Alright. I’ve given up. I didn’t want to just upload all these links onto my posts and say it’s all good. Cause actually I like to send them to my friends and then debate and talk about them. You know relay instead of a straight race. But my friends are getting frustrated with me, cause 1. I send them so many each day, and 2. I can’t seem to track them well enough trough gmail chat anymore. So I might as well stop breaking and start posting.

alright, so I posted about this earlier, about neighborhood exclusion and I have an update about the situation in LA at Chino Hills and the possible moving in Ranch 99. The city council can’t do much because the Ranch 99 is replacing a Ralph’s which is another grocery market, so the space has already been approved for what Ranch 99 is going to use it for. People are still complaining but I’m like man, the neighborhood is already 40% AAPI, Ranch 99 isn’t going to change much…it’s already there. And why don’t you just use your ability to do some white flight and move to the next neighborhood.

Regarding the VTech incident, I’ve read so many articles/skimmed and they are all blending together at this point. Jeff Yang has a great article over on Salon about how did/does race play a factor in the shootings and after. And he also recounts the previous AAPI shooting cases of Gang Lu and Wayne Lo. It’s actually a really great article. Here, here are some reactions to AAPIs in public now after the incident. Here, here, and here are reactions of Koreans and what “should” be the Korean reaction. Ninja Pants, a music blog talks about the erosion of the model minority which I refuted in an earlier post.

I ran across this interesting article on the Asian American Press about the AAPI communities to the Don Imus Firing and how it wasn’t his first step over the line. He’s apologized before for comments regarding Chinese but never with the same result.

Last thing on my plate to get off, no wait. Second to last. The supreme court, the CONSERVATIVE supreme court just ruled on the partial-abortion ban. I’m not here to argue about life and right and wrong. This ban is dangerous because it makes no exception for the woman’s health. None at all. The difficulties of getting an abortion for low income women are just stacking up. Most of them cannot because of the Hyde Amendment, which restricts federal funds for abortions only in the case of rape, incest, and danger of woman’s health. We already ruled during Roe V. Wade that a right to privacy and choice includes abortion. This is opening the door for more questions and barriers for women. ARGH.

Last bit of business is the OCA radio station responses. The first one that I didn’t really get to track was the 105.1 “Are you smarter than an Asian Segmant”. A mother from New Jeresy called the office and I forwarded her to the New York chapter and all the New York, New Jersey Chapters reacted wonderfully. However there is a new one (yes I know, a new one?!). The newest is 92.3 which aired originally on April 5 right after the Imus incident, but was re-aired on April 19th. This clip is offensive to the very extreme, it touches all stereotypes of AAPIs, women, men, and the gay community. They call an asian resturant and act as rude as possible. I have the clip and will post later, but at this point, this is the press release. They are asking for a firing, unlike the 105.1 incident, so let’s call them and let them know how we feel!

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Vicki Shu Smolin, President, OCA-New York: 646-263-6044

Florence Chen, President, OCA-New Jersey: 201-755-3260

Jeannette Wang, President, OCA-Westchester & Hudson Valley: 914-552-0078

John Tandana, Executive Vice President, OCA-Long Island: 347-728-2612

OCA EXPRESSES OUTRAGE OVER 92.3FREE FM RACIST AND SEXIST RADIO SEGMENT

April 22, 2007 – Today, the New York metropolitan area chapters of the Organization of Chinese Americans – New York, New Jersey, Long Island and Westchester/Hudson Valley – expressed their outrage over a recent segment aired on WFNY 92.3Free FM that involved a prank call to a Chinese restaurant. In a letter to Thomas Chiusano, the station’s President and General Manager, OCA called for an immediate apology by the hosts of the racist, vulgar and sexist segment, JV & Elvis, their producer and the station. In addition, OCA demanded for the immediate firing of JV and Elvis and their show’s producer.

In the segment, the caller begins by telling the first restaurant employee, “I would like some Asian food, son of a bitch” as well as to the second employee, “I would love to have lots of Asian food, son of a bitch.” The caller then tells a the restaurant’s female employee, “Should I come to your restaurant so I can see you naked? “ and continues, “That way, I can see your hot Asian spicy ass.” As the caller goes on, he tells yet another employee that he would like some “flied lice,” but not “some old dung” and indicates that “I am training in Kung Fu, bitch” before ending with “Tell that hot Asian girl answering the telephone, I’d like to tap her ass.”

OCA-NY President, Vicki Shu Smolin,citing the letter, reiterates, “What is especially disturbing to the Asian American community is that the segment first aired on April 5 – just a day after Don Imus referred to the Scarlet Knights, the Rutgers University women’s basketball team, as ‘nappy-headed hos.’ Even more infuriating is that after CBS rightly fired Don Imus on April 12, JV & Elvis aired the segment AGAIN on April 19. It is apparent that not only did JV & Elvis not learn anything from the Don Imus scandal, but CBS and CBSRadio decided that Asian Americans are easy prey for racist radio broadcast.”

Ms. Florence Chen, President, OCA-New Jersey adds, “New Jersey is home to numerous technology, manufacturing and telecommunication firms and home to nearly three-quarters of a million Asian Pacific Americans. Until we are satisfied with the actions of 92.3FreeFM, we will be calling on the strength of the Asian American market to urge advertisers to pull their support.”

– more –

Mr. John Tandana, Executive Vice President, OCA-Long Island continues, “Once again, radio has tried to gain ratings to the detriment of Asian Americans. The segment lasted over six minutes, the entire time, casting Asian Americans and women in a demeaning manner. Asian Americans have and will continue to contribute immensely to this country’s economy, intellect and culture. We will not allow talk radio to spread stereotypes that hurt our community.”

Ms. Jeannette Wang, President, OCA-Westchester/Hudson Valley affirms that “If the executives of CBS, CBSRadio and 92.3FreeFM do not fire the DJs and their producer, they are sending a very strong message to the Asian American community that they do not care. A strong signal must be sent that this type of broadcasting is unacceptable.”

The OCA Chapters are urging its members and colleagues contact the following individuals to demand the apology from and firing of JV & Elvis and their producer:

Thomas Chiusano, President and General Manager, WFNY 92.3 Free FM
tchiusano@923freefm.com

40 W 57th St, Fl 14
New York, NY 10019-4001
(212) 314-9231

Leslie Moonves

President & CEO

CBS

51 West 52nd Street

New York, NY 10019-6188

John Mainelli, Program Director, WFNY, 92.3 Free FM
john.mainelli@cbsradio.com
WFNY-FM
40 W 57th St, Fl 14
New York, NY 10019-4001
(212) 314-9230

Karen Mateo, CBS Vice President of Communications
1515 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
(212) 846-7638
karen.mateo@cbsradio.com

###

Founded in 1973, OCA is a national non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans. With a national headquarters in Washington DC and over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country, OCA embraces the hopes and aspirations of the nearly 12 million Americans of Chinese and Asian/Pacific Islander ancestry in the United States.