AAI Commends Filing of Felony Murder Charge Against Killer of Du Doan

Community To Hold Weekend Vigil at Montrose Harbor

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release
September 05, 2007
Contact: April Lewton
AAI Community Organizer
Cell: (773) 710-5479
april@aaichicago.org

Chicago, September 5, 2007 - The Asian American Institute (AAI) lauds the swift filing of felony charges of first-degree murder and aggravated battery against John Haley, the self-identified skinhead who pushed Vietnamese American fisherman, Du Doan, to his drowning death this past weekend. "The Asian American community has been very upset over these incidents," said Tuyet Le, AAI Executive Director. "We applaud the State's Attorney's Office for charging Haley to the greatest degree possible in both cases."

Although the police and media initially investigated these incidents as hate crimes, no hate crime charges have been filed. "Proving that these were racially motivated acts can be difficult, but it is no less alarming to hear that the victims were of Asian decent or had Asian features," said Myron Dean Quon, AAI's Legal Director. As felonies, the murder charge and the aggravated battery charge (for the July 31 pushing of another fisherman into Lake Michigan) cannot be pursued as hate crimes, and no charge was filed for the spitting incident. (Under the Illinois Hate Crimes Statute, only misdemeanors can become felonies with evidence of anti-Asian motivation.)

This Saturday, September 8, 2007, AAI will organize a Community Vigil to show support for the family of Du Doan and will bring together the APA community in solidarity with a united, public response. The Vigil begins at 2:00 p.m. and will take place at Montrose Harbor in front of the eastern pier (underneath the birdhouses). For more information please contact April Lewton, AAI Community Organizer.

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The Asian American Institute (www.aaichicago.org) is the region's pan-Asiannonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the Asian Pacific American communitythrough advocacy, by utilizing research, education, and coalition-building.