March 22, 2009

  • Early in the morning of March 2, 2009, Thanh Hong, a Vietnamese American student at the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB), and his Asian American friend walked home through Isla Vista – the college town adjacent to the UCSB campus. On their way home, Thanh and his friend passed in front of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house. Four men emerged from inside the fraternity house, approached Thanh and his friend, and began yelling racial epithets at them including: “Chink,” “Chinamen,” and “Gook.”

    Thanh and his friend tried to walk away, but before they could, however, one of the men -- without provocation -- punched Thanh’s friend in the face, and then attacked Thanh. The man from the fraternity house continued using racial slurs during the attack. Eventually, he stopped his attack and started laughing, providing Thanh and his friend an opportunity to escape. Thanh suffered a facial laceration requiring several stitches and his friend suffered a concussion resulting in partial memory loss.

    The University of California Police Department and the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office were called and opened an investigation into the case. The police questioned members of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity who all denied any involvement. The fraternity also denied that any attack had taken place, even though the sidewalk in front of their house was stained with Thanh’s fresh blood.

    As a part of the Greek life at the Universityof California, at Davis,, as well as an Asian American Studies major, this incident is one that I can relate to. I think about the Vincent Chin incident, as well as the time in 2000 that I and other students of color were harassed by a group of people driving by. History has a tendency to repeat itself. and I wonder if we will repeat the same mistakes.