Phi begins to explain the growing motivations of many Asian Americans supported a petition for the NYPD but failed to show the same support when a fellow Asian American was murdered at the hands of the very law enforcement they are in support of. Phi explores the rationale behind this support. Many stated they were tired of being pushed around especially when politicians who are suppose to represent them did nothing to the effect of protecting them as people. Phi explains no matter how hard we (in this case as in. Asian-Americans) attempt to assimilate into American culture, we simply cannot fully be accepted because of transgressions against them. The comparison made was between the minority and whiteness in America. “Taking sides with the oppressor (in this case NYPD) does not guarantee our protection. The goal of his piece is to encourage Asian Americans to stand on the side fighting against systemic injustice and oppression.
Chinese conservatism is very multi layered as I have learned while reading. For example, as we all have seen, violence and xenophobia against Asian populations have been on the rise since the COVID19 pandemic here in America. Many of these crimes being covered have portrayed the perpetrators (many black) as a threat to Chinese businesses in particular. Because of this, the surge of Anti-Asian hate crimes have sparked protest in favor of NYPD. However, what I was not aware of was that many of those in support of NYPD are in support because of misinformation being spread on WeChat. This includes videos circulated portraying Black people as lazy, criminals and dangerous to Chinese lives (an example of this was a video circulating of a woman being dosed with acid in her face while she took out the trash. Although the perpetrator cannot be seen clearly it was immediately assumed the person at fault is black). The rise in Chinese conservatism is also as a result of many Chinese-American immigrants are in support of the CCP and related NYPD to law and order in society. This support was more in favor of the American justice system than it was for racially motivated events. This in particular relates to Phi’s writing because it demonstrates how easy it is to choose sides with the oppressor even though it shows that doesn’t guarantee protection whatsoever. Many Asians know police aren’t fair to them especially those who aren’t well versed in American laws or the english language.
The goal of the letter is to reach the authors family who many not be receptive to the Black Lives Matter movement or may harbor sentiments towards black people because of differences in life style. The author goes on to name all the black people who have perished at the hands of law enforcement and how fearing for your life when you walk out the door is different than theirs. They also explain how many of their loved ones are black and how hurt they would be to see more care for replaceable objects than irreplaceable lives? I think this person reached their goal with this letter because because it not only addressed them directly but addressed a common narrative we have been hearing with the lack of incentive to protect black lives and how people favor material objects over lives lost.
