HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-039 - Rectification of Past Policies and MisdeedsRESOLUTION NO.2022-039
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA ANA 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
WHEREAS, Chinese Americans have a long and rich history in the United States,
California, Orange County and Santa Ana; and
WHEREAS, the many contributions of Chinese Americans, both past and present,
should be acknowledged and celebrated; and
WHEREAS, since the late 19th century, 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 first federal law ever passed excluding a group of immigrants
solely on the basis of race or nationality. The Chinese Exclusion Act set the precedent for
racist foreign and national policy that led to broader exclusion laws; and
WHEREAS, during this time, 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; and
WHEREAS, growth in the Chinese population, combined with economic
regression and pervasive anti -Chinese sentiments led to the use of government authority
to remove Chinese Americans in Santa Ana; and
WHEREAS, the policies, resolutions, and other actions of the City of Santa Ana
and President George A. Edgar (Mayor) and the Board of Trustees (City Council) A.C.
Tiede, John Cubbon, George L. Wright, and A.C. Black directly contributed to the
xenophobic discrimination and racial violence faced by Chinese immigrants with the
support and encouragement of City Attorney Colonel W.F. Heathman and Orange County
District Attorney Horace Head; and
WHEREAS, the City made plans to remove Chinese residents and merchants in
Santa Ana's Chinatown as part of an urban renewal effort to gain control of those
properties for the building of the new City Hall and on May 25, 1906, the Board of Health
of the City of Santa Ana 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; and
WHEREAS, on May 25, 1906, a mass rally of 1,000 citizens gathered to watch and
celebrate as the area known as Chinatown on 2nd, Main, and Bush Street was burned to
the ground; and
Resolution No. 2022-039
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WHEREAS, the Chinese Exclusion Act was repealed in 1943 and subsequent
federal legislation officially banned racial bias in immigration and citizenship, a
fundamental step in the struggle for racial equality and justice in the United States; and
WHEREAS, the recent rise in anti -Asian violence and racial discrimination
demonstrates that xenophobia remains deeply rooted in our society and that Chinese and
Asian -Americans are still stereotyped as perpetual foreigners; and
WHEREAS, the story of Chinese immigrants and the dehumanizing atrocities
committed against them in the 19th and early 20th century should not be minimized in the
telling of Santa Ana's history; and
WHEREAS, the City must acknowledge and take responsibility for the legacy of
discrimination against early Chinese immigrants as part of our collective consciousness
that helps contribute to the current surge in anti -Asian and Pacific Islander hate; and
WHEREAS, a genuine apology for the City's role in this history and legacy is an
important and necessary step in the process of racial reconciliation; and
WHEREAS, an apology for grievous injustices cannot erase the past, but
admission of the historic wrongdoings committed can aid us in solving the critical
problems of racial discrimination facing America today.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Santa
Ana that it:
Section 1. Apologizes to all Chinese immigrants and their descendants who
came to Santa Ana and were the victims of systemic and institutional racism, xenophobia,
and discrimination;
Section 2. Acknowledges and condemns acts of fundamental injustice, terror,
cruelty, and brutality, including the dismantling and destruction of the City's Chinatown;
Section 3. Recognizes the contributions and resilience of the Chinese
community and their commitment to fostering reconciliation and friendship; and
Section 4. Resolves to rectify the lingering consequences of the historical
discriminatory policies of the City of Santa Ana, and to use this resolution as a teaching
moment for the public to move forward towards justice for all.
ADOPTED this 17th day of May, 2022.
Resolution No. 2022-039
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APPROVED AS TO FORM:
Sonia R. Carvalho, City Attorney
By: � u t
JoM M. Funk
Chief Assistant City Attorney
AYES: Councilmembers
NOES: Councilmembers
ABSTAIN: Councilmembers
c
Vig6nfe Sa i : to
Mayor
Hernandez, Lopez Mendoza Phan
Penaloza, Bacerra Sarmiento (7)
None (0)
None (0)
NOT PRESENT: Councilmembers None (0)
CERTIFICATION OF ATTESTATION AND ORIGINALITY
I, DAISY GOMEZ, Clerk of the Council, do hereby attest to and certify the attached
Resolution No. 2022-039 to be the original resolution adopted by the City Council of the
City of Santa Ana on May 17, 2022.
Date:
2- Li 120 22-
Daisy Gomei
Clerk of the Council
City of Santa Ana
Resolution No. 2022-039
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