Racial violence changes student — and school

[cowcommander]

Source: AP

PHILADELPHIA – Duong Nghe Ly can't wait to begin his senior year at South Philadelphia High School. A day of violence there last year changed his life, and he wants to learn if his school has been transformed as well.

Last Dec. 3, after years of attacks on Asian immigrant students, something finally snapped.

Fueled by rumors, a group of students roamed the halls searching for Asian victims until one was attacked in a classroom. Later, about 70 students stormed the cafeteria, where several Asians were beaten. About 35 students pushed past a police officer onto the so-called "Asian floor," but were turned back. After school, Asians being escorted home were attacked anyway by a mob of youths.

Almost all the attackers were black — but few observers believe the violence was due to racial hatred. Instead, they cite isolation of different groups within the school, certain students' warped "gangster" values, and for some, simmering resentments over perceived benefits for Asian students.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100905/ap_on_re_us/us_a_student_s_journey

[Jkid]

1. Doing something...

Do something, even if you think it's not worth it.

[johnroshan]

2. wow..

African Americans beating up somebody due to racial hatred? Boy, do those kids have a poor memory.

However, when has prior discrimination ever stopped one group from turning around and doing it to another group? Its almost like we look for chances to be the top dog and once we're there, we don't think twice about oppressing others.

[primavera]

7. Sad but true

There have been a great many studies conducted over the years which consistently show that racism is very pronounced amongst immigrant populations, for precisely the reason you state: having been treated like crap for generations, they're eager to find someone lower on the social totem pole than themselves, to whom they can bequeath their bottom of the barrel social and economic status.

[Francesca9]

10. What immigrants?

There was nothing in this about "immigrants'.

It is about racially motivated beatings.

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Hello? Are you from here?

A large number http://www.apaforprogress.org/anti-asian-violence-south-philadelphia-schools">ARE immigrants (i.e., their parents brought them here when they were young children or infants).

This neighborhood where the school is located was once poor Irish and free/freed Africans and gradually the Irish left and the Italians moved in and clashed with the descendants of those free Africans (by then, multi-generational native born). And eventually many Italians left (except for some pockets who remain) after many Hmong were brought here in the late '70s/early '80s after the Vietnam war, most of whom (along with those from the entire peninsula including Vietnam, Laos, & Cambodia) eventually settled - or better, WERE SETTLED there by the city - in SW Philadelphia.... And they are still coming since there is obviously an established community there (as opposed to where many Koreans and Chinese are in entirely different areas of the city).

There is a horrible overlay that is going on with respect to the use of language (particularly slang) as many immigrant children and their parents attempt to learn English. One of the ugliest being one ethnic group using what another would consider a slur term (because they may use it to describe themselves but your group better not use it, etc, which exasperates the problem).

None of this is new. This city has been having ad hoc race riots over the entire 3 centuries of its existence as various immigrant groups passed through.

[BoneDaddy]

17. Really?

I have found African Americans to be just as racist as any other group. And more homophobic than most.

[demigoddess]

13. not poor memory, they felt they were treated second class to whites

and now second class to asians. it has happened before and in other places.

[immoderate]

3. Well, I've never been to Philadelphia when someone didn't offer to beat me up.

Not sure why, seems to have something to do with "who you lookin' at?"

So this does not surprise me.

[sulphurdunn]

4. Its pretty sorry when cops, teachers and administrators

won't stop rioting in their own school. The only kids that should have been hurt were the ones leading the mob.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. I have seen things like this for years. A more recent event involving one of my daughters

According to some, the violation of some unwritten and constantly changing set of "rules" allows the offended to beat the crap out of you. If you have the temerity to resist, it only gets worse. If you win the fight, you need to change schools, or better yet states.

[MellowDem]

6. I like how they say it isn't due to racial hatred...

but that's complete crap. If whites did this, it would automatically be thought of as racism. The truth is, most of the racial hatred today is not based off of the theory of racism as much as just plain old bigotry and tribalism. They get it right when it is blacks doing the hating, but they almost always get it wrong when it is the whites doing the hating. They actually identify the source of the conflict in this case, so they can actually address the problem. That is what is needed more. Too many times if it is whites that are the perpetrators it's just an "oh well, whites are racist" explanation with no apparant solution other than fighting the idea of racism. Well, this obviously hasn't been working, because it obviously isn't the main problem.

But yes, this was violence based on racial identities, no doubt about it. No need to whitewash it because it was blacks doing the hating.

This story also clearly illustrates the huge role that culture plays in succeeding in the US. The Asian students don't have more opportunities in this case and are not more privileged. But they do have a strong family base that encourages education. That makes all the difference. So the question is how to change the culture of these poverty stricken black communities. Because it's not just poverty, though that doesn't help. You have Asian families in poverty that still have a very good cultural background to succeed.

I don't know what the solution is to change something like the destructive aspects of a culture. I don't think it can be done by government programs. I do think poverty reduction programs can help overall, but that won't change the culture either of these inner city areas.

I also wonder why these kids won't be charged with a hate crime. There seems to be a glaring double standard here that is only going to hurt race relations more.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. IMHO, your explanation is a bit over-simplified

and plays into the very type of broad brush assumptions and stereotypes of Asians that you claim is going on with Caucasians (e.g., your comment "they do have a strong family base that encourages education"). It's this sort of thing that exacerbates the problem.

There are many different Asian ethnic groups who live here in Philadelphia and a Korean is no more similar to a Vietnamese or Chinese or Cambodian than a Jamaican would be to an Ethiopian or a multi-generational mixed-ethnic African-American - all living here in this city.

There are http://www.southphillyreview.com/news/73706222.html">Asian gangs in S. Philly and some of the most heinous and vicious crimes have recently been committed here in the various Asian communities. There is a little-discussed major Asian drug trade going on in South Philadelphia and http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/20100825_Woman_at_center_of_Asian_drug-trafficking_ring_gets_nearly_six-year_term.html">one of the kingpins was recently sentenced. So much of it flies under the radar because overall, their population is small compared to the rest (but they are often linked to the more-discussed California Asian gangs).

In many high schools, there is alot of "trash talking" between and among all the races/ethnic groups and it sadly escalates resulting in harm to those who don't want to bother with the crap and just want to go to school to learn. Bullies are bullies no matter where they came from and no matter the ethnic/racial group. Other parts of the city and other high schools, where you have poor Whites, Hispanics, and Blacks defacto-segregated after a century of redlining, have the identical problems of racial/ethnic intimidation yet it has so become "the norm" that it doesn't stand out like this situation.

If anything, the common denominator is economic despair.

I grew up in a neighborhood that is not only racially diverse (including inter-racial marriages), but religiously diverse (and inter-religious marriages), and gender diverse (i.e., GBLT and their families have been welcomed for decades and many are or have gone to other states to marry). The difference? Economically middle - upper-middle class.

The definition of "racism" to many of us with respect to application to the majority race - Whites - and specifically those who practice bigotry based on race, has the caveat that that community has always had the POWER (whether by the laws that they enacted or by sheer numbers of population) to ENFORCE their bigotry. For these microcosm segregated communities, where Asians are a small minority, the "street" has "made the rules" enforced by the "majority" (who may be Black). However what trumps all this is the real law that no Black controls (although Obama may to some extent - the first time in this nation's history).

This country's "forefathers" created a nightmare for pure economic reasons and convoluted means for increasing their wealth were devised to maintain the brutal subjugation of non-Europeans for free labor (reducing their need to deal with the hassles of indentured servants). And the insidiousness of their methods persists today as we continue to navigate their booby-traps and land mine tactics now being used by all groups against one another.

[MellowDem]

14. Well, I never said "all" Asians or what have you...

I am of course speaking in generalities. And generally, Asians, even from the many different backgrounds they come from, have a strong family background that encourages education, relative to other ethnicities. That was my point. Of course when you speak in generalities you are broad brushing, but yes of course obviously there are exceptions to the rule.

I agree that the real problem is almost always economics and fighting for some scrap of pie. It isn't that the races really hate each other. The thing is that Aisans in general have been able to succeed very well economically in the US compared to other ethnic groups and that there is a reason for that.

[BoneDaddy]

20. So when does the responsibility

to change one's situation be primarily up to those people who are in the thick of it or will, until time immemorial, will we keep blaming the very ugly history that birthed it? At the very least it is a collective responsibility but to sit back and continue to throw our hands up in the air and blame two hundred year old forefathers seems an impotent stance and counterproductive to any real change.

[AngryAmish]

8. "We owe this country a lot," Tu Ly says

"The government paid a lot of money for my wife's operation. We will work our best to contribute to society. My children can choose whatever job they like, as long as they do something to contribute to this country."

What are you doing to contribute to this country? Do you feel any obligation to contribute to this country?

[Odin2005]

12. Wow, just wow. I'm fucking speechless.

:wow: :cry:

[Heywood J]

15. Aside from the race issues, the fact that thirty five students

felt perfectly comfortable charging a (presumably armed) police officer to assault someone is rather telling. If lynch mobs are regularly forming to assault others, it's time to bring in the tactical response teams to restore order.

I keep getting the sense that we've failed the next generation.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

16. I am also surprised that among the targeted students there wasn't one who was trained

in some form of martial arts. Graphically dropping a few miscreants tends to make the rest of the group slow down and think if they want more of the same. Its what saved my daughter when she was targeted.

[superconnected]

18. Okay, I'm shocked that people did this. Where were the teachers?

[Lightning Count]

19. Almost all the attackers were black — but few observers believe the violence was due to racial

hatred.

Instead, they cite isolation of different groups within the school, certain students' warped "gangster" values, and for some, simmering resentments over perceived benefits for Asian students."

Huh?