Opinion: Political scapegoating puts Asian American families at risk

May 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat running for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat, speaks at the Firefighters Local 67 in Columbus after the polls closed on primary election day. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
May 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat running for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat, speaks at the Firefighters Local 67 in Columbus after the polls closed on primary election day. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

U.S. Senate candidate and Democratic Rep. Tim Ryan spent $3.3 million on his first TV ad buy, "One Word," where he aggressively repeats the word "China" and proclaims that Ohio workers "are our greatest weapon in this fight." As one of the few Asian Americans who attended the 1987 federal retrial of Vincent Chin’s killer in Cincinnati, I have seen firsthand the harm these scapegoating and xenophobic narratives can bring to our families.

Unless we can course correct and join together in solidarity, we are doomed to repeat a dangerous history that targets our racial and ethnic communities for political convenience and puts the very lives of our children at risk.

I first learned about Vincent Chin's death on 60 Minutes. On the night of his bachelor party in 1982, two white men beat Vincent to death with a baseball bat, attacking him with racial slurs and blaming him for the success of Japan’s auto industry and the loss of American jobs. Vincent was an innocent bystander – who happened to be Chinese American.

Vincent’s killers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, were convicted of manslaughter but did not get any prison time. It was devastating to hear the judge’s reasoning: Ebens was "a family man" and "these weren’t the kind of men you send to jail."

The judge had been a prisoner of war in a Japanese prison camp during World War II.  Regardless of his personal experience, on March 16, 1983, rather than observing his judicial responsibility to be fair and impartial, the judge decided what justice looked like for himself: white.

May 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Supporters cheer as U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat running for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat, speaks at the Firefighters Local 67 in Columbus after the polls closed on primary election day. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch
May 3, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Supporters cheer as U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, a Democrat running for an Ohio U.S. Senate seat, speaks at the Firefighters Local 67 in Columbus after the polls closed on primary election day. Mandatory Credit: Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

Four years later, I learned from a Japanese American Citizens League meeting that Ebens’ federal retrial for violating Vincent’s civil rights would be moved to Cincinnati. I attended the trial for a week, and as I entered the courtroom, I noticed immediately that the jury was nearly all white.

The defense tried to frame the murder as a trade war issue instead of a racially-motivated hate crime. They also asked if a witness ever heard Ebens say the word "Toyota" during the night of the killing. I wondered why this was even relevant, but I do not remember the prosecution objecting. Given the rampant anti-Japanese rhetoric at the time, I also guessed that the auto worker union supported Ebens' defense.

Another defense witness claimed Ebens contacted him and expressed extreme remorse and regret for killing Vincent. But seeing how Ebens has evaded most of the payment for a later civil suit verdict, I am not convinced he was ever sorry.

The Cincinnati jury cleared Ebens of all charges.

With Tim Ryan’s decision to release his "One Word" ad in the midst of an ongoing national resurgence in racist anti-Asian violence, particularly Asian women and girls, I am reminded of the casual cruelty that powerful white men can employ when it is convenient to further their own agendas.

The increase in violence targeting people who look like me is a result of xenophobic rhetoric about the "China virus" under Trump’s leadership, as he avoided responsibility for his handling of the pandemic. Throughout U.S. history, during times of national crisis or economic anxiety, our politicians have shifted blame away from CEOs and policymakers and onto Asian countries and people. Time and time again, innocent families like Vincent’s have paid the price. Meanwhile, working people are further divided by race and country of origin, and the richest 1% keep getting richer.

Vincent’s killers were never held accountable. Neither were the politicians who convinced his killers that Asians were responsible for their struggles. If Rep. Ryan truly cares about all Ohio workers, he will demonstrate accountability by learning from the harmful impact of his actions, removing the "One Word" ad, and ending all political rhetoric that fuels anti-Asian hate and endangers our communities. Ohioans deserve this accountability from the Democratic frontrunner for the U.S. Senate race. It’s overdue.

Linda Moy is a longtime resident of Cincinnati, a lifelong learner, a member of OPAWL, and an advocate for her communities.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: Political scapegoating puts Asian American families at risk