Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price. (Screengrab via YouTube)
The National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association (NAPIPA), is demanding an apology from a California prosecutor over a “condescending and divisive” email addressed to “the Chinese communities” about the status of the case of a toddler killed by gang crossfire.
Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price has come under fire for “insulting” the family of the young victim by suggesting lenient sentences for the killers, and now faces equally harsh criticism about her racial insensitivity toward the Asian and Pacific Island community.
Jasper Wu, a 23-month-old boy, was riding in a car seat next to two other children as his mother drove along Interstate 880 in Oakland in November 2021 when he was hit and killed by what authorities would later call “rolling gunfire between rival gangs.”
Although three men —Trevor Green, 22, Ivory Bivins, 24; and Johnny Jackson, 28 —were arrested and now await trial for Jasper’s murder, the Bay area community was sent into a frenzy after local news reported Price’s internal memo describing plans to direct prosecutors in her office to stop the use of prosecutorial “enhancements” and instead, impose only probation or the lowest prison term for most crimes in the county. Price’s policy was to be retroactive, and some enhancements charged by her predecessor would be removed as prosecutors moved forward.
Jasper Wu (ABC7 News screengrab via YouTube)
Price, who was elected last November, defended her prosecutorial philosophy, pointing to the need for “structural change” and a “fair and balanced administration of justice” that does not disproportionately affect people of color. Still, the fallout was fierce.
Jill Nerone, a 32-year veteran of the Alameda County prosecutor’s office, left her position under Price and criticized the new DA in an open letter.
“I am resigning because I no longer feel able to adequately & ethically protect the rights of victims under your administration,” Jill Nerone, 32-year veteran of @AlamedaCountyDA says in letter to DA @PPriceCares, adding she hopes Price’s “policies will soften” pic.twitter.com/ZOzsn2TqBi
— Henry K. Lee (@henrykleeKTVU) March 22, 2023
The local community was particularly critical of Price’s stance on prosecutorial enhancements as it related to the prosecutions of Jasper Wu’s alleged killers. In an attempt to reassure critics, however, Price appears to have made a communications misstep.
Price sent an email to a concerned community member addressed, “to the Chinese communities.” The email explained that Price’s office had not yet removed any of the enhancements charged by the former DA and that final decisions had not yet been made. Price continued with warnings against spreading misinformation and a pledge to work with the Asian Law Caucus and to support Asian and Pacific Island victims of violence “in ways that open up broader possibilities for healing and non-carceral forms of accountability.”
The National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association is demanding an apology and transparency from the #AlamedaCounty D.A. after reading the attached email received by a community member concerned about the #JasperWu case. They say the email is condescending and divisive. pic.twitter.com/aJyvMUcZJO
— Stephanie Magallon (@MagallonNews) April 7, 2023
In response to Price’s email, the Bay Area’s AAPI community is demanding an apology.
Paul Jhin, the co-founder of the National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association, asked Price to correct her email, saying some of it “may not have been written in the proper way.”
Price responded to the outcry in a video statement Thursday saying that she wanted to “clear the record.” Without providing specific details, Price assured viewers that the men believed responsible for Jasper’s death “are charged with serious crimes’ and “will be held accountable.” Price said no decisions were yet made about what charges will be pursued, and said repeatedly that nothing could make up for the death of a child.
Price also provided some shocking statistics: there were 154 incidents of gunfire on Bay Area highways in 2022
Price addressed some of the public criticism of the case by saying, “This tragedy is used by people with a political agenda to divide our diverse community,” and said that she received an unprecedented amount of messages accusing her of racism.
“Our diversity is our strength,” Price said. “I have dedicated my life to advancing the values of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Those values do not include racism.”
You can watch the full statement below.
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