Commentary

COMMENTARY: The Agony and Normalcy of Gun Violence in America

When it comes to gun violence in America, it’s go big or get ignored. No one cares about the single victim. Unless there’s some strange twist, it won’t get the kind of media coverage that results in public outrage, with hundreds of people in the streets demanding that politicians take action.

Published

1 month ago

April 28, 2023

Oakland Post

Emil Guillermo is an independent journalist/commentator.

Emil Guillermo

When it comes to gun violence in America, it’s go big or get ignored.

No one cares about the single victim.

Unless there’s some strange twist, it won’t get the kind of media coverage that results in public outrage, with hundreds of people in the streets demanding that politicians take action.

We saw it recently in Tennessee.

And that’s why I want to tell you about the boy known to his mother as “Thai-Thai.”

Thai Khin was a young Asian American you never heard of unless you live in Stockton, California.

Unlike many teens in high school thinking about college and their future, there will be no tomorrow for Khin.

Not like another former Stockton resident who is now the mayor of Oakland.

No, Thai Khin is a 17-year-old with a GoFundMe page — to help his family pay for his funeral.

Khin was shot and killed on Wednesday, April 12 during school hours.

It wasn’t a school shooting. It was school-adjacent.

Khin wasn’t in class at César Chávez High School. He was in a nearby Unity Park playing basketball with a buddy.

That’s when someone tried to rob his friend of the gold necklace around his neck.

The buddy was pistol-whipped; Khin stepped in and tried to stop the fight.

The perp reacted by taking out a gun and putting a bullet into Khin, who died later at a local hospital.

“He had this joy for life. He was always smiling, always cracking jokes,” Jennifer Khin, Thai’s aunt, told the Stockton newspaper. “That’s what he did. If you were around Thai, you were smiling and you were laughing.”

But this was no joke. And now Thai Khin is part of America’s sad legacy.

Another one.

One is a bad number for a gun story. Because a single-victim incident is just a statistic in the Gun Violence Archive.

I reached out to Khin’s family, but I haven’t heard back. I still wanted to write about Khin because an Asian American dying from a gunshot wound shouldn’t be considered normal in America.

And because Khin’s kind of shooting death shouldn’t be greeted with relative silence.

When an Asian American teenager is shot and killed, we all should notice.

But last Monday on the week Khin died, America was already “gunned out” with the Louisville bank shooting, where five were killed.

America paid attention to that.

Yet, how many of the victims in Louisville can we recall a week later?

Or even the Nashville Covenant school shooting on March 27 that claimed three 9-year-olds and three adults in Tennessee?

For that matter, how many of the victims do we remember from the Uvalde school shooting in Texas last year?

Do you recall any of these victims?

There are either too many, or not enough. That’s America’s short attention span.

It appears that the media’s preference is to cover the mass shootings in America. They’re the newsworthy ones.

Single shootings happen so frequently now they are not considered newsworthy.

In other words, it’s what’s normal in America.

When Thai Khin died last week, the Gun Violence Archive, which usually shows deaths within the last 72 hours, listed Khin as the 76th death between April 11 and April 14. I counted 395 people injured. And 104 deaths.

If it were 104 gun deaths in a single event, maybe we’d all finally take notice and force legislators to take action.

But spread the gun deaths out over 72 hours and 104 deaths sound few alarms in America.

Most of the deaths also don’t appear to be caused by a high-powered AR-15 style weapon.

Many were simple handguns.

And that’s why banning assault weapons shouldn’t be the sole remedy as we look for answers. We should be focusing on America’s love of violence.

A gun is just a tool.

We need to talk more about ending violence, period.

How do we do that as a society? Fund public meditation classes? Or public mediation? Teach people non-violent communication skills? And not just for adults but for teens like Thai Khin?

Those paths may be more fruitful than waiting for politicians to defeat the gun lobby.

Consider how this past weekend was the 16th anniversary of the Virginia Tech assault where 32 people were murdered — 27 students and five faculty members in 2007. The Asian American perp also died.

Since then, there has been some legislative action, including background checks, but does any of that really get to the root cause? It impacts the tool. It doesn’t solve the problem. Focusing merely on weapons alone keeps us from the peace we seek as a society.

What if we bypassed the gun lobby and tried to figure out what happens in our personal interactions before a gun, or any weapon, becomes the “go to” answer.

Until we can do that, we won’t solve a thing.

As I write, there were more shootings reported over the past weekend.

The mass shooting was in Dadeville, Ala., where four young people were gunned down at a Sweet 16 party. Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23; Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19; Philstavious Dowdell, 18; Shaunkivia (KeKe) Nicole Smith, 17. There were 32 others injured. The perp is still on the loose.

In Kansas City, Ralph Yarl, 16, is still alive. But when he rang the doorbell of the wrong house looking for his siblings, why did 84-year-old resident Andrew Lester reach for a .32 caliber handgun? Why didn’t he offer a welcoming hand and say hello?

Lester, white, said he saw Yarl, a Black boy, and was in fear for his life.

How do we fix the implicit bias on Lester’s part?

That’s where our efforts should be.

And it’s not just race. A young white female, Kaylin Gillis, 20, in rural upstate New York pulled into a driveway by mistake. As she left, the white resident Kevin Monahan fired two shots, one killing Gillis. Why was the gun his first and not last resort?

In those cases, at least the perps have been apprehended.

In Thai Khin’s case, the perp got away and is still on the loose.

Justice?

Nobody is even thinking about justice for Thai Khin.

Visit the GoFundMe page for Thai Khin: https://www.gofundme.com/f/thai-khin

NOTE: I will talk about this column and other matters on “Emil Amok’s Takeout,” my micro-talk show. Live @2p Pacific. Livestream on Facebook; my YouTube channel; and Twitter. Catch the recordings on www.amok.com.

Emil Guillermo is an independent journalist/commentator.

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Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

Published

7 days ago

June 2, 2023

Oakland Post

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 31 = June 6, 2023

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Activism

Community Opposes High Rise Development That Threatens Geoffrey’s Inner Circle

City Council chambers were full for the May 17 Planning Commission hearing, and almost all the 40 speakers who had signed up to make presentations talked about the importance of the Inner Circle as part of Oakland and Geoffrey Pete as a stalwart community and business leader who has served the city for decades.

Published

1 week ago

May 30, 2023

Oakland Post

Geoffrey Pete went to City Hall to appeal the city Planning Commission’s approval of the high-rise development that threatens the closure of his 44-year historic cultural mecca. Photo by Jonathan ‘Fitness’ Jones.

By Ken Epstein

An outpouring of community supporters – young, old, jazz lovers, environmentalists and committed Oakland partisans – spoke out at a recent Planning Commission hearing to support Geoffrey Pete and his cultural center – The Inner Circle – an historic Oakland landmark whose future is threatened by a proposed skyscraper that out-of-town-developer Tidewater Capital wants to build in the midst of the city’s Black Arts Movement and Business District (BAMBD).

The speakers argued passionately and persuasively, winning the sympathy of the commissioners, but were ultimately unsuccessful as the Commission unanimously approved the high-rise to be built either as a residential building or office tower on Franklin Street directly behind Geoffrey’s building.

Mr. Pete has said he would appeal the decision to the City Council. He has 10 days after the hearing to file an appeal on the office building. His appeal on the residential tower has already been submitted.

Mr. Pete said the Planning Department still has not published the boundaries of the BAMBD. “Tidewater’s applications and subsequent applications should not be approved until the Planning Department fully acknowledges the existence of the BAMBD,” he said.

“This (proposed) building poses a grave danger to the historic (Inner Circle) building next to it, arguably Oakland’s most meaningful historic building,” Pete said.

“We’re here to advocate for what’s best for the African American district and community that has gotten no representation, no advocacy, as of yet,” he said. “The (commission) is guilty, the City of Oakland is guilty, and Tidewater is guilty.”

One of the first speakers was Gwendolyn Traylor, known as Lady SunRise, who directly addressed the developers.

“With all due to respect to your business, it’s not a need of this community. I would like to ask you to reconsider the location …What is being (promised) here does not add to the healing of this community,” she said.

Naomi Schiff of the Oakland Heritage Alliance emphasized that Geoffrey’s Inner Circle is a treasure of Oakland’s history.

“Our first concern is the integrity of the historic district, in particular the former Athenian-Nile Club, now Mr. Pete’s equally historic venue, which has been the location of a great number of important community events,” she said. “It would not be OK with us if the integrity of the building were damaged in any way, no matter how much insurance (the developer bought) because it is very difficult to repair a historic building once it’s damaged.”

The Inner Circle was previously owned and operated by the Athenian-Nile Club, one of the Bay Area’s largest all-white-male exclusive private membership club, where politicians and power brokers closed back-room deals over handshakes and three martini lunches.

Cephus “Uncle Bobby X” Johnson pointed out that commissioners and the city’s Planning Department have “acknowledged that you went through the entire design review process without even knowing that the Black Arts Movement and Business District existed.”

The district was created in 2016 by City Council resolution. “At the heart of the opposition to this building is the desire to further the legacy of local Black entertainment and entrepreneurship exemplified by businesses like Mr. Pete’s … a historical landmark and venue (that serves) thousands of people who listen to jazz and other entertainment and hold weddings, receptions, and memorial services,” said Uncle Bobby.

This development is taking place within a context in which the “Black population in Oakland has decreased rapidly … because of the city’s concentration on building houses that are not affordable for people who currently live in Oakland,” he said.

John Dalrymple of East Bay Residents for Responsible Development said, “This project will result in significant air quality, public health, noise, and traffic impacts. He said the city has not adequately studied the (unmitigated) impacts of this project on the Black Arts Movement and Business District.

“This project is an example of what developers are being allowed to do when they don’t have to follow the law, and they don’t have to be sensitive to our city’s culture and values,” he said. The commission should “send a signal today that we will no longer be a feeding ground for the rich.”

Prominent Oakland businessman Ray Bobbitt told commissioners, “Any decision that you make is a contribution to the systemic process that creates a disproportionate impact on Black people. Please do yourself a favor, (and) rethink this scenario. Give Mr. Pete, who is a leader in our community, an opportunity to set the framework before you make any decision.”

Though the City Council created the BAMBD, the 2016 resolution was never implemented. The district was created to “highlight, celebrate, preserve and support the contributions of Oakland’s Black artists and business owners and the corridor as a place central historically and currently to Oakland’s Black artists and Black-owned businesses.”

The district was intended to promote Black arts, political movements, enterprises, and culture in the area, and to bring in resources through grants and other funding.

Activism

Emil Guillermo: ‘Strong Like Bamboo’ Stories of AAPI Resilience at Oakland Asian Cultural Center

The name from the project came from the husband and partner of Nancy Wang, a psychotherapist as well as an ASIA member and a founder of Eth-Noh-TEC, Robert Kukuchi-Yngoho, who came up with ‘Strong Like Bamboo.’ “There’s an ancient anecdote that a single bamboo piece can be bent and eventually broken,” said Kukuchi-Yngoho. “But when you put together many bamboos, they are strong like iron. As Asian Americans that’s who we are as a community.”

Published

2 weeks ago

May 27, 2023

Oakland Post

Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St, Oakland, CA 94607

By Emil Guillermo

During the pandemic, I was in a group of Asian American storytellers based in the Bay Area on a weekly Zoom call when six Korean American women were killed in what has come to be known as the Atlanta Spa killings in March of 2021.

From that point on, the storytellers of Asian American Storytellers in Action (ASIA) realized we all had stories of discrimination and hate worth sharing.

The group’s discussion through the pandemic has resulted in “Strong Like Bamboo: Stories of Resilience for Healing in the Era of Anti-AAPI Violence,” a community event Sunday May 28 at the Oakland Asian Cultural Center from 2:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.

“I asked myself ‘how do we heal?’ How do we respond to the crises we’re going through,” said Nancy Wang, a psychotherapist as well as an ASIA member and a founder of Eth-Noh-TEC, a storytelling theater based in San Francisco.

“I thought it would be great to gather to hear other people’s stories about discrimination they have experienced but came through it somehow as an inspiration for others to also find solace and support and strength in dealing with what’s going on.

“We all need to know we’re not alone,” she added. “That we have each other and we have allies.”

The name from the project came from Nancy’s husband and partner Robert Kukuchi-Yngoho, who came up with “Strong Like Bamboo.”

“There’s an ancient anecdote that a single bamboo piece can be bent and eventually broken,” said Kukuchi-Yngoho. “But when you put together many bamboos, they are strong like iron. As Asian Americans that’s who we are as a community.”

The free, three-hour event will feature storytelling from six professional storytellers (including yours truly) and others from the national AAPI community like Alton Takiyama Chung from Portland, Ore., MJ Kang from Los Angeles, and Linda Yemoto from the Bay Area.

Afterward, Russell Jeong, professor of Ethnic Studies at San Francisco State, will lead a group discussion of the stories. Jeong is also the co-founder of #StopAAPIHate which recorded more than 14,000 instances of self-reported hate transgressions during the pandemic.

Some say it was the remarks of former President Donald Trump scapegoating Asians for the spread of the virus that led to the violent reaction toward AAPI.

The audience will then break into groups where people can share their stories.

The afternoon will also include two short movies on the Asian American experience. The event closes with a reflective song by Kukuchi-Yngoho, and a number by a well-known group of rappers made up of senior women known as the Follies.

I look forward to sharing my stories and hope to see you all at the free event.

JOIN IN PERSON:
Date: Sunday May 28th, 2022
Time: 2:00-5:00 pm PDT
Where: Oakland Asian Cultural Center, 388 9th St, Oakland, CA 94607
Register to attend this Free live, in-person event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/strong-like-bamboo-tickets-509561551317
*Recording of the live event will be made available for those unable to attend.

– or –

JOIN ON ZOOM:
This event will be livestreamed on Zoom and recorded, same date and time!
To register for the live virtual event on Zoom, please visit:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwpceyrpjIoHtGozoJo7reCVDGg2PRXkGKi#/registration
*Our Zoom links have not worked in past emails, so let us know if our long link doesn’t work.

If you have any questions, please reach out to contact@ethnohtec.org.

The program is funded in part by the California Arts Council.