HUNTINGTON BEACH : 2 Alleged Incidents of Bias to Be Probed

Mayor Peter M. Green announced Friday that the city is investigating two unrelated incidents of alleged discrimination against Asian-Americans this summer.

“These incidents are being fully investigated to identify any wrongdoing,” Green said. “People need to be vigilant against any and all forms of racially motivated attacks.”

The city issued a special press release containing Green’s statement and the announcement that an investigation was in progress.

The two incidents being investigated occurred in June, and no criminal or civil charges have so far been filed.

On June 7, a public dance for college-age Filipino-Americans was scheduled at the Old World Festival Hall. But before the event could start, city fire and building inspectors said the dance had to be canceled because of fire and electrical hazards at the Festival Hall.

Some Filipino-Americans charged that the closure was not for safety reasons but because of racial bias. They also charged that the statements and conduct of some city personnel were offensive.

On June 15, a Japanese-American woman from Gardena and two Japanese women friends claimed they were physically and verbally assaulted by three other women at the Red Onion Restaurant on Pacific Coast Highway. The three alleged victims said they did not know why they were suddenly assaulted, but they said that one of the women who struck them had said they should “speak in English.”

On June 19, one of the alleged victims filed an assault-and-battery report with police. Police, in turn, identified two suspects in the case and presented the results of their investigation to the Orange County district attorney’s office. So far, no charges have been filed in the case.

In the Old World Festival Hall incident, some of the Filipino-Americans accused city personnel of making “inappropriate remarks” that indicated racial bias. Green said city officials are investigating “to determine if the closing of the event was handled properly and if there was any inappropriate conduct on behalf of any city personnel.”

The mayor said the city “does not condone the types of behavior that have been alleged to have occurred in each of the incidents and will do everything in its power to see both incidents fully investigated.” He added, “Appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.”