UP IN ARMS: A BENEFIT CONCERT FOR FONG LEE'S FAMILY, 10/3

Hi all,

I have written about the Fong Lee case in previous posts from earlier
this summer--this Sat I have the honor of performing in a benefit concert
to help raise money for Fong Lee's family as they prepare
continue with their case against the Minneapolis police force.  Special
thanks to my friend Bao Phi, one of a group of wonderful folks organizing
this event. I'm posting the announcement that he has sent out
about the event b/c I couldn't say any of it any better.

I am also posting my public statement on the case below.

Peace & Blessings,
Michelle

PS--If you can't make the show but would like to contribute, please
make checks payable to "Fong Lee Memorial Trust" and mail to Bao
at the address at the end of this post.

_____________________________________________________________

Public statement on the Fong Lee case.

Because of the myth of the "Model Minority," APIA people are
constantly being told that we don't have it so bad--that we come
to this country and prosper, sometimes at the expense of other
people of color.  But what fails to be known or acknowledged is
that most APIA people can speak to a history and experience of
unimaginable oppression--we come from countries where we and/or our
parents and grandparents have witnessed and suffered through war,
brutality, starvation, death, rape, genocide.  Families have risked
everything to come to the United States, chasing the American
Dream and the promise of a better life.  The tragedy is that when
we get here, it's like we exchanged one form of oppression for another,
from poverty to prejudice to violence.  Our people still suffer, and the
injustice is that we're told to "Shut up and deal" because we supposedly
have it so good and because the perception is that we are perpetual
foreigners who can never be fully American.  The Fong Lee case joins
a list of others such as Mike Cho, Kuan Chung Kao, Cao Tran,Marlo
Custodio, and Karen Chen, where police brutalized and, in many of
these instances, killed Asian Americans, only to be exonerated and
congratulated on a job well done.  Time again, police are continually
held above the law while racism and violence cast a shadow over the
badge which supposedly symbolizes their vows to serve and protect. 
In refusing to fall under that shadow, APIA's must continue to speak up
and unite with other communities of color to combat police corruption
and brutality.  And we must remember: The time to resist is always now.

-Michelle

_____________________________________________________________

Friends,

I know, I know - I'm always writing about must-see shows.  Well, before
you hit delete, I hope you humor me a bit with this one.  Even if you're
not in Minnesota and you can't attend, please consider reading and
passing this along, posting it, spreading the word.  The family of Fong Lee
was offered millions of dollars to stay quiet, and they turned it down because
they wanted truth and justice for their slain son, and because even if they
collected that payday, the man who killed their son would still be out on
the streets.

For those of you who don't know about the case, details are below.
The officer was recently fired from the police force, months after the courts
ruled in favor of the police, and as the family moves to push the case further.
The police department is refusing to release the details of why the
officer was fired, as he was also recently acquitted in a domestic assault case.
So, I tell you this in case you heard the officer was fired and think that the
struggle is over for the family/community. It is not.

Regarding this show, a group of us have been working hard to organize it.
And the artists involved are all donating their performances to be here.
This is no small thing.  None of them are rich, and some of them are
traveling long distances away from their homes, jobs, kids and families in
order to be here, for no money.  All because they believe this is an important
issue.  All proceeds go to the family of Fong Lee.

And of course, this event is powerful because it attempts to represent Asian
Americans standing up for fellow Asian Americans, while also building alliances
across different communities that have also suffered from police brutality.

The amount of talented people performing is truly breathtaking.  And the
generosity of the artists is inspiring.  There have been several artists
who have offered to step down in order to make room for more artists
and more inclusiveness.

Please come support, and help us spread the word.

-Bao



Up In Arms: A Night of Hip Hop and Spoken Word to Honor Fong Lee
and End Police Brutality

Date:  Saturday, October 3, 2009
 Show starts 8:00pm (doors open 7:30pm)

Location: Macalester College
 Kagin Commons
 1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105
 http://www.macalester.edu/about/mapbynumber.html

Suggested Donation: $5-$10 (all proceeds will to go to the family of
Fong Lee to assist with attorney's fees)

Up In Arms: A Night of Hip Hop and Spoken Word to Honor Fong Lee
and End Police Brutality seeks to raise awareness and support of Fong
Lee's case while also uniting and activating communities around
the issue of police brutality.

In July 2006, un-armed Fong Lee was killed by a Minneapolis police
officer in front of a north Minneapolis elementary school.  Last May,
an all-white federal jury exonerated officer Jason Anderson of using
"excessive force" on the teenager who was shot eight times in the back.
Allegations that a gun was planted near Lee's body were ruled irrelevant
to the case.  (For more information about the trial
http://www.hmongtoday.com/page11504436.aspx  and
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/28/fonglee_verdict/
The Lee family's quest for truth does not end with the ruling given in
May, and the family has continued the long path towards legal justice.

The evening will be emceed by Tou Ger Xiong and Amy Hang. DJ Nak
will be on the one's and two's with performances by Magnetic North
(from New York City), Nomi of Power Struggle (from the Bay Area),
Michelle Myers of Yellow Rage (from Philadelphia), Maria Isa,
Blackbird Elements, Guante, Rodrigo Sanchez-Chavarria, e.g. Bailey,
Tou Saiko Lee with PosNoSys, True Mutiny, Shá Cage, Kevin Xiong with
Pada Lor, Tish Jones, MaiPaCher, Logan Moua, Bobby Wilson,
Poetic Assassins, Hilltribe, and special guests.

This event is sponsored by:  Speak!, Lealtad-Suzuki Center, Asian Student
Alliance, Ua Ke, DJ Club, History Department, Coalition for Community
Relations, The Loft Literary Center, Minnesota Immigrant Freedom Network,
Shades of Yellow,Take Action Minnesota, Communities United Against
Police Brutality, and Minnesota Poor People's Economic Human Rights
Campaign.

For more information please visit Coalition for Community Relations on
Facebook or contact Tou Ger Xiong @ 651-738-0141 or
Jose Luís @ 612-986-0832.



Thien-bao Thuc Phi
Associate Program Director
Spoken Word and Community Collaborations
The Loft
1011 Washington Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55415
612-215-2585
bphi@loft.org
www.loft.org