Vietnamese fisherman’s death labeled a hate-crime by Asian-Americans, but not by authorities

Monday, September 10, 2007

Even though John J. Haley, 31 - who was charged with the murder of Du Doan, 62 in Chicago - is reported as having previous altercations with other Asian-American fisherman, including being charged for battery and assult - the police are still being cautious about calling the murder a hate-crime.

But that’s not stopping those around him from saying different:

“There were a lot of people out at the harbor early that morning from different backgrounds. Why did the alleged perpetrator pick on those individuals?” said Ben Lumicao, an adviser on the city’s Commission on Human Relations. “Everyone in the Asian-American community had the same reaction: That could have been me or my uncle or my grandfather.

”We do think this should be labeled a hate crime,” said Myron Dean Quon, legal director of the Asian-American Institute. “Our organization has gotten lots of calls from concerned residents. This has left the Asian-American community on edge and wary.”

Read more here and here.