening monologue to some razor-sharp standup directed at the new president -- "Pretty cool to know he's probably at home right now watching a brown guy make fun of him" -- and his supporters who have become "way too fired up about the Trump thing for the wrong reasons." You know, the racists who aren't pretending anymore and the "lower case kkk."

Best of all, Aziz throws down an important challenge at Trump, and offers a word of encouragement to those of us who are worried about this new regime: "If you look at our country's history, change doesn't come from presidents. Change comes from large groups of angry people. And if day one is any indication, you are part of the largest group of angry people I have ever seen." Amen, Aziz.

Watch:

When Angry Asian America showed up to march

Reader-submitted photos from the Women's March on Washington and beyond.



You may have heard that some people got together and marched on Saturday. In Washington DC and cities across the nation, an estimated 3.7 million took the streets -- the biggest one-day protest in U.S. history -- in widespread, vocal defiance of Donald Trump's presidency. This is the first day of the next four years.

I knew a lot of friends and readers of this blog would be participating, and I thought it might be fun to create a photo gallery of faces and sights from the Women's March. So I put a call out on social media asking for folks to send photos of themselves and their signs in action...

... And I got flooded with photos. People showed up. I received hundreds of amazing photos from people who participated in marches in cities all around the country. I received so many, I couldn't keep track, and there was no way I could process all of the photos into a gallery in any reasonable amount of time.

But here is a small sampling of the reader-submitted photos from the march. Thank you to everyone who sent one in. I apologize; not every photo I received made it into the gallery. People are still sending them as I write this, and I just had to cut it off. But I appreciate your support and enthusiasm. Stay Angry!

Asian Americans dominate at U.S. Figure Skating Championships

Karen Chen, Nathan Chen, and Maia and Alex Shibutani take gold.



Gold, baby. In what has to be an unprecedented, historic moment for the sport of figure skating, Asian Americans took home gold in three of the four events this weekend at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships: Karen Chen won the women's title, Nathan Chen took gold in the men's event, and Maia and Alex Shibutani nabbed their second consecutive national title in ice dancing. Whaaaaaat.

Read These Blogs

Attack on Alt-Right Leader Has Internet Asking: Is It O.K. to Punch a Nazi? For the record, I think it is totally okay. I will never not be okay with Nazis getting punched in the face.

* * *
How these Los Angeles-born pink hats became a worldwide symbol of the anti-Trump women's march: The story behind the worldwide movement known as the "pussyhat project" -- all of those pink hats at the Women's March on Washington -- begins with Krista Suh, her friends, and a lot of yarn.

* * *
20 Small Acts of Resistance to Make Your Voice Heard Over the Next 4 Years: From holding local government accountable to donating time and money to everyday actions, here is a handy list of ways to protest injustice and make the world a better place.

* * *
Under Trump, Approach to Civil Rights Law Is Likely to Change Definitively: Vanita Gupta, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division and the face of the Obama administration's efforts over the past two years, looks at the long road ahead as Trump takes office.

* * *
You might be thinking of someone else? Vanessa Hua on the common experience of one Asian American being mistaken for another, and how rooted in racist history and policies of such an interaction.

* * *
Her grandfather was sent to an internment camp - and never returned: Regina Boone pieces together her family history: from her grandparents' interracial relationship, her grandfather's time in internment, and her family's silence about this history.

* * *
Why Iron Fist Could Be Netflix's First Superhero Flop: With a fixation on Asian art and culture but a lack of Asian or Asian American actors in lead roles, Marvel's Iron Fist is likely full of dazzling action and not much else in the way of new ideas.

* * *
Justin Chon seeks to fill a hole in the history of the Los Angeles riots: Justin Chon's indie feature film Gook, which takes place against the backdrop of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, will have its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.

* * *
How Boba Became an Integral Part of Asian-American Culture in Los Angeles: Ever wonder where the boom of boba shops in LA came from? Clarissa Wei has got your back.

This Photo Perfectly Sums Up Inauguration Day

This woman flipped off Donald Trump during his inauguration speech.


@marygeorgant
The inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States of America (Lord, help us) has a lot of people feeling all sorts of things. But nothing quite sums up the moment for me quite like this photo. During Trump's first speech as president, this woman was spotted in the crowd at the National Mall, both middle fingers firmly outstretched in solemn salute at the newly sworn in leader of the free world.

She is my hero.

Angry Reader of the Week: Gene Cajayon

"Like most single parents, I have multiple hustles."


Photo Credit: Walter Talens
Hello, internet. It is time, once again, to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Gene Cajayon.

The Chinese Food T-Shirts You Never Knew You Needed

Chicken feet. Sausage buns. Gai lan. Curry fish balls. On a t-shirt.



Do you like Chinese food? I mean, do you really like Chinese food? Like, as a matter of pride? Then these badass, delicious-looking shirts from AYCE are for you. We're talking chicken feet, sausage buns, gai lan, curry fish balls -- the good stuff. Prominently and proudly featured on a white tee.

Created by friends Alex Wong, Jonathan Ng and Jamie Fung, these shirts are a celebration of food, culture and community. Alex says they were intentional about which dishes to highlight, specifically picking items that were close to their hearts, but might be considered more "offbeat" to someone unfamiliar with Chinese cuisine.

"A lot of western culture tends to cherry pick what they deem worthy when it comes to food items from other culture, whether it be Chinese or something else," Alex says. "These are food items that we feel are relevant to our culture that have either been rejected or not accepted yet. They're very much ours and relevant to us."