Madison Square Garden, New York City

By Suzanne Joe Kai

March 11, 2012 

JEREMY LIN IN THE LOCKER ROOM - PHOTO BY SUZANNE JOE KAI

I spent the day today watching a Knicks game. This time it wasn't on a television screen from California but up close, live and in person at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

I was on the court, literally, at today's pre-game practice, behind the scenes embedded with veteran sports reporters, at the pre and post game press conference with the coach, and yes - in the locker room with Jeremy Lin. 

Stay tuned soon for our feature on Jeremy Lin, Mr. Linsanity himself. Meanwhile, we have posted a few photographs from today.

The greatest thing about Linsanity is that Jeremy Lin can win, he can lose, but he has already achieved the near impossible.

In just a few short weeks, he's turned a country on its head and made it examine how Asian Americans are viewed in the mainstream.

As we watched him in person today, we saw a very talented 23 year old basketball player with a great career ahead of him.

We also thought of the historical milestone he has already achieved - for all of us.

Video screenshots are below. 

Related:

"How Linsanity hits home" by author, journalist, broadcaster and former senior editor of Rolling Stone Magazine Ben Fong-Torres. 

Author, former Wall Street Journal writer, and historian William Wong writes about Linsanity in this five-part series:

Since Jeremy Lin's February 4 breakout game as a Knicks point guard, sales of Lin merchandise continues to surge. For the full story from Marketwatch's Andria Cheng click here. 

Related:

Jeremy Lin signs endorsement deal with Volvo

"In the locker room with Jeremy Lin" by Suzanne Joe Kai

"How Linsanity hits home" by author, journalist, broadcaster and former senior editor of Rolling Stone Magazine Ben Fong-Torres. 

Author, former Wall Street Journal writer, and historian William Wong writes about Linsanity in this five-part series:

Guidelines on reporting on Jeremy Lin issued by the Asian American Journalists Association

Jeremy Lin inspires a nation by Dave Zirin for Nation Magazine

Is Jeremy Lin a "marked man?"

Woah - Jeremy Lin is on Sports Illustrated Magazine's cover - Will the 'curse' of being on SI's cover jinx him? AsianConnections' editor and New York Bureau Chief Lia Chang is in the midst of Linmania in NYC with this report and a link to the Sports Illustrated story. 

Jeremy Lin coverage on Wikipedia

Jeremy Lin on Twitter

Je

Save Our Chinatown Committee Celebrates Court Victory 

Riverside, California

March 28, 2012

News Release
Save Our Chinatown Committee

After nearly 3 ½ years of legal proceedings, the 4th Appellate District court has invalidated the approval of an office building project that threatened to destroy Riverside’s historic Chinatown.  “We look forward to providing the City guidance during this process,” says Save Our Chinatown Committee (SOCC) Chair, M. Rosalind Sagara. “Together, we can find a way to protect the archaeological remains of Riverside’s historic Chinatown and we believe the best way of doing this is by developing a historic park at the site.” 

The ruling, issued on March 21st, centered on the environmental impact report (EIR) and whether or not it complied with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the state regulations protecting historic sites threatened with demolition. 

Update April 11, 2012

The U.S. military announced today that the trials of the eight U.S. soldiers implicated in the death of 19 year old U.S. Army Private Danny Chen have been moved to U.S. soil. The trials will be held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, if senior military officials decide courts-martial are warranted. Fort Bragg's commanders have accepted jurisdiction in the case.

A miliary investigator has recommended courts-martial for all of the soldiers.

"We are relieved and pleased," said Elizabeth R. OuYang, president of the New York chapter of civil rights group Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA), which has been lobbying the military for a change in jurisdiction to the United States, rather than in Afghanistan.  

Chen's relatives say he was subjugated to brutal hazing before he apparently committed suicide Oct. 3, 2011. Investigators are reviewing allegations that Chen was subjected to weeks of physical abuse, humilation and racial slurs by members of his unit in Afghanistan before he apparently killed himself.

A nationwide grass-roots campaign has raised awareness of Private Danny Chen's case.