United States HRES 1200: Recognizing the significance of the 40th anniversary of Vincent Chin's death.

Bill Text

IV
117TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION H. RES. 1200
Recognizing the significance of the 40th anniversary of Vincent Chin’s death.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
JUNE 23, 2022
Ms. CHU (for herself, Mrs. LEE of Nevada, Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of
New York, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. MATSUI, Mr. LOWENTHAL, Ms. CLARK of
Massachusetts, Mr. TAKANO, Mr. LIEU, Mrs. LAWRENCE, Mr. TRONE,
Mr. KHANNA, Ms. DELBENE, Ms. ESHOO, Ms. BONAMICI, Ms. MENG,
and Mr. CASE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on the Judiciary
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the significance of the 40th anniversary of
Vincent Chin’s death.
Whereas June 23, 2022, marks the 40th anniversary of the
death of Vincent Jen Chin;
Whereas Chin, a United States citizen of Chinese descent,
lived in Michigan during an economic recession when fac-
tories were being closed and workers were being laid off,
leading some to blame Japanese imports for the chal-
lenges facing the United States automobile industry;
Whereas the economic challenges in Detroit resulted in strong
anti-Japanese sentiments, including acts of vandalism
against Japanese cars, threats against Japanese car own-
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•HRES 1200 IH
ers, disparaging signs, and attempts to burn the Japa-
nese flag in protest;
Whereas Chin, who was celebrating his upcoming wedding
with friends in the Detroit area, was chased down and
beaten to death with a baseball bat by two men who ac-
cused him of being responsible for the loss of automobile
manufacturing jobs in the United States;
Whereas Chin’s killers were found guilty of manslaughter and
sentenced to 3 years of probation and a $3,000 fine,
never serving a day in jail for Chin’s murder;
Whereas the tragedy of Chin’s death became a primary cata-
lyst for a unified, panethnic Asian American and Pacific
Islander (AAPI) movement and united people from all
communities to fight against hate;
Whereas the lessons of Chin’s death still hold critical rel-
evance today as we address the ongoing challenges of
hate crimes, profiling, xenophobia, and bullying;
Whereas anti-Asian hate has occurred throughout our na-
tion’s history and continues in the present day;
Whereas it was anti-Asian hate that fueled the Chinese
American Exclusion Act of 1882, the imprisonment of
120,000 innocent Japanese Americans during World War
II, and attacks targeting Muslim, Middle Eastern, Arab,
Sikh, and South Asian communities after 9/11;
Whereas, in 2021, anti-Asian hate crimes increased by 339
percent, and in 2020, they increased by 124 percent;
Whereas over 11,000 anti-Asian hate incidents have been re-
ported to Stop AAPI Hate since March 2020, and many
more have gone unreported;
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•HRES 1200 IH
Whereas far too many have lost their lives to the most recent
wave of anti-Asian hate;
Whereas a recent survey found that between 2021 and 2022,
Americans have become more likely to suspect that Asian
Americans are more loyal to the countries they or their
families immigrated from than the United States;
Whereas the most recent wave of anti-Asian hate stems not
only from the pandemic but also from broader rhetoric
around economic competition with China, mirroring the
hate that fueled the brutal attack that killed Vincent
Chin; and
Whereas history is once again repeating itself as anti-Asian
hate rises in a time of economic anxiety: Now, therefore,
be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 1
(1) recognizes the significance of the 40th anni-2
versary of Vincent Chin’s death as an important 3
time to reflect on the dangers of xenophobia and 4
scapegoating of Asian and Asian-American commu-5
nities; 6
(2) recognizes that anti-Asian hate continues to 7
plague our country; and 8
(3) mourns all those who have lost their lives to 9
anti-Asian hate. 10
Æ
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