Black belt teen strikes back at bully, and rallies community against racism
JOE FRIESEN

From Thursday's Globe and Mail

April 30, 2009 at 4:21 AM EDT

KESWICK, ONT. — The 15-year-old black belt thought he was doing his
tormentor a favour when he elected to fight back with his weaker left hand.

He had heard his white classmate throw an angry racial slur in his
direction after an argument during a gym class game of speedball, and
now the student was shoving him backward, refusing to retract the smear.

The white student swung first, hitting the 15-year-old with a punch to
the mouth.

The 15-year-old heard his father's voice running through his head: Fight
only as a last resort, only in self-defence, only if given no choice,
and only with the left hand.

His swing was short and compact, a left-handed dart that hit the white
student square on the nose.

The nose broke under his fist, igniting a sequence of events - from
arrest to suspension to possible expulsion - that has left the Asian
student and his family wondering whether they are welcome in this small,
rural and mostly white community north of Toronto, one that has been
touched by anti-Asian attacks in the past.

The 15-year-old, the only person charged in connection with the April 21
school fight, faces one count of assault causing bodily harm.

But a remarkable thing happened this week.

On Monday, 400 of his fellow students, wearing black in solidarity and
carrying signs of support, walked out of Keswick High School to rally in
protest in front of their school.

Organizer Mathew Winch, a Grade 12 student, said the school has fewer
than 10 Asian students, but everyone wanted to stand up against bullying
and racism. The story even hit the front page of local newspapers.

After the public outcry, the York Regional Police hate crimes unit
reopened the case. Although the other student has not been charged,
further charges are possible, a spokesman said yesterday.

The case is particularly sensitive because of a series of attacks on
Asian fishermen in the same area in 2007 - given the name "nipper
tipping" by locals - which led to a high-profile investigation by the
Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Five such cases in 2007, ranging from violent car chases to fishermen on
piers being pushed into the water, led to criminal charges. As a result
of the publicity, many other Asian anglers came forward to say they had
been abused or harassed while fishing in the Lake Simcoe area.

The Asian boy's father is a martial-arts master who trained with the
Korean national team. He brought his family to Canada in 2004.

They settled in Keswick in 2006, and his son, who is still learning
English, has studied hard to become a top student.

He proudly showed off a report card with a 90-per-cent average. The boy
has struggled a little socially, his parents said, which makes the
outpouring of support from his classmates all the more remarkable.

"It's the first time in my life I ever fought someone. I've been trained
not to attack. It's total self-defence," the boy said. "I felt sorry
because I broke his nose, but I can say he deserved it because he called
me the racial comment. He started the fight, he punched me first."

He said the boy called him a "****ing Chinese," a comment he instantly
knew was far from a joke.

"It's upsetting," he said. "I don't know how better to tell it."

For the moment, both students are suspended from Keswick High School,
but the Asian student's parents have been told he could be expelled and
forced to find a new school.

They are shocked and saddened by the ordeal.

The day after the fight, an older cousin of their son's antagonist
approached him in the school cafeteria and uttered a similar slur,
compounding their sense of despair.

"He said, 'You punched my cousin you Chinese ****,' " the 15-year-old
said. That student was overheard by a teacher and suspended.

His father explains that the easiest course would be to move somewhere
else and get a fresh start for his son. But he can't do it.

"I don't want to run away. If another Asian kid comes to this school,
what happens to him? Will he run into problems? Will they think they can
just kick him out? I don't want to set that example," he said.

"Personally, for my kid, I should move. But as a Canadian I cannot move."

- - -

In certain states in the American south, the Asian boy would have been
lynched.

On Apr 30, 10:37*pm, HK wrote:
Black belt teen strikes back at bully, and rallies community against racism
JOE FRIESEN

*From Thursday's Globe and Mail

April 30, 2009 at 4:21 AM EDT

KESWICK, ONT. — The 15-year-old black belt thought he was doing his
tormentor a favour when he elected to fight back with his weaker left hand.

He had heard his white classmate throw an angry racial slur in his
direction after an argument during a gym class game of speedball, and
now the student was shoving him backward, refusing to retract the smear.

The white student swung first, hitting the 15-year-old with a punch to
the mouth.

The 15-year-old heard his father's voice running through his head: Fight
only as a last resort, only in self-defence, only if given no choice,
and only with the left hand.

His swing was short and compact, a left-handed dart that hit the white
student square on the nose.

The nose broke under his fist, igniting a sequence of events - from
arrest to suspension to possible expulsion - that has left the Asian
student and his family wondering whether they are welcome in this small,
rural and mostly white community north of Toronto, one that has been
touched by anti-Asian attacks in the past.

The 15-year-old, the only person charged in connection with the April 21
school fight, faces one count of assault causing bodily harm.

But a remarkable thing happened this week.

On Monday, 400 of his fellow students, wearing black in solidarity and
carrying signs of support, walked out of Keswick High School to rally in
protest in front of their school.

Organizer Mathew Winch, a Grade 12 student, said the school has fewer
than 10 Asian students, but everyone wanted to stand up against bullying
and racism. The story even hit the front page of local newspapers.

After the public outcry, the York Regional Police hate crimes unit
reopened the case. Although the other student has not been charged,
further charges are possible, a spokesman said yesterday.

The case is particularly sensitive because of a series of attacks on
Asian fishermen in the same area in 2007 - given the name "nipper
tipping" by locals - which led to a high-profile investigation by the
Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Five such cases in 2007, ranging from violent car chases to fishermen on
piers being pushed into the water, led to criminal charges. As a result
of the publicity, many other Asian anglers came forward to say they had
been abused or harassed while fishing in the Lake Simcoe area.

The Asian boy's father is a martial-arts master who trained with the
Korean national team. He brought his family to Canada in 2004.

They settled in Keswick in 2006, and his son, who is still learning
English, has studied hard to become a top student.

He proudly showed off a report card with a 90-per-cent average. The boy
has struggled a little socially, his parents said, which makes the
outpouring of support from his classmates all the more remarkable.

"It's the first time in my life I ever fought someone. I've been trained
not to attack. It's total self-defence," the boy said. "I felt sorry
because I broke his nose, but I can say he deserved it because he called
me the racial comment. He started the fight, he punched me first."

He said the boy called him a "****ing Chinese," a comment he instantly
knew was far from a joke.

"It's upsetting," he said. "I don't know how better to tell it."

For the moment, both students are suspended from Keswick High School,
but the Asian student's parents have been told he could be expelled and
forced to find a new school.

They are shocked and saddened by the ordeal.

The day after the fight, an older cousin of their son's antagonist
approached him in the school cafeteria and uttered a similar slur,
compounding their sense of despair.

"He said, 'You punched my cousin you Chinese ****,' " the 15-year-old
said. That student was overheard by a teacher and suspended.

His father explains that the easiest course would be to move somewhere
else and get a fresh start for his son. But he can't do it.

"I don't want to run away. If another Asian kid comes to this school,
what happens to him? Will he run into problems? Will they think they can
just kick him out? I don't want to set that example," he said.

"Personally, for my kid, I should move. But as a Canadian I cannot move."

- - -

In certain states in the American south, the Asian boy would have been
lynched.

Too bad some of that didn't rub off on Don's lazy beer swilling kid!