Fong Lee rally video

By |

Here is a video I put together from footage shot at the May 11, 2009 rally for Fong Lee held in downtown St. Paul. Fong Lee was shot by St. Paul police in 2006. For more information, see Fong Lee supporters flex muscle three years after controversial shooting death Rally for Fong Lee from Justin Schell | 612 to 651 on Vimeo.From Fong Lee supporters flex muscle three years after controversial shooting deathFong Lee was shot and killed on the playground of City View Elementary School in Minneapolis as he fled police in July, 2006. Continue Reading

Century College: over 30 years of preparing Hmong students for the world

By |

When Blong Yang began working at Century College in 1979 (known back then as Lakewood Community College) there were a total of four Asians in the entire school.“During the first few years of my employment here, we had cultural conflicts on a regular basis,” recalls Yang, who at the time was helping to develop an ESL program at the school. “That’s why we created the Asian Student Association.”
Jump 30 years later and Asians comprise the largest population group outside of white students at Century, playing a crucial role in the school’s future. With over 1,200 Asian students currently enrolled at Century (95% plus are estimated to be of Hmong ethnicity), there is speculation that Century might carry the distinction of having more Hmong students than any other school in America. These numbers do not surprise Yang, who now holds the position of Admissions Adviser. “Century has always been a great place for young people to begin their higher education,” Yang observes. Continue Reading

OPINION | Fong Lee case raises many troubling questions

By |

For example, what was the grand jury told — and not told?In June 2007, a Hennepin County Grand Jury was convened to evaluate the evidence and circumstances of the July 22, 2006, shooting death of 19-year-old Fong Lee on a school playground where he and friends were riding their bikes.The first big question is why it took 11 long months to convene the grand jury.The second big question follows: Why did Officer Jason Anderson of the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD) and his partner that evening, a Minnesota state highway trooper, go after teenagers riding their bicycles on a school playground? The officers’ own statements suggest they were following the police racial-profiling tradition: The teens were Asian, therefore suspicious.The third big question is why Officer Anderson shot Fong Lee three times in the back, and then, after he fell on his back, fired five more bullets into his chest as he lay there?Why has it taken the Pioneer Press and Star Tribune nearly three years to cover the discrepancies in the MPD’s story when we covered them in this newspaper August 2, 2006?The key question remains: What was the grand jury told? Who made the decision on what they would be told? And what questions did the grand jury ask? This is a fair question, as all-White juries and all-White grand juries in Minnesota tend not to be very inquisitive when a person of color dies at the hands of a police officer.Was the grand jury told there was a significant dispute over which weapon that Mr. Fong Lee allegedly had in his possession, as well as the dispute over whether he had one at all? Continue Reading

Who’s lying? Chief Dolan vs. Moss, Metoyer, Flowers, and Edwards

By |

Nou Kai Lee and Youa Vang Lee, the parents of Fong Lee, at vigil following his death. (Photo from Hmong Today)While the Pioneer Press has reported extensively on the affidavits and depositions filed by the Fong Lee family in the lawsuit over the Minneapolis police shooting of Fong Lee in 2006, the Star Tribuneseems to have an inside track with the Minneapolis police department.Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan decided to give the Star Tribune an exclusive interview about the Fong Lee case on Monday, rather than hold an open press conference, according to police spokesperson Jesse Garcia. From that interview, the Star Tribune reported that Dolan said that members of the now-disbanded Police Community Relations Council (PCRC) lied about hearing him say that the police found fingerprints on the gun found near Fong Lee’s body. David Hanners, the Pioneer Press reporter who has been covering the Fong Lee story, said he has requested an interview with Chief Dolan “almost daily,” but so far has not been given an interview.The PCRC was formed five years ago as a result of a federal mandate, Garcia said. The mandate ordered the council to exist for five years, in order to build communication between the police department and the community. Continue Reading

Hmong Archives reaches a milestone

By |

The section where University Avenue runs through Frogtown is an interesting place with the assortment of Asian restaurants, the local owned stores, and the other cultural icons scattered every couple of blocks that give this part of the Twin Cities a soul of its own.However, lost in the haze of buildings and store signs is one of the most important Hmong destinations here in Minnesota, Hmong Archives. Founded in 1999 by Marlin Heisse and Yuepheng Xiong, Hmong Archives recently celebrated its 10th year anniversary on February 14th at its newest location, 298 University Ave. in St. Paul. As its bylines say, Hmong Archives was created to “Preserve the Hmong Heritage”. Continue Reading

Hmong stars among us

By |

For the first time since filming, the cast of Clint Eastwood’s “Gran Torino” gathered together last Friday to talk about their Hollywood experiences and take questions about the film from the sizable audience that had gathered in Willey Hall . “A substantial number of actors in Gran Torino are local,” said Dr. Louisa Schein from Rutgers, who moderated. This homecoming was special not just for the actors but for the community they represented. The story of “Gran Torino” is about an old, bigoted man named Walt, played by Eastwood, living by himself, alienated from his family. When a Hmong family moves next door, Walt, who is at first rude, is forced to overcome his prejudices and confront the issues the family faces with a Hmong gang. Continue Reading

Gran Torino closely tied to MN Hmong community

By |

A major motion picture with close ties to the Asian Minnesota community opens this weekend, and may do more to tell the Hmong story to the nation than all the best public relations work could only hope to do. Local Hmong actor, Bee Vang, makes his professional acting debut in the new Clint Eastwood drama, “Gran Torino,” (Rated R from Warner Bros/Village Roadshow Pictures) along with several other Hmong from around the country. The story was written by Dave Johannson of St. Paul, together with screenwriter Nick Schenk and developed with Eastwood. Vang, 17, Robbinsdale, is a junior at Armstrong High School, and won the co starring role last year in a nationwide casting call to portray Thao Lor, a timid teenaged boy who develops an unlikely friendship with his racist neighbor, Walt Kowalski, a retired autoworker and rugged Korean War veteran. Continue Reading

Gran Torino is here!

By |

The new Clint Eastwood movie is full of Minnesota Hmong actors and connections. Get the stories behind the movie here:Gran Torino connects Hmong Minnesotans with Hollywood Hmong actors making history: Meet the Gran Torino familyLocal Hmong auditions for Eastwood film Continue Reading

Hmong at Heart: Finding your cultural roots

By |

On one of its last stops, the popular exhibit Hmong at Heart has been at the Minnesota Children’s Museum since October 4 and will remain a featured exhibit until January 19, 2009. Hmong at Heart gives families a window into the everyday lives of the Hmong people in three environments: a village in Laos, a refugee camp in Thailand, and a Hmong-American home. Visitors can use oversize, colored beads to create unique patterns on dowels; examine genuine Hmong artifacts; practice everyday Hmong phrases at a pretend farmer’s market booth; and plot out how to plant 50 acres of farmland. Adults and children can also express their thoughts about the exhibit at a creative writing poetry station. The exhibit was developed by Madison Children’s Museum and its partners, but Minnesota Children’s Museum has gone a step further by developing a 500-square foot addition that highlights the Hmong community in Minnesota during the last 30 years. Continue Reading