ASIAN AMERICAN FEMALE AND COMPANION ATTACKED IN IOWA

By Love Child
Posted 2/23/04

Chink. Monkey noises. These are the words and sounds Janice Chang, a student at the University Iowa, heard shouted in her ears early Saturday morning on January 31. Four Caucasian males approached Chang and her male Caucasian companion while walking toward their car. After verbally assaulting Chang, the four males began to surround her companion and calling him “chink lover” and making violent threats. The male companion tried to walk away, but the assailants gave chase. Chang blocked the assailants’ path to her companion, but they violently pushed her away. While the companion tried to call the police, one of the males viciously attacked him and fractured the companions jaw in three places. He will have permanent deformity on the right side of his face.

The instigator of the attack, Charles Holden, was arrested. He pleaded guilty to the two charges brought against him, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. The police are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime. Despite the arrest, the assailant and the other men responsible for the attack have not been identified and Chang still faces emotional trauma. In a letter to the president of the University Iowa, Chang writes, “I am unable to sleep or feel safe. I have also not been able to go to class or do any of my reading and will start counseling sessions due to this incident.”

As a result of this crime, the Asian American Law Student Association, which Chang is secretary of, is holding a panel and discussion on “Racism in Our Generation.” You can e-mail the Vice President (vp-student-services@uiowa.edu) and Dean (thomas-baker@uiowa.edu) of the University of Iowa to encourage him to take appropriate measures to help Holden deal with his issues.

According to www.press-citizen.com, hate crimes reported have risen in Iowa between 1998 and 2002, mostly outside of Iowa City.