'Vincent who?'

COEUR d'ALENE - Curtis Chin never asked, "Vincent who?"

He grew up in Michigan, and remembered the Vincent Chin case well.

Vincent, a friend of Curtis Chin's family, was murdered by two white autoworkers in Detroit in 1982, a time when the auto industry saw massive layoffs, and anti-Japanese sentiments were running high.

Years later, Curtis, a Hollywood writer and producer, returned to Michigan to take care of some family business. He found himself reflecting on his childhood, which led to thoughts about the case.

"I wanted to see how people were remembering it, and what was being done about it," Curtis said. "When it seemed like not much was happening, that's when I decided I would take a year off from television and make this documentary."

A free screening of the film "Vincent Who?" takes place tonight, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Echo Bay Room of the Student Union Building at North Idaho College.

The public is welcome to attend the screening which will include a question-and-answer session with Curtis Chin, the film's producer.

"First and foremost, we wanted people to remember Vincent and his tragic death so a case like that wouldn't happen again, and second, we wanted to inspire young people to get involved in social justice work," Chin said regarding the motivation behind producing the documentary.

Vincent Chin's killers were charged with, and pleaded guilty to manslaughter. They each received three years of probation, and a $3,000 fine.

The case sparked public outrage, and ignited an Asian American civil rights movement.

"A lot of times, it takes a tragedy to get people motivated to fight for justice," said Curtis Chin. "You don't have to wait for the next murder victim to recognize that there is discrimination and that you do have to be aware of these issues."

On the night Vincent Chin was attacked, the 27-year-old was out celebrating his upcoming wedding with some friends at a Detroit strip club.

An altercation occurred between Chin and the white autoworkers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz.

"They were overheard at some point saying, 'It's because of you mother-blanks that we're out of work,'" said Curtis Chin.

Later, Ebens and Nitz drove around the city looking for Vincent Chin.

When they found him, outside a McDonald's, they took a bat from the vehicle and bludgeoned Vincent, who died four days later.

"Even if you remove the racial element from this, nobody has the right to go to their car, drive around and find somebody, and bash their head in, and not serve a single day in jail," Curtis Chin said. "I think everybody understands that basic injustice."

Curtis has brought the film to nearly 200 schools, mainly colleges and universities.

He's headed for Spokane and Seattle after he leaves Coeur d'Alene.

"Most people are shocked that these guys literally got away with murder," Curtis Chin said.

Chin, an award-winning writer and producer, has worked for ABC, NBC, FOX, the Disney Channel and more. As a community activist, he co-founded the Asian American Writers Workshop and Asian Pacific Americans for Progress. In 2008, he served on Barack Obama's Asian American Leadership Council, where he participated in helping the campaign reach out to the Asian American community. He has appeared on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, Newsweek and in other major mainstream media.

The film's screening at NIC is sponsored by the Human Rights Education Institute, in conjunction with the Associated Students of North Idaho College, the Lewis-Clark State College-Coeur d'Alene Student Government, and the Student Advisory Group from the University of Idaho-Coeur d'Alene.