In a Los Angeles Times op-ed, Justice Goodwin Liu laments the paucity of Asian-American top prosecutors — “Anti-Asian attacks might have been taken more seriously if we had more Asian American DAs.” He says that “it is past time for leaders of th[e] discourse [on racism and discrimination] — including America’s chief law enforcement officers — to reflect the full diversity of our people.”
He writes:
Racially motivated crimes and harassment are woefully underreported to the authorities, and a major reason is the lack of trust that communities of color have in our justice system. In light of historical abuses or indifference to their needs, many people find it difficult to trust a system in which they rarely see members of their own community in charge.
Justice Liu also says that, “[i]n the wake of recent violence directed at Asian Americans,” Governor Gavin Newsom’s nomination of Filipino-American Assemblyman Rob Bonta to be California’s next Attorney General “could not have come at a more crucial time.” Liu himself was in the running for that position.
Related:
Justice Liu not chosen to be California Attorney General, congratulates the nominee
Justice Liu: Asian Americans in the legal profession “are honorary Whites, until they’re not”
Justice Liu co-authors “A Portrait of Asian Americans in the Law”
