Trying to regain hope in a time of fear and uncertainty

As the election polls started closing on Nov. 8, most of America was in a state of utter shock, as a presidential candidate who so easily stoked the flames of racism, sexism, xenophobia and misogyny was suddenly trust into the office of the presidency. A mere eight years after a movement for hope and change […]

RABBIT RAMBLINGS: Facing the horror of war and violence

It has been a while since the terrible shootings at that elementary school in Newtown, Conn., and we’ve all wrung our hands and carried on about the horror of it, the murders of 20 young school children and the six teachers by a disturbed young man. We live in a country that more or less […]

AAPI groups support Sikh community after Wis. shootings

Groups from across the nation have condemned the Aug. 5 shootings at a Sikh temple outside Milwaukee, and expressed their support for the community. The shootings left seven people dead, including the gunman, Wade Michael Page. Oak Creek Police Lt. Brian Murphy, who was shot several times, is among those who were injured. “The events […]

The beauty of youth

LYCHEE LIGHT CLUB By Usamaru Furuya (New York: Vertical Inc., 2011, 328 pp., $16.95, paperback) Growing up is hard. Young boys face adolescence and their oncoming adult lives with eyes like those of a deer caught in headlights. In that sense, “Lychee Light Club” is a “Lord of the Flies” for the new century, as […]

Korean Americans look inward after Oakland shooting

The shooting that killed seven at a private Christian university in Oakland would never have happened in Korea, where owning a firearm is outlawed. That at least is the assessment of community members who point to America’s own thriving gun culture as a causal factor in this and other incidents. “Gun possession is a major […]

Hundreds gather to honor victims of mass school shooting

OAKLAND (Bay City News Service) — A multi-faith, bilingual memorial service for the victims of a mass shooting at an Oakland Christian vocational school on April 2 drew more than 300 friends, family, city officials and faith leaders the next evening. Seven people were killed in the shooting at Oikos University on April 2. Four […]

San Francisco Murder of Five Spotlights Asian Gambling Addiction

What drove Binh Thai Luc, 35, to be charged on March 27 with slaying five people in a San Francisco home on March 23? The grisly murders have rocked the city and left investigators and the public searching for a motive. “We’re not discussing any potential motive for these killings,” stated Omid Talai, spokesman for […]

City, Community Leaders Convene Over Racial Tensions

(Bay City News Service) — A series of recent highly publicized crimes in San Francisco involving Chinese victims have heightened tensions between the Asian and black communities, prompting city leaders on April 26 to call for a more proactive approach to community policing and outreach from the city. Following a lengthy meeting at City Hall […]

San Jose Police Beating Stirs Distrust and Resentment

On Oct. 24, the San Jose Mercury News released the video of a San Jose State math major getting beaten and stunned with a taser by the San Jose Police Department in his home on Sept. 3, 2009. Police were called to the scene after 20-year-old Phuong Ho allegedly wielded a knife during an altercation […]