Asian-American, other groups hope to avert bias

After six white hunters were shot dead in a confrontation with a Hmong man in northern Wisconsin last November, bumper stickers circulated that read: "Save a hunter, kill a Hmong."

Also, police arrested a white man suspected of painting the word killer on a truck and two trailer homes owned by Hmong neighbors in western Wisconsin.

Those types of incidents are exactly what Janet Lew Carr wants to prevent.

So Carr, a member of the local branch of the Organization of Chinese Americans, and several other Asian-American activists have planned a six-month series of workshops to prevent hate crimes in Wisconsin.

"The Hmong aren't organized. We're trying to teach them," said Carr in an interview Monday afternoon, before a kickoff session that featured a panel discussion at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "An attack against one is an attack against all."

Carr said that the hunting incident was the first high-profile case involving an Asian-American that she could recall in her 20 years of living in Wisconsin.

"The issue isn't about (Chai Soua Vang, the hunter), but backlash," Carr said.

She and other leaders are especially concerned about a possible rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans around the time Vang's case goes to trial.

According to panelist Michael Young, captain of the Milwaukee police intelligence division, his department has not seen a rise in reports of hate crimes against Asian-Americans since the hunting incident.

Young said anywhere from zero to five hate crimes are reported to the department each year and added that incidents could be under-reported because of language and cultural barriers, or because immigrants who had oppressive governments in their home country may fear police.

Panelist Doua Thor, deputy director of the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center, based in Washington, D.C., said a myth of a model minority prevents people from realizing that Asian-Americans are the victims of hate crimes.

"I've heard people say, 'You all are perfect. What's a little violence?' " she said.

Leaders from other ethnic communities also spoke on the panel to demonstrate their solidarity.

Harriet Schachter McKinney, executive director of the Milwaukee chapter of the American Jewish Committee, said that to prevent prejudice, people have to build relationships and challenge others to think differently.

"What do you say when someone speaks (poorly) about another group? 'I'm so glad you said that. I've been wondering why people think that way,' " she said.

The workshops, funded by a $31,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation, will occur around the state and are timed to coincide with Vang's trial.

According to 2004 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau, Wisconsin's foreign-born population has increased 31% since 2000.

Asians make up 27% of those born in other countries, second only to immigrants from Mexico and Central America.