Wave of Anti-Asian Hate Crimes Inundate UC Davis
by Christine Lau, Business Coordinator

Over the past seven months, numerous disturbing violent acts against Asian Pacific Islander (API) students have plagued University of California at Davis. Some of these incidents, legally considered hate crimes, have resulted in arrests while others are still under formal investigation by police and university officials.

Summary of Incidents
Intimidation at Rock Levee, October 2000
While taking part in a traditional student activity of creating messages out of rocks at the Yolo Causeway levee, members of an Asian sorority at California State University at Sacramento were verbally attacked by a group of white males. Members of a UC Davis fraternity, the males, upset that the sorority had already claimed the prime location, proceeded to argue with the female group. The onslaught of racial slurs succeeded in intimidating the sorority members who, fearing their safety, subsequently left.

Assault at Arlington Farms Apartments, October 2000
While attempting to drive through the parking lot, a car full of Korean American students affiliated with the UC Davis Korean-interest fraternity, Sigma Kappa Rho, were blocked by a group of white males from the UC Davis chapter of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Words were exchanged but the Korean Americans returned to their apartment without a physical confrontation. Soon afterwards, however, a large group of approximately fifteen white males barged into the apartment and assaulted the Korean Americans. Racial slurs were used during the attack, constituting the event as a hate crime. One of the victims stated that, "There were about three guys for every one of us. One guy held me down while the other two beat me. They were saying 'we're going to get you chinks.'" The Davis Police Department has arrested two of the white males involved in the incident and the Yolo County District Attorney has charged them with assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, and committing a hate crime. Lieutenant Steve Pierce of the Davis Police Department has remarked that the last charge will be the most difficult to prosecute.

Brawl at Rock Levee, December 2000
While waiting their turn to arrange rocks into messages at the Yolo Causeway levee, three members of UC Davis Asian fraternities were provoked by members of the pre-dominantly white fraternity, Kappa Sigma. Once again, over the issue of claiming the site, hostilities intensified as a Kappa Sigma member pushed a Lambda Phi Epsilon member while another Kappa Sigma shouted, "Get the f**k out of the hill, chink!" The confrontation escalated to an all-out brawl, causing the arrival of law enforcement officials. One white male was detained.

Scapegoating in the Tragic Death of UC Davis Student, Andrew Weiman, January 2001
Student Andrew Weiman was found dead at the Kappa Sigma fraternity house with lacerations to his neck and wrists and with stab wounds to his chest. Found in his room was a suicide note confirmed by the Department of Justice to have been written by the victim, along with a knife with the victim's fingerprints. Despite these facts, the UC Davis student newspaper, the California Aggie, has attempted to link the death with the previous violent altercations with Asian American students. However, Kappa Sigma President Bobby Minck stated "that no connection exists between Weiman's death and these incidents" and UC Davis Police Captain, Rita Spaur, confirmed that "there is no evidence whatsoever that there is a connection between those events and his death."

In addition to the above-referenced incidents, there have been several other recently reported incidents of hostilities, including racial tauntings at intramural games and quarrels at local bars.

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