Vincent Chin
Vincent Chin was a Chinese American man whose tragic death in 1982 became a pivotal moment in the Asian American civil rights movement. Born in China and adopted by a family in the United States, Chin was a college graduate with aspirations in architecture. He was brutally murdered by two white autoworkers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz, who mistook him for Japanese and blamed him for economic troubles in the automotive industry. Despite a public outcry and a federal investigation into his civil rights, the initial legal consequences for his attackers were minimal, sparking widespread anger among Asian American communities.
Chin's case highlighted systemic issues within the legal system regarding hate crimes, leading to significant advocacy and changes in how such crimes were treated. His story was immortalized through documentaries and cultural works that further explored themes of identity, justice, and community solidarity. The aftermath of his murder fostered alliances among various ethnic groups and galvanized activism, contributing to evolving discussions around hate crimes and civil rights protections in the United States.
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Subject Terms
Vincent Chin
Chinese-born draftsman
- Born: 1955
- Birthplace: Guandong, China
- Died: June 23, 1982
- Place of death: Detroit, Michigan
Vincent Chin was a Chinese American draftsman who was brutally killed in Detroit in 1982 by white autoworkers. The workers, enraged about the downturn in the American auto industry, mistook Chin for a Japanese man. After a circuit judge handed down a lenient sentence for his murderers, Chin’s death became a rallying point and symbol of the pan–Asian American civil rights movement.
Early Life
Born in Guandong, China, Vincent Chin was six years old when his parents, also from Guandong, adopted him. His father, David Bing Hing Chin, had arrived in the United States in 1922 and worked in laundries and restaurants. He was also enrolled for a short time in the US Army, which gave him access to citizenship. Vincent’s mother, Lily, arrived to join her husband in the United States in 1948.
While in high school, Vincent Chin contributed to his family’s finances, bringing home earnings from his job as a waiter. He ran on the Oak Park High School track team and wrote poems. After graduation, Chin enrolled in an architecture program at the Lawrence Institute of Technology. He finished his education at Control Data Institute, a computer trade school, and went to work as a draftsman at Efficient Engineering while continuing to wait tables on weekends.
On June 19, 1982, friends threw a bachelor party for the twenty-seven-year-old Chin, who was to be married the following week. They took him to the Fancy Pants Tavern in Highland Park, Michigan. There, two white autoworkers, Ronald Ebens and his stepson Michael Nitz, took offense at the attention Chin’s party was giving to one of the female dancers at the establishment. Ebens was a Chrysler plant foreman; Nitz was unemployed. Ebens and Nitz uttered epithets at Chin, mistaking him for a Japanese man and casting blame on him for the downturn of the Detroit automobile industry. A fistfight ensued, and both parties were thrown out of the bar. After leaving the bar, Ebens and Nitz pursued Chin with a baseball bat.
Ebens and Nitz found Chin in the parking lot of a McDonald’s restaurant, where they attacked him. Nitz held Chin from behind while Ebens struck him with the bat, first in the shins and then on the skull, a total of four times. Chin died of his injuries four days later. Friends and family who had planned to attend his wedding came instead to his funeral ceremony.
Significance
At their trial, Ebens and Nitz pled guilty to manslaughter. Charles Kaufmann, the Wayne County circuit judge, handed them a fine of $3,000 and three years’ probation, with a $780 charge for fees. Kaufmann justified the sentence, citing the defendants’ work histories and lack of any previous criminal record.
The U.S. Department of Justice, petitioned by the American Citizens for Justice (ACJ), launched an investigation with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to determine if Chin’s civil rights had been violated. In November 1983, a federal grand jury issued two indictments of Ebens and Nitz. On June 28, 1984, Nitz was acquitted of the charge in the federal court trial presided by Judge Anna Diggs Taylor, but Ebens was found guilty and sentenced to twenty-five years in prison. However, he was released upon posting of a $20,000 bond. Ebens was granted a retrial on appeal in 1986, in which the civil rights conviction was overturned. In response to tremendous public outcry, the Department of Justice scheduled a retrial of Ebens to take place in Cincinnati, Ohio. The mostly white jury delivered its verdict of “not guilty” and acquittal on May 1, 1987. Neither Ebens nor Nitz ever served any prison time.
A subsequent civil suit against Ebens and Nitz resulted in a judgment for settlement of $1.5 million against Ebens. Ebens made some payments but stopped paying installments in 1989. He and his wife changed their residences a number of times, allowing him to evade his obligation.
The outrage at Chin’s killing and the subsequent acquittal of Ebens and Nitz energized the Asian American civil rights movement. In response to the lenient sentencing of Ebens and Nitz, the ACJ fought for justice for Chin and, in the process, formed alliances with other ethnic community organizations in Detroit. Chin’s murder led to some positive developments. The definition of hate crimes, the enactment of minimal sentencing, the hearing of victims’ testimony at sentencing, and the mobilization of pan–Asian American activism and advocacy groups can be traced to the widespread response to the event.
Chin’s story was featured in the documentary film Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987). Filmmaker Tony Lam directed a follow-up documentary, Vincent Who? (2009). Other responses to Chin’s story included compositions by musicians Jon Jang and Charlie Chin as well as Consuelo Echeverría’s depiction of the killing in Because They Thought He Was . . ., a sculpture installation made of fused auto parts.
Bibliography
Kurashige, Scott. “Detroit and the Legacy of Vincent Chin.” Amerasia Journal 28.3 (2002): 51–55. Print. Reviews the story of Vincent Chin’s death and its impact on Asian American civil rights.
Ngai, Mae M. “The Legacy of Vincent Chin: A Twentieth Anniversary Commemoration.” Amerasia Journal 28.3 (Winter 2002): 1–6. Print. Reflects on Chin’s legacy in light of the twentieth anniversary of his murder.
Vincent Who? Dir. Tony Lam. Asian Pacific Americans for Progress, 2009. DVD. A documentary film remembering Chin’s life and exploring the impact of his death on the Asian American community.