Marcia Choo

When Marcia Choo became director of the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center two years ago, she thought she would be raising money and winning support for the small organization that helps people resolve conflicts--landlord-tenant disputes, delinquent bills--outside of court.

When Marcia Choo became director of the Asian Pacific American Dispute Resolution Center two years ago, she thought she would be raising money and winning support for the small organization that helps people resolve conflicts--landlord-tenant disputes, delinquent bills--outside of court.

State Sen. Art Torres' message at the First AME Church (Oct. 12) was timely and much needed. We all must heed the call to stand on common ground. Being mindful and respectful of various perspectives, we must end ethnic tension. His proposal for a multicultural research institute brings us closer to ending racial hostility. As one committed to improving race relations in our city, I appreciate a more systemic approach to race relations beyond reactive discourse. It is about time we deal with multiculturalism in a substantive framework to create the human relations infrastructure we so desperately need.

Re: "Recognizing the Danger of Nonviolent Hate Crimes," Sept. 20. When the "Little Saigon" sign was initially placed on the Garden Grove Freeway, it was subjected to vandalism daily by zealous patriots who viewed it as the gradual corrosion of America into pockets of ethnic communities. Our focus on race in the census also fuels bigotry, paranoia and prejudice when the media report about "white flight" and the inevitable "minority majority" that should happen around 2005. If we want to curb hate crimes, we must begin with education.

The new Warner Bros. film "Falling Down" has upset some members of the Korean and Asian American communities.. A Korean grocer scene occurs early in the film. (The main character) D-FENS enters the store and asks the Korean American man behind the counter for change so he can make a phone call. The grocer refuses unless he purchases something.

The holiday season brings forth a fount of goodwill and charity, but every day, in all parts of Southern California, gestures of generosity and caring abound, little noticed beyond the communities served. Take Earl Rubell, a volunteer pediatrician at the Venice Family Clinic. After spending eight years sailing around the world, he began to wonder what he would do with the rest of his life. The answer: treat 40 or 50 low-income patients a week without regard for their ability to pay.

Hate crime was back in the spotlight this week when a white supremacist in Texas was found guilty of chaining a black man and dragging him behind a truck until his head was ripped off. In Los Angeles, a program is attempting to counter racism in those who commit lesser hate crimes by sentencing them to community service in programs that promote understanding.

On the third day of Christmas, Dong-Sik) Chong, 81, stepped outside his family home in Koreatown for his daily walk. "Don't go too far, Father," his daughter, Yong-Sook Becher, cautioned him. The old man and his wife had just moved in with his daughter's family in their new home. When Chong, who is hard of hearing and doesn't speak English, didn't return home at the usual time, family members scoured the neighborhood and filed a missing-person report.

Los Angeles City Councilman Nate Holden on Thursday apologized to the Korean community for "the terrible misunderstanding" over his being entertained by strippers during a city mission to South Korea--and his explanation of the controversial event--but continued to insist that he has done nothing wrong.

Korean-American leaders, taking a more aggressive stance condemning violence against inner-city merchants, said Monday they plan to go public with their outrage over the weekend shooting of a 9-year-old girl during a robbery at her parents' mini-mart.