>> A DISCUSSION SURROUNDING
SAFETY ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES IS
ONGOING IN CHICAGO.
AND MORE SPECIFICALLY THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO COMMUNITY
IN HYDE PARK IS REELING FROM THE
NOVEMBER 9TH KILLING OF A RECENT
GRADUATE OF THE UNIVERSITY FROM
CHINA.
SOME CALLED FOR INCREASED
SURVEILLANCE AND SECURITY IN THE
AREA WHILE OTHERS ARGUE A
GREATER POLICE PRESENCE ONLY
EXACERBATES THE ROOT CAUSES OF
GUN VIOLENCE.
JOINING US TO DISCUSS THIS TOPIC
IS GRACE PAI EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF ASIAN-AMERICANS ADVANCING
JUSTICE IN CHICAGO.
GRACE PAI IS AN ALUMNA OF THE
UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.
WELCOME BACK TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS TO THE
CALL FOR INCREASED POLICE
PRESENCE ON U CHICAGO'S CAMPUS?
>> I TRULY BELIEVE THAT THAT
WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM OF
GUN VIOLENCE.
HYDE PARK IS ONE OF THE MOST
POLICED NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE
CITY UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF
TWO POLICE FORCES ONE IS THE
PRIVATE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
POLICE DEPARTMENT WHICH IS NOT
SUBJECT TO THE SAME
ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY
AS THE CHICAGO POLICE
DEPARTMENT.
THERE ARE TONS OF POLICE ALREADY
IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE KNOW
THAT THAT HASN'T STOPPED ISSUES
LIKE THIS FROM OCCURRING.
IT HASN'T STOPPED GUN VIOLENCE
FROM IMPACTING OUR COMMUNITY I
THINK TO TRY THE SAME FAILED
PRACTICES OVER AND OVER AGAIN IS
NOT GOING TO WORK THIS TIME.
>> IF ADDED SURVEILLANCE, MORE
POLICE IF THAT IS NOT THE ANSWER
WHAT CHANGES COULD THE CAMPUS
MAKE TO BE SAFER?
>> WE THINK THIS IS A PROBLEM
THAT IS LARGER THAN JUST THE
UNIVERSITY.
CERTAINLY THE UNIVERSITY HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO PUSHING OUT
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR FROM HYDE
PARK AND SURROUNDING AREAS AND
HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO TO
BUILD TRUST AND TO INVEST IN
THOSE COMMUNITIES THAT IT HAS
CONTRIBUTED TO MAKING VERY
EXCLUSIVE.
HYDE PARK HAS BECOME
UNAFFORDABLE FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE
AND THE UNIVERSITY DOES PLAY A
SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN THAT.
BUT WHEN I SAY IT IS A BIGGER
PROBLEM THAN JUST THE UNIVERSITY
THE CITY AND THE STATE NEED TO
TAKE SIGNIFICANT ACTION AS WELL.
GUN VIOLENCE RESULTS FROM
DECADES OF DISINVESTMENT FROM
LACK OF OPPORTUNITY, FROM LACK
OF ACCESS TO GOOD JOBS WHERE
PEOPLE ARE BEING TRAUMATIZED
THEY ARE EXPERIENCING GUN
VIOLENCE THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS
ARE EXPERIENCING GUN VIOLENCE
AND I THINK THAT THE TRAUMA OF
THAT CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED.
TO REVERSE THAT WE NEED LARGE
SCALE INVESTMENTS IN THINGS LIKE
GUN VIOLENCE PREVENTION
PROGRAMS, IN QUALITY HEALTHCARE
AND MENTAL HEALTH HEALTHCARE AND
ALL THE TRAUMA INFORMED SUPPORTS
AND CARE PEOPLE NEED.
>> CAN YOU CONVEY THE SENTIMENTS
AND OBSTACLES THAT STUDENTS FROM
CHINA MIGHT FACE WHEN
CONSIDERING OR ATTENDING U.S.
COLLEGES?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
I COMPLETELY EMPATHIZE WITH THE
GRIEF AND THE SORROW AND THE
FEAR THAT MANY ASIAN
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS ARE
EXPERIENCING.
THIS IS NOT THE FIRST ASIAN
INTERNATIONAL STUDENT WHO HAS
BEEN KILLED IN HYDE PARK.
AND I UNDERSTAND THE TRAUMA OF
WHAT FOLKS ARE GOING THROUGH.
I LIVE JUST TWO BLOCKSES FROM
WHERE HE WAS KILLED AND I CAN
RELATE TO THAT FEAR OF GOING
OUTSIDE OR GOING FOR A WALK OR
NOT BEING SURE WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN
TO YOU.
SO I CAN COMPLETELY EMPATHIZE
WITH THAT.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO HAVE AN
OPEN DIALOGUE WITH THE
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS MANY OF
WHOM AREN'T REALLY AWARE OF THE
HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF
THE RACIALIZED TENSIONS THAT
EXIST IN CHICAGO AND ALSO
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
AND I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT
TIME FOR DIALOGUE THAT THERE IS
A LOT THAT THOSE STUDENTS WHO
ARE GRIEVING HAVE IN COMMON WITH
OTHER OUTSIDE COMMUNITY MEMBERS
WHO ARE BLACK WHO HAVE
EXPERIENCED THE SAME GRIEF AND
LOSS.
>> TODAY AT A PRESS CONFERENCE,
YOU DISCUSSED THE IDEA OF
ASIAN-AMERICANS USED AS A WEDGE
TO DIVIDE PEOPLE IN THE PAST.
TELL US WHAT YOU MEAN BY THAT?
>> YEAH.
SO ASIAN-AMERICANS HAVE OFTEN
BEEN USED TO DIVIDE OTHER
COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, EXAMPLE I SHARED
TODAY WAS THAT OF THE MODEL
MINORITY THIS COMMON PERCEPTION
OF ASIAN-AMERICAN AS A MINORITY
THAT DOES WELL THAT DOESN'T NEED
HELP THAT IS HIGHLY EDUCATED
THAT MYTH WAS CREATED BY A WHITE
SOCIOLOGIST IN THE 1960s
DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
TO UPLIFT ONE MINORITY AND TO
WORK AGAINST ANOTHER.
IT'S NO ACCIDENT THAT THAT
HAPPENS DURING THE CIVIL RIGHTS
MOVEMENT ONE BLACK COMMUNITY IS
DEMANDING EQUAL RIGHTS AND THAT
IDEA THAT ASIAN-AMERICANS ARE
INNATELY GIFTED WAS USED TO PLAY
DOWN THE DEMANDS OF THE BLACK
COMMUNITY AND IT'S COMPLETELY
FALSE.
ASIAN-AMERICANS ARE NOT INNATELY
GIFTED.
IT'S JUST THAT THE UNITED STATES
ONLY ALLOWED IN HIGHLY EDUCATED
AND HIGH EARNING IMMIGRANTS FROM
ASIA.
WE HAD A SELECTIVE IMMIGRATION
POLICY.
WE STILL HAVE A SELECTIVE
IMMIGRATION POLICY.
THAT IS THE REAL REASON THAT
ASIAN-AMERICANS YOU SEE ARE
HIGHLY EDUCATED OR MAKE LOTS OF
MONEY.
IT IS A DIRECT RESULT OF OUR
IMMIGRATION POLICY.
>> GRACE, HAVE YOU BEEN IN TOUCH
WITH THE UNIVERSITY WITH REGARD
TO YOUR ORGANIZATION'S CONCERNS?
>> WE HAVE NOT YET SPOKEN
DIRECTLY WITH THE UNIVERSITY
ABOUT THESE CONCERNS.
BUT THEY ALSO DIDN'T REACH OUT
TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHEN MAKING
THIS DECISION.
I THINK THAT IT'S TELLING THAT
THEY IMMEDIATELY WENT TO
INCREASING POLICING AND
SURVEILLANCE WHICH THEY KNOW
WILL NEGATIVELY IMPACT BLACK
COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN HYDE PARK
AND BEYOND.
>> OK.
AND BEFORE WE LET YOU GO, THE
PANDEMIC HAS BEEN A DIFFICULT
TIME FOR ASIAN AND
ASIAN-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES WITH
HATE CRIME ATTACKS ON THE RISE.
HAVE YOU FOUND ALLIES WITHIN
OTHER COMMUNITIES DURING THIS
TIME, FOR EXAMPLE, WITHIN THE
BLACK COMMUNITY?
>> ABSOLUTELY, ABSOLUTELY.
A LOT OF WORK WE DO AS AN
ORGANIZATION IS IN SOLIDARITY
WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES OF COLOR.
WE HAVE SEEN FOLKS STEP UP WHEN
OUR COMMUNITY HAS BEEN TARGETED
AND WE STEP UP WHEN OTHER
COMMUNITIES ARE BEING HARMED AND