Asian American groups demand justice for John Huynh and end to anti-AAPI violence

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2021

Contact:
Connie So, OCA – Greater Seattle President
Email: info@ocaseattle.org

On May 6, 2021 — Today,  Asian American social justice groups joined  the family of John Huynh in a meeting with the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to demand that the defendant, Ian Williams, be charged with second degree murder enhanced with a hate crime.  Currently, the Prosecutor is charging 25-year-old college senior Williams with only second-degree murder.

On April 25, 29-year-old John Huynh was fatally stabbed to death by Williams outside a Bothell apartment building.  According to witnesses, Williams had flipped Huynh off leading Huynh to question the action.  Williams then fatally stabbed Huynh in the heart before many witnesses including Huynh’s wife.  Williams then allegedly ran home to his mother telling her that he was “attacked” by an anti-masker before being arrested by police. 

Among those in attendance at the meeting was Connie So, President of OCA – Asian Pacific American Advocates of Greater Seattle remarked, “We are here to show support and solidarity with the Huynh family.  We cannot imagine the pain they must be suffering with the unprovoked death of their brother.  While many details remain unknown, what is known is that attacks and hate crimes against AAPIs is on the rise, and we cannot rule out bias as a factor in this crime. We ask that the investigators look upon this death with a careful eye toward hate as a motivating factor.’”

Huynh’s death has occurred behind a backdrop of rising hate crimes targeting Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans .  Across the country, AAPIs have been spit on, harassed, accused of absurd conspiracy theories, verbally and physically abused, and even murdered – all in the name of ignorance and hate. According to Stop AAPI Hate, from March 2020 through March 2021, more than 3,000 incidents against AAPIs have been reported – a figure crowdsourced and likely an undercount. In addition, according to the FBI’s Annual Hate Crime Report, there were 7,134 hate crimes in 2019 – a marked increase from the year before.  In Washington state, there were 542 hate crimes – the second highest per capita in the country. The cycle of violence must end.  

“As Asian Americans, we are so tired of all this hate and bias against Asian people,” added Cathy Lee, President of Chinese American Citizens Alliance of Seattle, “John Huynh did nothing to provoke Williams.  Of all the people there, he chose to kill John Huynh then lied without any regret.  We are here to support the Huynh family and seek justice.”

Kim-Khanh Van, Renton City Councilmember, exhorted elected leaders “to stand up and speak out against the disgusting anti-Asian conspiracy theories and violence surrounding COVID-19 and to provide culturally competent support to victims of hate and provide justice to the Huynh family and the Asian American and Pacific Islander community.”

“Justice for John Huynh” is a coalition of Asian American and Pacific Islander American groups including AAPI Against Hate, Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, APACEVotes, Chinese American Citizens Alliance Seattle, Japanese American Citizens League – Seattle Chapter, LELO/A Legacy of Equality Leadership and Organizing, and OCA Asian Pacific Advocates of Greater Seattle, Vietnamese American Community of Seattle, Sno-King Counties (VACSSK). 

There are two GoFundMe pages for John Huynh started by family on the west coast and east coast:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/in-the-loving-memory-of-john-huynh/donate
https://www.gofundme.com/f/73fvy-in-remembrance-of-john-huynh