From: HF.GTD@forsythe.stanford.edu (Gabrielle Daniels)
Subject: Re: Asian Cop Murders White Woman in Asian Chancellor's Home
Organization: Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: Wed, 2 Sep 1992 01:34:29 GMT

In article <1992Sep1.204645.16413@bert.eecs.uic.edu>,
spiff@bert.eecs.uic.edu (Jason Leigh) writes:
>In article <65066@cup.portal.com> Arthur_T_Hu@cup.portal.com writes:
>>Asian Cop Murders White Woman in Asian Chancellor's Home
>>
>>Craig Chew, an Asian Male Heterosexual policeman shot Laura Marie
>>Miller, also known as Rosebud Abigail Denovo, in the home of the
>>the Asian Male Chancellor of UC Berkeley, which had seized People's
>>Park. Denovo, a white woman, sexual preference unknown, carried a
>>machete, presumably to persuade the Chancellor to change University
>>policy.
>>Asian Americans compose over one-third of the student body
>>at Berkeley, and are generally politically conservative and hostile to
>>progressive causes.
>>Sounds pretty absurd? Is this any different than how the Rodney King
>>case was handled? Heck, a band of merry protesters trashed cars and
>>bulletin boards and windows to protest the death of this looney case
>>as a martyr, and I'm demanding to know why they're not calling this
>>a case of racism and sexism.
>
>I got kind of lost here too. I assume when the woman died she
>became a martyr and presumably there was a riot of some kind.
>Well since there are protestors, and they're not protesting racism,
>or sexism, then what are they protesting?
>
>Can you tell us a little more about the events that occurred?
.
.
Let me jump in on this.  The woman calling herself Rosebud Denovo
was a Berkeley street activist who was part of a group still
protesting the conversion of People's Park, a 1970 cause celebre
which brought out the demonstrators and the cops.  One guy was shot.
The University, which is a little more acquisitive than the regular
university, wanted to use the open space for building a dorm or
something.  The students during that time had other ideas, like
turning into their very own park.  Some folks never gave up the
faith. The park, however, has turned into little more than a haven
for street folks, some druggies, etc.  One corner is stubbornly
holding out as a paved volleyball court, built by UCB. The
encroachment of the volleyball court has enraged the street
activists, hence the sporadic uprisings in downtown Berkeley.
.
The cops are saying that Denovo kept a diary in which she threatened
to hurt UCB President Tien for his stand regarding the Park's
conversion to yuppieland. Needless to say, the girl had a history of
instability. She brandished a machete at the Asian cop and he fired.
.
Unfortunately, some news reports have surfaced about the Asian cop's
previous problems in using excessive force in other cases.
While Denovo was indeed dangerous, there could have been other
methods to disarm the woman.
.
Was there racism involved in Denovo's killing?  No, I don't think
so. More like the usual distain and disregard for folks who are not
in your social or economic stratum--in other words, classism.  As
far as Denovo trying to get Tien, unless her diary said otherwise,
she did not attack him for being Asian, but for allowing himself
to become the instrument of the (conservative) state.  Who knows
what she thought of the cop who killed her.
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