Korean-American politicians’ continued silence on the case of Yong Yang, who was shot dead by a Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officer, drawing significant criticism from the public.
Most Korean-American politicians have remained silent for two weeks now since the incident on May 2, stating that they have not heard about the case or that the case is not within their jurisdiction.
Although it is important to await the outcome of the investigation, Korean-American politicians have not even yet publicly issued a statement calling for a thorough investigation or expressed their condolences to the families.
Los Angeles City Councilmember John Lee of District 12 and Mayor Karen Bass only responded after the reporters’ inquiries about the incident with verbal or simple email messages expressing their condolences.
U.S. Representatives Michelle Steel of Orange County and Young Kim of Los Angeles County have not yet commented publicly. Moreover, California State Senator Dave Min has not commented on the incident, nor has former California State Assembly member Steven Choi, who is running for the California Senate.
Most Korean-American politicians have responded with words such as “cautious” and “sorry” only after being contacted by the media, putting members of the Korean-American community who have been following the case and its similar precedents to frustration and disappointment.
“I was stunned when I heard the news,” said Casey Kim, 55, who has lived in Los Angeles for 30 years. “If a mental health call for help leads to a police shooting death, who would trust the police? This is where politicians, who claim to do everything for the Korean-American community and ask for votes, should step up and do something.”
“If Korean-American politicians remain silent where they need to actively find out whether it was a wrongful death, they will end up disempowering the entire community,” said Jongsun Kim, 60, a Valley resident. “At the very least, they should take action by demanding a prompt and accurate investigation by the authorities.”
Many elected Korean-American politicians remain reserved, however, citing that the incident did not occur in their districts and that they should wait until the police release the body camera footage next month. In effect, this inaction may allow other victims and incidents to repeat.
“I personally believe that the police protocol for dealing with suspects who are under psychiatric care is completely flawed,” said Grace Yoo, a candidate running for the Los Angeles City Council for District 10. “It will take a concerted effort by elected officials to make these changes, and unfortunately, that is not happening.”
The office of LA City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez of District 13, whose district the incident occurred in, told the Korea Daily that “Everyone, including the councilmember, is stunned and watching the situation unfold,” adding, “We will be providing support to the organizations and families involved, and we plan to meet with LAPD Chief Dominic Choi this week to urge public disclosure.”
BY BRIAN CHOI, HOONSIK WOO [ichoi@koreadaily.com]
