White Privilege/Leniency
Vincent Chin
Ronald Ebens/Michael Nitz
Judge Kaufman
The Case/Decison
How can you commit a murder and get away with nothing? It's not fair." (76)
"This was just another case. This wasn't anything unusual. This kind of thing happens regularly." (112)
"Perhaps I should have said 'I am going to delay this thing and give you an opportunity to recharge the man.' I take the blame. Perhaps I should have done that. Perhaps I should have stopped the proceedings. I didn't do that." (142)
"When Judge Kaufman said 'You don't make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal,' he uses that to excuse their behavior," (114)
Walker and their other friends, however believed that Ebens and Nitz were being punished enough. (102)
"we dropped the ball" he said noting that only the coverage of Vincent Chin's death was the initial ..." (106)
"How could you kill someone like that and not do any jail time? I was brought up to know that if you did something wrong, you had to pay the price" (76)
"You can kill a dog and get thirty days in jail, ninety for a traffic ticket" (76)
"the dead man threw the first punch (69)
"We're talking here about a man who's held down a responsible job with the same company for seventeen or eighteen years and his son who is employed and is a part-time student. These men are not going to go out and harm somebody else. I just didnt think putting them in prision would do any good for them or for society. You dont make the punishment fit the crime; you make the punishment fit the criminal" (62)
" Probation. Three thousand dollars. That was it. Judge Kaufman's sentence meant that Ebens and Nitz would never spend a signel day in jail for killing Vincent Chin. They could go home." (62)
"They weren't the kind of people you send to prison" (61)
On June 23, 1982, at 9:50 pm., Vincent died" (26)
Vincent's last words before slipping forever into unconsciousness were "It's not fair"." (14)
"$3000 for a life?" (129)