Showing posts with label Pennsylvania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pennsylvania. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Saturday, August 18, 2012
.png)
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Hochimonk Sao Chanthol to attend ceremony in Philadelphia on 21-22 July 2012
 |
| Hochimonk Sao Chanthol - Photo taken in Lynn Pagoda, Massachusetts, USA in 2012 |
 |
| Hochimonk Noy Chreuk |
https://www.box.com/s/dac94790c58125da9cec
Unofficial Translation from Khmer
Hochimonk Sao Chanthol to attend ceremony in Philadelphia on 21-22 July 2012
Hochimonk Sao Chanthol plans to partake in the religious ceremony at Lynn Pagoda in Massachusetts this upcoming 14-15 July 2012, however, a false news was spread out indicating that he would be traveling to Singapore instead and will be returning back to the US in November 2012.
Furthermore, Sao Chanthol plans to preside over the breaking ground ceremony of Wat Paliley Pagoda in Philadelphia on 21-22 July 2012, even though the program for this ceremony is not printed yet.
Hochimonk Sao Chanthol is a traitor of the Cambodian nation and a traitor of Buddhism. Bearing the title of Samdach Moha Arihakvong, Sao Chanthol is the 6th deputy inspector of the Cambodian Buddhist Institute and he is also the secretary of Hochimonk Non Nget. Sao Chanthol now resides in Wat Langka Pagoda in Phnom Penh.
In 2007, Hochimonks Tep Vong, Non Nget, Am Lim Heng – the second deputy chief monk, abbot of Champuh Ka’ek Pagoda and godson of Hun Xen and Bun Rany Hun Xen – Noy Chrek – the third deputy chief monk – Sao Chanthol, Long Kim Leang, Cheas Am – the Takeo province chief monk – and their henchmen colluded to defrock Ven. Tim Sakhorn – the abbot of Phnom Den Pagoda North located in Phnom Den commune, Kirivong district, Takeo province – and sent the latter to be jailed in Vietnam for almost 2 years. Ven. Tim Sakhorn was accused of providing refuge in his pagoda for Cambodian people who fled political and religious harassment in South Vietnam.
Thursday, July 05, 2012
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Philadelphia's Preah Buddha Rangsey temple will host a public screening of “Who Killed Chea Vichea?” this Monday
Philadelphia: Preah Buddha Rangsey temple will host a public screening of "Who Killed Chea Vichea?" this Monday, September 26 at 5:30 pm. Producer Rich Garella will be there for a short Q&A after the show. Click on link for screenings schedules: http://blog.whokilledcheavichea.com/search/label/screenings
Note: This is a screening of the Khmer-language version of the film.
Public welcome - Free admission
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
2011 Dragon Boat Festival this weekend at Philadelphia, PA
2011 Dragon Boat Festival this weekend at Philadelphia, PA
CELEBRATE ASIAN TRADITION AND CULTURE!
Calling all Philadelphia residents and prospective visitors. Join us for the Southeast Asian Dragon Boat Festival on September 10th, 2011! Don’t miss this rare, wonderful opportunity to enjoy an exciting boat race at picturesque Penn's Landing while learning and experiencing the unique customs and survival stories associated with the Southeast Asian Community. Admission is free and open to the general public.
When: Saturday, September 10 · 11:00am - 5:00pm
Where: Penn's Landing Great Plaza, Columbus Blvd. at Chestnut St. Philadelphia, PA
More Information: http://www.southeastasiandragonboatfestival.org/
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy's upcoming visit to Philadelphia, PA
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
11:00 AM EST, May 17, 2011
Contact: Chea Meas
Tel: (215) 833-3669
To: All Media and Public at Large
From: SRP Chapter of Pennsylvania
We would like to inform our colleagues, supporters and the public at large of the upcoming visit of H.E. Sam Rainsy to Philadelphia on Friday, May 27th, 2011.
Sam Rainsy is the President of the Sam Rainsy Party, the largest opposition party in Cambodia, and an elected Member of Parliament for Kompong Cham province. In 2009, he led residents living on the border in a protest against Vietnam, as they claimed that the neighboring nation was illegally encroaching on Cambodian territory. Because they physically returned border markers to where they legally belong, Rainsy was charged with racial incitement and the destruction of public property. The Cambodian Parliament stripped his constitutionally-guaranteed immunity from prosecution, and went so far as to bar him from his seat in the Parliament. In 2010, he went into self-exile in France, and says that he will let the court try him in absentia, as the charges against him are politically motivated.
You are invited to spend an evening with Rainsy to hear updates on his current efforts for reform in Cambodia, and to ask questions about the future of the country. This is a rare opportunity to have direct access to one of the leading figures of the opposition in Cambodia.
Date: Friday - May 27, 2011
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Location: Preah Buddha Rangsey Temple
2400 South 6th Street Philadelphia, PA 19148
If you would like more information or to schedule an interview with Sam Rainsy, please call Chea Meas at (215) 833-3669 or e-mail samrainsyparty.usa@gmail.com
_______________________________
SAM RAINSY PARTY OF PENNSYLVANIA
INTEGRITY - HONESTY - JUSTICE
1800 South 15th Street 1st Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19145 (USA)
Email: samrainsyparty.usa@gmail.com
Website: http://www.samrainsyparty.org
Skype: SRP-PA
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Public Invitation to Candlelight Vigil in Philadelphia
Dear Compatriots and Friends,
This week Monday night disaster in Cambodia has traumatized us all. The stampede tragedy at the Koh Pich Bridge killed and injured hundreds of people during the last day of the Water Festival.
We would like to invite everyone to come and join our sincere condolences to the family of the victims from the stampede.
Please come to mourn in solidarity with the grieving and loss of the victims from Monday's tragedy.
*SEE BELOW FOR FULL DETAILS
For more information please contact:
Preah Budha Rangsey Temple (215) 336-9545
Chea Meas (215) 833-3669
President of Sam Rainsy Party, Pennsylvania
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Consulate Vows To Help Cambodians 'Unconditionally' [-How to spin the truth a-la-CPP?]
Sok Savoeun, the newly appointed consular. (Photo: By Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer)Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Philadelphia Monday, 27 September 2010
“Today I want to make clear to all of you that the main mission of either the embassy or the consulates is to serve all people regardless of their political tendencies and beliefs. We will serve you unconditionally (sic!).”Cambodia opened a consulate office in Philadelphia, Penn., on Saturday, the third of its kind, aimed at serving Cambodian nationals and attracting tourism and investment.
Located on the ground floor of a building in the north of the city, the five-by-fifteen-meter office will certify documents and work with Cambodians facing issues like deportation, officials said.
“The opening of the general consulate is to help functions for our people who live in the US, to use it as a bridge for people in Philadelphia to our motherland,” Ouch Borith, secretary of state for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told a crowd of about 100 Saturday.
Cambodia already has consulates in Seattle, Wash., and Lowell, Mass., in addition to its embassy in Washington.
Officials also moved to put aside concerns that these offices were extensions of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.
“Today I want to make clear to all of you that the main mission of either the embassy or the consulates is to serve all people regardless of their political tendencies and beliefs,” he said. “We will serve you unconditionally.”
“I am committed to serve the interests of the Cambodian people,” said Sok Savoeun, the newly appointed consular. “I will try my best to help as much as I can, regardless of your political parties. So long as you are Cambodians, I will do my best to serve you.”
Monday, September 27, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Sunday Performance by Chamroeun Yin to Open Monthlong Series on Cambodian Classical Arts
All events in the Cambodian Arts Series are free to Bryn Mawr, Haverford, and Swarthmore students, faculty and staff. The Oct.22 performance by the Khmer Arts Ensemble is part of the College’s Performing Arts Series; tickets for the general public are available online at Brown Paper Tickets. All other events are free to the general public, although reservations are required for some events. For more information, see the Performing Arts Series website.
September 22, 2010Bryn Mawr University (Pennsylvania, USA)
Beginning this Sunday, Sept. 26, Bryn Mawr College will host a series of events focusing on the classical arts of Cambodia. Inspired by a visit from Cambodia’s Khmer Arts Ensemble scheduled for October, the series will include performances, lectures, and workshops conducted by members of the local Cambodian community of Philadelphia as well as the visitors from Cambodia.
The series opens Sunday at 7 p.m. in Goodhart Hall’s Katharine Hepburn Teaching Theater with “A Thousand Years in the Making: Cambodian Royal Court Traditional Dances,” a performance by Philadelphia-based Chamroeun Yin. Yin is a multitalented artist whose work in the visual arts includes preparing traditional costumes and masks for the dances he performs.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Goodhart Music Hall, Yin will display and discuss some of the splendid and elegant costumes and masks he has created for Cambodian dance performances.
Other Events in the Series:
The series opens Sunday at 7 p.m. in Goodhart Hall’s Katharine Hepburn Teaching Theater with “A Thousand Years in the Making: Cambodian Royal Court Traditional Dances,” a performance by Philadelphia-based Chamroeun Yin. Yin is a multitalented artist whose work in the visual arts includes preparing traditional costumes and masks for the dances he performs.
On Tuesday, Sept. 28, at 6:30 p.m. in Goodhart Music Hall, Yin will display and discuss some of the splendid and elegant costumes and masks he has created for Cambodian dance performances.
Other Events in the Series:
- Monday, Oct. 4, 4:15 p.m. , Carpenter B21. Screening of Dancing through Death: The Monkey, Magic, and Madness of Cambodia, a documentary focusing on Thavro Phim, a classical Cambodian dancer who survived the genocide of the Pol Pot Regime. Phim, who will be on hand to discuss the film, continues to use dance with both youth and immigrant communities as a way of recovering and maintaining cultural identity. Co-sponsored by the Solomon Asch Center for the Study of Ethnopolitical Conflict.
- Monday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m., Pembroke Dance Studio. “The Cambodian Monkey Dance: Trickster, Warrior, and King,” a workshop with Thavro Pim. Open to dancers, as well as to those with experience in other movement forms ranging from tai chi and capoeira to theatrical improvisation. Pim is one of only three trained dancers in the US who performs and teaches this important dance. Call the Office for the Arts (610-526-5210) to reserve a space.
- Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, Oct. 20-23, various locations. Master Classes in Classical Cambodian Technique with members of the Khmer Arts Ensemble. See the Dance Program Events website for information about times, places, and how to reserve a space.
- Friday, Oct. 22, 8 p.m., McPherson Auditorium, Goodhart Hall. The Lives of Giants, a performance by the 30 dancers and musicians of Cambodia’s Khmer Arts Ensemble. Drawing on the Cambodian Reamker (Ramayana), The Lives of Giants fuses classical and experimental dance techniques into a spare, complex, powerfully spiritual evening that delivers a resonant message about the effects of violence. Ticket information at the Performing Arts Series website.
- Saturday, Oct. 23, 7 p.m., McPherson Auditorium, Goodhart Hall. Learning to Listen: explore the beauty and intricacies of Cambodian classical music as members of the Khmer Arts Ensemble both play and discuss both the instruments and the music. Call the Office for the Arts (610-526-5210) to make a reservation.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Philadelphia: New Cambodian consulate or new CPP spying office?
Philadelphia Selected for Third Cambodian Consul in US
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Thursday, 02 September 2010
Hor Namhong is expected to open the consulate, Cambodia's third in the US, on Sept. 25. Consulates already operate in Seattle, Wash., and Lowell, Mass.
“Our purpose in opening the consulate is first to facilitate paperwork for Cambodians, whether they hold US citizenship or still have Cambodian citizenship,” Cambodia's ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, told VOA Khmer. “Secondly, to protect their interests in the US. And thirdly, we want to expand trade and cultural relations and cooperation. We want to promote investment in Cambodia and attract US tourists to visit Cambodia.”
Sok Savoeun, a 48-year-old US-Cambodian, has been named consul for the office.
“This area is central to Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese communities and other ethnic groups who like to visit Cambodia,” he said. “As for the investment I have observed that the Korean community here likes to go to do business in Cambodia.”
The consulate will offer visa and passport services and certification of documents, such as marriage and birth certificates, he said.
However, supporters of Cambodia's opposition parties worry the consulate, located in a city of diverse political views and 18,000 Cambodians, will be used to further the interests of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.
“I don't expect much from the consulate,” said Ou Kimhuot, an activist for the minority opposition Human Rights Party. “In my view, the consulate will serve [CPP] political purposes rather than serving the people here. It is placed as their eyes and ears to keep vigilance over the opposition, to see how strong the opposition is, so they can devise a strategy to cope with that.”
Hem Heng rejected the idea. He said the consulate will serve people from all political walks, “so long as they are Cambodians.
“We'll help them all,” he said. “There is no discrimination. Once he begins performing his duties, the consul will be neutral, although he supports the government. It is not set up to counter the opposition.”
Men Kimseng, VOA Khmer
Washington, DC Thursday, 02 September 2010
However, supporters of Cambodia's opposition parties worry the consulate, located in a city of diverse political views and 18,000 Cambodians, will be used to further the interests of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.Cambodia will open a consulate in the city of Philadelphia, Penn., later this month, aiming to provide services to Cambodians there and help draw investment back home.
“I don't expect much from the consulate,” said Ou Kimhuot, an activist for the minority opposition Human Rights Party. “In my view, the consulate will serve [CPP] political purposes rather than serving the people here. It is placed as their eyes and ears to keep vigilance over the opposition, to see how strong the opposition is, so they can devise a strategy to cope with that.”
Hor Namhong is expected to open the consulate, Cambodia's third in the US, on Sept. 25. Consulates already operate in Seattle, Wash., and Lowell, Mass.
“Our purpose in opening the consulate is first to facilitate paperwork for Cambodians, whether they hold US citizenship or still have Cambodian citizenship,” Cambodia's ambassador to the US, Hem Heng, told VOA Khmer. “Secondly, to protect their interests in the US. And thirdly, we want to expand trade and cultural relations and cooperation. We want to promote investment in Cambodia and attract US tourists to visit Cambodia.”
Sok Savoeun, a 48-year-old US-Cambodian, has been named consul for the office.
“This area is central to Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese communities and other ethnic groups who like to visit Cambodia,” he said. “As for the investment I have observed that the Korean community here likes to go to do business in Cambodia.”
The consulate will offer visa and passport services and certification of documents, such as marriage and birth certificates, he said.
However, supporters of Cambodia's opposition parties worry the consulate, located in a city of diverse political views and 18,000 Cambodians, will be used to further the interests of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.
“I don't expect much from the consulate,” said Ou Kimhuot, an activist for the minority opposition Human Rights Party. “In my view, the consulate will serve [CPP] political purposes rather than serving the people here. It is placed as their eyes and ears to keep vigilance over the opposition, to see how strong the opposition is, so they can devise a strategy to cope with that.”
Hem Heng rejected the idea. He said the consulate will serve people from all political walks, “so long as they are Cambodians.
“We'll help them all,” he said. “There is no discrimination. Once he begins performing his duties, the consul will be neutral, although he supports the government. It is not set up to counter the opposition.”
Friday, August 27, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Philadelphia City Hall gives green light to Wat Khmer Palelai to construct a new Buddhist temple
Philadelphia City Hall gives green light to Wat Khmer Palelai to construct a new Buddhist temple
Monday August 23, B.E.2554, A.D.2010 Year of the Tiger
Everyone is invited.
- Venue: Wat Khmer Palelai, 2701 South 58th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143
- Date: September 10 - 12, B.E.2554, A.D.2010
Contact: 215.339.5830 or 267.242.2978
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Buddhist Lent (Chol Vossa) and Fundraising ceremony in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Click on the announcement in Khmer and English to zoom in
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Invitation to Meet Opposition Leader Sam Rainsy in Philadelphia
Hello everyone,
Just a friendly reminder, we have scheduled our SRP Public Meeting on this Sunday, May 23, 2010 at the same location – Grand King Restuarant located at 40-44 Snyder Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19148 (Snyder Ave. & Water St.). Please see flyer on the attachment.
Honor guest speakers:
Best regards,
R. Visal
Philadelphia, PA
Cell: (215) 439-1553
Honor guest speakers:
- From France, Mr. Sam Rainsy, SRP President
- From Cambodia, Mr. Mardi Seng, President of SRP Provincial Council in Svay Reing
- From Pittsburgh, Mr. Mathew Sherwin, SRP-PA Editor; Former SRP Intern
- From Philadelphia, Richard Garella, Producer of the film, "Who Kill Chea Vichea"; Former SRP Foreign Press Writer
Best regards,
R. Visal
Philadelphia, PA
Cell: (215) 439-1553
Monday, April 12, 2010
Cambodian-American teenager singled out in S. Phila. High assault?
'I will fight,' says girl, but denies report
The "Cambodian female" was accused of instigating the S. Phila. High assault.
Sun, Apr. 11, 2010
By Jeff Gammage and Kristen A. Graham
The Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writers (Pennsylvania, USA)
For six weeks, since the release of the official Philadelphia School District report on the Dec. 3 violence, she has been the mystery girl of South Philadelphia High:
The rogue student identified only as "the Cambodian female," singled out as an instigator and assailant who joined predominantly African American youths in a series of assaults on Asians.
At 1:30 p.m. that day, the report said, two to four African American girls accompanied by a "possibly Cambodian" female attacked an Asian girl, then dragged her downstairs by her hair.
In a massive after-school assault on Broad Street two hours later, the Cambodian girl was "the first to attack" and "the most violent," identified by the principal as kicking a Vietnamese girl, the report said.
Who is she? Few know.
School District security chief James Golden said he didn't know who she was. Philadelphia police investigators said they didn't know her. The local Cambodian association has been unable to contact her.
After weeks of searching, however, The Inquirer has identified and interviewed the girl, who is 15. She denied any role in the violence of Dec. 3.
"I didn't do nothing wrong," she insisted. "Why, of all the people that's involved, they pick me out?"
She acknowledged being in a brawl the previous day. And she said no one should doubt her toughness when provoked. "I will fight."
The newspaper is withholding her name because of her age.
The district report, issued Feb. 23, cited the girl 10 times in its findings and twice in footnotes.
Cambodian leaders and Asian advocates question why a lone Cambodian girl is cited again and again among so large a group of assailants - at least 10 to 20 inside the school and 20 to 40 outside, according to the report.
They say it's a district attempt to portray the events of Dec. 3 not as "anti-Asian violence" specific to South Philadelphia High, but as general violence that could have happened anywhere.
"We won't make excuses for her, but I want to know how she's tied to the whole thing," said Rorng Sorn, executive director of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia. "Why is this Cambodian female student being highlighted multiple times?"
Sorn questioned whether the girl had been mentioned so "she can be the scapegoat, and it can be, 'OK, the attackers also had Asians. Maybe it's not racially motivated.' "
Cecilia Chen, a lawyer with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, agreed.
"The district has made a very strong effort to portray the attacks as multiracial, and the fact that they focus so heavily on a single Cambodian female really speaks to that," she said. "It was only Asian immigrant students who were attacked on Dec. 3."
District officials vigorously denied there was any attempt to use the Cambodian girl as a means to broaden the races of those involved.
"That is absolutely not true," spokeswoman Evelyn Sample-Oates said. Asian and African American students were identified and suspended, she said.
James T. Giles, a retired federal judge, conducted the district inquiry at the request of School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. The report named no students.
In an interview, Giles said his description of the Cambodian girl's actions had been based solely on the facts. She was deemed the "most violent" on Broad, where about 100 mostly African American youths surrounded 10 Vietnamese students, because she had been seen kicking a girl, he said.
"I can assure you there was no anti-Asian intention in the report I wrote," Giles said. "But people think what they want. There's nothing I can say to dissuade them from the views they have, nor would I attempt to."
The girl's involvement in the after-school attack "counters a proposition that all the attackers on Broad Street were black," he said. "If it's true the composition of the group was other than all black, then, as I said in the report, it requires looking at more complicated sociological issues than just black versus Asian."
The girl is a ninth grader who now attends a disciplinary school. She stands 5-foot-2 and weighs 98 pounds, all legs and long brown hair, and during the interview she wore stylish silver sandals, cutoff blue jeans, and a gray T-shirt. Her fingernails were manicured, the tips painted white.
Standing on the sidewalk near her South Philadelphia home, she slurped a cherry Popsicle. She had no idea the district existed. She said she had a long disciplinary record and had belonged to a street gang. But she said that on Dec. 3, she deliberately walked past the melee on Broad and was later shocked to be told by community liaison Wali Smith that she was being suspended.
"That's crazy," she said. "Mr. Wali Smith said, 'I saw you kick the Asian girl in the face. You ran across the street and kicked her in the face.' I said, 'No.' . . . Who's going to listen to a student? A teacher always wins."
Sample-Oates, the district spokeswoman, said Smith was not the only staffer to identify the girl. One of the victims and other eyewitnesses recognized her, she said.
The girl's mother, who speaks limited English, broke into tears at the mention of her daughter's name. She said the teen, the third-youngest of nine children, was impossible to control.
"I called the police on her last night," she said, sitting on the front steps of her rowhouse. "When I talk to her, she screams at me."
The girl's brother-in-law, Christopher Robinson, defended her as less culpable than others involved in the violence. It's true her gang pummeled new members as an initiation rite, but none carried guns or sold drugs, he said.
"I'm not saying she's an angel," Robinson said, adding that her past made her easy to blame.
The girl nodded.
"My record is real bad. I understand," she said.
Robinson said his sister-in-law, like some Cambodians born and raised here, identified with African American culture and sided with black students in disputes with Asian immigrants.
The district report said gang influences could not be excluded as a cause of some of the violence. Giles told The Inquirer that he had not researched the Cambodian girl's associations, and that his supposition of gang involvement had been based on other information.
Since the report's release, trying to determine the identity of the Cambodian girl has been the buzz among teachers at South Philadelphia High. After Dec. 3, she was suspended and transferred to Transitions South, an alternative school.
The Cambodian girl criticized the school disciplinary process as unjust. Two other Asian students who were punished also have said they were disciplined unfairly. In one case, the district retracted its allegation that one of the two, Hao Luu, was part of a gang.
In the interview, the Cambodian girl said her mother had attended her disciplinary hearing. But neither of them went to the second, formal hearing because the district notification did not arrive until it was over, the girl said.
Sample-Oates said the district had not been told the notice arrived late. The girl never contacted school or district officials to question her new school assignment, she said.
The Dec. 3 violence has spawned three investigations, including by the state Human Relations Commission and the U.S. Justice Department.
Giles' inquiry blamed the Dec. 3 violence on rumors that circulated after a confrontation between Asian and African American youths the previous day. Asian students dispute that, saying assaults against them have gone on unchecked for years.
They and their advocates say the key point is not the race of the attackers, even if one was Cambodian, but the fact that all the victims were Asian.
The Cambodian girl is first mentioned five pages into the 37-page report. Her role apparently started Dec. 2, the report said.
At 1:30 p.m. that day, a group of Asian and African American students had a verbal confrontation on the second floor of the school and were separated by school police. Afterward, at least two rumors emerged about the cause of the confrontation. One was that during third period "a Cambodian female had 'challenged' a group of three Vietnamese students to a fight."
At 3:15 p.m. that day, an after-school altercation occurred between African American and Asian students, including some who had been involved in the second-floor incident.
One of the victims to come forward publicly was Luu, a 17-year-old immigrant from Vietnam. He was beaten so badly that he vomited.
The report said one rumored assailant in that incident, which ended at a Walgreens store, was the Cambodian girl. The rumor was that "the arms of one of the Vietnamese students were held by African American females while the Cambodian female struck him in the head, rendering him unconscious."
The Cambodian girl told The Inquirer she had been involved in that fight, but only to aid a friend. An Asian boy "hit me with a shoe. I hit him back."
The first attack of Dec. 3 occurred at 8:45 a.m., when a group of mostly African American students assaulted an Asian student in Room 424, the report said.
At 10:30 a.m., eight Vietnamese youths went to school police and identified four African American assailants from the Walgreens incident.
"Apparently," the report said, "someone also identified a Cambodian female student as an assailant, as her name appears in the school police incident report."
The violence continued through the day.
The biggest attack occurred on Broad at dismissal, when the Vietnamese students were chased, surrounded, and beaten.
"A Cambodian female recognized by staff at the scene as an SPHS student was the first to attack the students," the report said, "and was reported to have been the most violent."
The victims could not identify their attackers, but "most of them did recognize the role that the Cambodian female played in initiating and participating in the attack," the report said. "The principal and other SPHS staff were close enough to the attack that they were able to clearly identify the Cambodian female."
The girl said the district had warned her that city police would charge her, but that never happened.
"We never had a court date or nothing," she said.
---------
Contact staff writer Jeff Gammage at 215-854-2415 or jgammage@phillynews.com.
Inquirer staff writer Martha Woodall contributed to this article.
Sun, Apr. 11, 2010
By Jeff Gammage and Kristen A. Graham
The Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writers (Pennsylvania, USA)
For six weeks, since the release of the official Philadelphia School District report on the Dec. 3 violence, she has been the mystery girl of South Philadelphia High:
The rogue student identified only as "the Cambodian female," singled out as an instigator and assailant who joined predominantly African American youths in a series of assaults on Asians.
At 1:30 p.m. that day, the report said, two to four African American girls accompanied by a "possibly Cambodian" female attacked an Asian girl, then dragged her downstairs by her hair.
In a massive after-school assault on Broad Street two hours later, the Cambodian girl was "the first to attack" and "the most violent," identified by the principal as kicking a Vietnamese girl, the report said.
Who is she? Few know.
School District security chief James Golden said he didn't know who she was. Philadelphia police investigators said they didn't know her. The local Cambodian association has been unable to contact her.
After weeks of searching, however, The Inquirer has identified and interviewed the girl, who is 15. She denied any role in the violence of Dec. 3.
"I didn't do nothing wrong," she insisted. "Why, of all the people that's involved, they pick me out?"
She acknowledged being in a brawl the previous day. And she said no one should doubt her toughness when provoked. "I will fight."
The newspaper is withholding her name because of her age.
The district report, issued Feb. 23, cited the girl 10 times in its findings and twice in footnotes.
Cambodian leaders and Asian advocates question why a lone Cambodian girl is cited again and again among so large a group of assailants - at least 10 to 20 inside the school and 20 to 40 outside, according to the report.
They say it's a district attempt to portray the events of Dec. 3 not as "anti-Asian violence" specific to South Philadelphia High, but as general violence that could have happened anywhere.
"We won't make excuses for her, but I want to know how she's tied to the whole thing," said Rorng Sorn, executive director of the Cambodian Association of Greater Philadelphia. "Why is this Cambodian female student being highlighted multiple times?"
Sorn questioned whether the girl had been mentioned so "she can be the scapegoat, and it can be, 'OK, the attackers also had Asians. Maybe it's not racially motivated.' "
Cecilia Chen, a lawyer with the Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, agreed.
"The district has made a very strong effort to portray the attacks as multiracial, and the fact that they focus so heavily on a single Cambodian female really speaks to that," she said. "It was only Asian immigrant students who were attacked on Dec. 3."
District officials vigorously denied there was any attempt to use the Cambodian girl as a means to broaden the races of those involved.
"That is absolutely not true," spokeswoman Evelyn Sample-Oates said. Asian and African American students were identified and suspended, she said.
James T. Giles, a retired federal judge, conducted the district inquiry at the request of School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman. The report named no students.
In an interview, Giles said his description of the Cambodian girl's actions had been based solely on the facts. She was deemed the "most violent" on Broad, where about 100 mostly African American youths surrounded 10 Vietnamese students, because she had been seen kicking a girl, he said.
"I can assure you there was no anti-Asian intention in the report I wrote," Giles said. "But people think what they want. There's nothing I can say to dissuade them from the views they have, nor would I attempt to."
The girl's involvement in the after-school attack "counters a proposition that all the attackers on Broad Street were black," he said. "If it's true the composition of the group was other than all black, then, as I said in the report, it requires looking at more complicated sociological issues than just black versus Asian."
The girl is a ninth grader who now attends a disciplinary school. She stands 5-foot-2 and weighs 98 pounds, all legs and long brown hair, and during the interview she wore stylish silver sandals, cutoff blue jeans, and a gray T-shirt. Her fingernails were manicured, the tips painted white.
Standing on the sidewalk near her South Philadelphia home, she slurped a cherry Popsicle. She had no idea the district existed. She said she had a long disciplinary record and had belonged to a street gang. But she said that on Dec. 3, she deliberately walked past the melee on Broad and was later shocked to be told by community liaison Wali Smith that she was being suspended.
"That's crazy," she said. "Mr. Wali Smith said, 'I saw you kick the Asian girl in the face. You ran across the street and kicked her in the face.' I said, 'No.' . . . Who's going to listen to a student? A teacher always wins."
Sample-Oates, the district spokeswoman, said Smith was not the only staffer to identify the girl. One of the victims and other eyewitnesses recognized her, she said.
The girl's mother, who speaks limited English, broke into tears at the mention of her daughter's name. She said the teen, the third-youngest of nine children, was impossible to control.
"I called the police on her last night," she said, sitting on the front steps of her rowhouse. "When I talk to her, she screams at me."
The girl's brother-in-law, Christopher Robinson, defended her as less culpable than others involved in the violence. It's true her gang pummeled new members as an initiation rite, but none carried guns or sold drugs, he said.
"I'm not saying she's an angel," Robinson said, adding that her past made her easy to blame.
The girl nodded.
"My record is real bad. I understand," she said.
Robinson said his sister-in-law, like some Cambodians born and raised here, identified with African American culture and sided with black students in disputes with Asian immigrants.
The district report said gang influences could not be excluded as a cause of some of the violence. Giles told The Inquirer that he had not researched the Cambodian girl's associations, and that his supposition of gang involvement had been based on other information.
Since the report's release, trying to determine the identity of the Cambodian girl has been the buzz among teachers at South Philadelphia High. After Dec. 3, she was suspended and transferred to Transitions South, an alternative school.
The Cambodian girl criticized the school disciplinary process as unjust. Two other Asian students who were punished also have said they were disciplined unfairly. In one case, the district retracted its allegation that one of the two, Hao Luu, was part of a gang.
In the interview, the Cambodian girl said her mother had attended her disciplinary hearing. But neither of them went to the second, formal hearing because the district notification did not arrive until it was over, the girl said.
Sample-Oates said the district had not been told the notice arrived late. The girl never contacted school or district officials to question her new school assignment, she said.
The Dec. 3 violence has spawned three investigations, including by the state Human Relations Commission and the U.S. Justice Department.
Giles' inquiry blamed the Dec. 3 violence on rumors that circulated after a confrontation between Asian and African American youths the previous day. Asian students dispute that, saying assaults against them have gone on unchecked for years.
They and their advocates say the key point is not the race of the attackers, even if one was Cambodian, but the fact that all the victims were Asian.
The Cambodian girl is first mentioned five pages into the 37-page report. Her role apparently started Dec. 2, the report said.
At 1:30 p.m. that day, a group of Asian and African American students had a verbal confrontation on the second floor of the school and were separated by school police. Afterward, at least two rumors emerged about the cause of the confrontation. One was that during third period "a Cambodian female had 'challenged' a group of three Vietnamese students to a fight."
At 3:15 p.m. that day, an after-school altercation occurred between African American and Asian students, including some who had been involved in the second-floor incident.
One of the victims to come forward publicly was Luu, a 17-year-old immigrant from Vietnam. He was beaten so badly that he vomited.
The report said one rumored assailant in that incident, which ended at a Walgreens store, was the Cambodian girl. The rumor was that "the arms of one of the Vietnamese students were held by African American females while the Cambodian female struck him in the head, rendering him unconscious."
The Cambodian girl told The Inquirer she had been involved in that fight, but only to aid a friend. An Asian boy "hit me with a shoe. I hit him back."
The first attack of Dec. 3 occurred at 8:45 a.m., when a group of mostly African American students assaulted an Asian student in Room 424, the report said.
At 10:30 a.m., eight Vietnamese youths went to school police and identified four African American assailants from the Walgreens incident.
"Apparently," the report said, "someone also identified a Cambodian female student as an assailant, as her name appears in the school police incident report."
The violence continued through the day.
The biggest attack occurred on Broad at dismissal, when the Vietnamese students were chased, surrounded, and beaten.
"A Cambodian female recognized by staff at the scene as an SPHS student was the first to attack the students," the report said, "and was reported to have been the most violent."
The victims could not identify their attackers, but "most of them did recognize the role that the Cambodian female played in initiating and participating in the attack," the report said. "The principal and other SPHS staff were close enough to the attack that they were able to clearly identify the Cambodian female."
The girl said the district had warned her that city police would charge her, but that never happened.
"We never had a court date or nothing," she said.
---------
Contact staff writer Jeff Gammage at 215-854-2415 or jgammage@phillynews.com.
Inquirer staff writer Martha Woodall contributed to this article.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
