Item 36 - Apology to Chinese Immigrants and their Descendants

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City Manager Office www.santa-ana.org/city-managers-office Item # 36 or City of Santa Ana 20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701 Staff Report May 17, 2022 TOPIC: Apology to Chinese Immigrants and their Descendants AGENDA TITLE: Resolution Apologizing to Chinese Immigrants and their Descendants RECOMMENDED ACTION Adopt a resolution apologizing to Chinese immigrants and their descendants for acts of fundamental injustice and discrimination seeking forgiveness and committing to the rectification of past policies and misdeeds. DISCUSSION At the May 3, 2022 City Council meeting, the City Council supported the drafting of a resolution apologizing to all Chinese immigrants, acknowledging acts of fundamental injustice, recognizing the contribution and resilience of the Chinese community, and resolving to rectify the lingering consequences of the discriminatory policies of the 19tn and 20t" century. As stated in the resolution, the United States Congress, the State of California, and the City of Santa Ana enacted adverse laws specifically targeting Chinese people on the basis of race, most notably with the federal passage of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. The Chinese Exclusion Act set the precedent for racist foreign and national policy that led to broader exclusion laws. Chinese immigrants were met with virulent racism, xenophobia and the violence of anti -Chinese sentiment in Santa Ana and denied equal protection under the law. During this period, growth in the Chinese population, combined with economic regression and pervasive anti -Chinese sentiments lead to the use of government authority to remove Chinese Americans in Santa Ana. During this period, the City removed Chinese residents and merchants in Santa Ana's Chinatown as part of an urban renewal effort to gain control of properties for the building of the new City Hall and on May 25, 1906, the Board of Trustees passed a resolution and issued an order to the Fire Marshal to deliberately set fire to Chinatown leading to the destruction of homes and businesses and the displacement of Santa Ana's Chinese community.