Chinatown massacre anniversary observed

LOS ANGELES

Elected leaders mark 153rd year since lynch mob shot or hanged 19 victims

Officials including Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, center right, observe the 153rd anniversary of the 1871 Chinese Massacre during a vigil Thursday at the Pico House landmark in downtown Los Angeles, near the site of the original Chinatown. Photos Courtesy of Ellen Endo — Chinese American Museum

Robert Sausedo of Community Build Inc., left, historian Eugene Moy, Chinese American Museum board Chair Dr. Gay Yuen, and museum executive director Michael Truong, attend Thursday’s vigil.

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By Allyson Vergara

avergara@scng.com

It was a dark time in Los Angeles history that many have overlooked. But others remember the story of the 1871 Chinese Massacre, when 19 Chinese Americans were killed in L.A.’s Chinatown, during a tension-filled feud.

The Chinese American Museum hosted a solemn candlelight vigil on Thursday night at the historic Pico House to commemorate the victims.

The annual observance marks 153 years since Oct. 24, 1871, when a racially motivated mob of 500 Angelenos stormed into Chinatown — which was located under what today is part of Los Angeles Street in downtown L.A. — and assaulted residents, looted homes and businesses. The violence claimed the lives of 18 victims, including a teenage boy. According to reports and Los Angeles Public Library records, the violence started as a war between rival Chinese tongs, or factions, over the kidnapping of a young woman, which spilled out into the streets. A shootout between several Chinese men broke out, resulting in the death of a white business owner, and a mob of hundreds then converged upon Chinatown, seeking revenge.When the killings ended, 19 Chinese immigrants had been hanged or shot, and the Chinatown massacre became one of the worst mass lynchings in the nation’s history, according to reports. Only eight rioters were convicted on manslaughter charges, which were later overturned, Chinese American Museum officials said.

Since 2010, the museum has dedicated Oct. 24 in remembrance of the massacre. Officials said it will continue to serve as a place for reflection and discussion of contemporary issues, such as race and xenophobia.

Executive Director Michael Truong said Thursday that the solemn remembrance helps “(us) begin to heal as a community, and reflect on the lessons that the tragedy that took place 153 years ago hold for us today.”

L.A.’s Department of Cultural Affairs and the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument have led efforts to create a memorial for the victims by the site of the massacre, near the Garnier Building at North Los Angeles Street.

Dignitaries including L.A. Mayor Karen Bass; Assemblymember Mike Fong, D-Alhambra; and Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena; attended Thursday’s vigil, which also featured a screening of the new musical “Never Forget: 1871.” Keynote speaker Paula Yoo, author of “From a Whisper to a Rallying Cry: The Killing of Vincent Chin,” gave remarks.

“I want to be very clear that I will always stand united with our Asian and Pacific Islander community against hate, intolerance, and violence. There is never a place for this,” Bass said.

Staff writer Peter Larsen contributed to this report.