News

Leaders Combat Trend of Youth Violence in Oakland's Chinatown

By Chris Filippi

source: KCBS 740 AM

Saturday April 7, 2007

Oakland community leaders hosted a block party in the heart of the city’s Chinatown in hopes of bringing different ethnic groups together in fun rather than violence. They say the rate of violence in the Chinatown neighborhood is escalating, particularly between young Chinese Americans and recent immigrants from Mongolia. 

"We thought it would be a good idea to do something that was away from the schools and brought the community together," said Isami Arifuku of the National Council on Crime and Delinquency. 

Much of the fighting starts with simple rivalries and trash talk, according to Viliami Ika, a recent graduate of Skyline High School. He is part of the group Asian and Pacific Islander Youth Promoting Advocacy in Leadership. 

"There's many ethnic groups and they're basically thinking one group is better than the other group. We live in Oakland. We should try to work together and find the common ground and everything," said Ika. 

Organizers of the block party are hoping similar events will lead to an understanding between kids from different ethnicities.