Asian Pacific American Community Newspaper Serving Sacramento and Yolo Counties - Volume 30, No
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Asian Pacific American Community Newspaper Serving Sacramento and Yolo Counties - Volume 30, No. 3 Fall/October 2017 Fight against domestic violence INSIDE CURRENTS The September 13th tragic death of three makes him eligible for the death penalty. The ACC Senior Services - 3 Asian children in West Sacramento shocked the incident was initially reported to the police as a entire region. The choking deaths of 11 year old domestic violence assault, but became a triple Chinese Am.Council Sac-7 Kelvin, 9 year old Julie and 7 month old Lucas homicide after Mai Hodges upon arriving home allegedly by their own father Robert Hodges from work discovered her children’s bodies don’t feel safe. On September 12th, a citizen was a shock to family and neighbors alike. In inside the apartment. A GoFundMe campaign group asked the Davis City Council to formally addition to three counts of first degree murder, has raised more than $31,000 for her expenses denounce the imam’s sermon and the anti- Hodges, 32, is also being charged with the within the first week. Semitic motivation behind it. attempted murder of his wife and the children’s mother Mai Sheng Hodges. The murder of the What could have been happened While America is great for its First older children was charged “by means of laying differently? Could family, neighbors, or Mai Amendment freedom to speak our minds, we in wait” and Hodges was also charged with Hodges’ co-workers at a local casino detected expect our public leaders to role model positivity special circumstances - multiple murders - which and interrupted this domestic violence? Could and inclusiveness. The problem is both that the the school age children share worries with imam said those hurtful words, but that he even school personnel? Was Robert Hodges’ mental had those sentiments inside himself and lacked health condition obvious? Did anyone take their sufficient self control to keep those thoughts heads out of their cellphones long enough to inside. Imam Shahin failed as a leader and has see, listen, care, and perhaps figure out that caused a lot of hurt all around. there was a serious problem brewing in the Hodges household. Is anyone bold enough to step in, ask “Is anything wrong at home?” and Asian Pacific community get involved? These tragedies, like suicides, usually do not happen without some detectable joins fight against travel clue. As caring people, we all need to reach help and offer help to those around us. bans Permit No. 324 No. Permit The US Supreme Court has avoided the Davis imam outrages issue by cancelling its October 10th arguments over whether Trump’s (first) revised travel ban or current resident current or community was legal. Two federal appeals court have blocked central parts of the ban. One court said Davis Islamic Center’s (ICD) Imam Ammar U.S. Postage PAID Postage U.S. Shahin on July 21th shocked the Muslim and the ban violated the Constitution because it other communities. Shahin’s emotional sermon discriminated based on religion. The other court called to God to “liberate the Al-Aqsa Mosque said the travel ban exceeded the president’s NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION PROFIT NON from the filth of the Jews” and “anniliate them statutory authority to control immigration. down to the very last one. Do not spare any Others say the issue is moot because that ban of them.” The sermon came on the heels of a expired and Trump has now issued his Muslim Sacramento California Sacramento violent attack at the Al-Aqsa Mosque, a holy site Ban version 3.0. for Jews and Muslims in East Jerusalam where three Arab gunmen killed two Israeli police In June, the US Supreme Court officers guarding the mosque entrance. temporarily reinstated the ban imposed by Trump’s second executive order, excluding Several community demonstrations people without a credible claim of a bona fide denounced the sermon over the following relationship with someone or some entity in weeks after the transcript was released and its the US. The federal court in Hawaii tried to accuracy and interpretation was debated. The exclude refugees in the resettlement process imam apologized, “The last thing I would do is with domestic agency assurances from Trump’s intentionally hurt anyone - Muslim, Jewish or second ban, but the US Supreme blocked this otherwise. I do understand now how words decision. Some courts have extended the were hurtful and I’m sorry.” The imam had definition of “bona fide relationship” to include also explained that he was caught up in his grandparents and other relatives which the US emotions and said things that he did not intend Supreme Court has allowed to stand. to include in the sermon. The ICD board issued its statement in July: “The ICD will always stand In February, the Asian American Legal against anti-Semitism similarly to how the Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) joined the Jewish community has always stood against Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality 95822 California Sacramento P.O. Box 22909 Box P.O. (Korematsu Center, established by the children Asian Pacific State Employees Assn. Employees State Pacific Asian Islamophobia in our close-knit community. We have a zero tolerance for anti-Semitism or any of litigants in the Japanese WWII incarceration other form of bigotry. cases), civil rights organizations, and national and New York bar associations of color, in filing Some in the Davis community says that an amicus brief in Darweesh and State of New the apologies are no longer enough and they Continued on Page 8 PAGE2-Fall/October 2017 STOP the fence at Tule Lake - Outcry needed The Tule Lake Committee is asking everyone to ACT to help save the historic Tule Lake concentration camp and segregation center site from further destruction. The Tule Lake concentration camp is located in Modoc County in Northern California, and is recognized as the most infamous segregation center where Japanese Americans who protested the mass incarceration were punished for speaking out. Of the ten concentration camps, Tule Lake War Relocation Center was the prison camp - it has the most guard towers and security. Modoc County recently sent out notices requesting public “COMMENT” on the airport fence they sought to construct over the past decade, to close off the airport that occupies two-thirds of the concentration camp site. In July 2014, the Tule Lake Committee filed a lawsuit seeking Modoc County’s compliance with environmental laws, and for the past three years, was engaged in discussions about the airport with Modoc County, including settling the lawsuit. However, Modoc County’s recent Notices of Public Scoping and requests for comment, indicate the County has unilaterally abandoned settlement discussions and begun to comprehend the traumatic injustice created planning to build the fence. A fence will do nothing to protect crop by the racism, fed by wartime greed and hysteria dusting planes from collisions with birds. The and failed political leadership that led to the It is critically important that community County’s announcement also stated that the mass incarceration. members and organizations respond now to airport is a pathway for mule deer. Modoc Modoc County’s request for comments about County’s wildlife hazard survey did not make The Tule Lake site has not yet been this destructive fence proposal for the Tulelake such a finding. It did, however, show that one comprehensively surveyed to document surface airport. The deadline for comments, by letter or deer was spotted at the airport, plus 53 rabbits, and subsurface historic WWII resources. email, ends in less than a month, on October 10, dogs and squirrels. The far greater danger Consequently, it is a priority to identify 2017 at 5 PM. The public notices are posted at: identified in the Tulelake Airport survey was structures and artifacts before more damage www.co.modoc.ca.us/departments/airports 3,172 individual birds and flocks of birds on or to the site takes place. In July 2014, the Tule near the runway. Lake Committee sought legally-mandated Please send your comments to: environmental review of the entire airport area, Mitch Crosby, Modoc County Road In the past year, the Tule Lake Committee which occupies 2/3rds of the former Tule Lake Commissioner participated in talks with Modoc County, the site. However, instead of conducting careful 202 West 4th Street FAA, other state and federal agencies and examination of the entire area WITHIN the fence Alturas, CA 96101 local representatives, hoping to promote project, including subsurface review, the County understanding of the historic site’s significance, and the FAA have argued their environmental Or email: [email protected] urging it be protected, not destroyed. Seeking a responsibility is confined to surveying only a long-term solution to the problem of preserving narrow strip of land where the 3-mile long fence If emailing comments to Modoc County, an irreplaceable historic site, we raised the issue would directly lie. please write in the SUBJECT line: TULELAKE of moving the Tulelake airport to a less sensitive AIRPORT PERIMETER FENCE PROJECT and nearby location. It was clear to all interested Although the issue of safety from wildlife include your name and physical address in the parties that a small airport can be moved. It is strikes is the rationale for a massive airport message. You can request your physical address not possible to move a historic site. fence, in the history of the airport’s operation, be redacted due to personal safety reasons, there were no reported complaints of wildlife however, Modoc County cannot guarantee it will Modoc County and the FAA need to or wildlife strikes.