Death of Vincent Chin

On June 19, 1982, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz killed 27 year old Vincent Chin near Detroit, Michigan. [1]  When he was beaten, he was at a McDonalds in Highland Park, after Chin first got in an argument at a strip club called Fancy Pants. [2] Although people drive by this McDonalds, they most likely would think it is an ordinary McDonalds, when in reality, it is a truly historical location in the state of Michigan. With the death of Vincent Chin, this was just one of the numerous points of anti-Asian sentiment as more people from Asia started to immigrate into the US.

[1] “June 19, 1982: Vincent Chin Beaten to Death in Hate Crime,” Zinn Education Project, accessed August 15, 2023, .

[2] Harmeet Kaur CNN, “Vincent Chin Was Beaten to Death 40 Years Ago. His Case Is Still Relevant Today,” CNN, June 23, 2022, .

During the 1970-1980s there were high levels of racism towards the Japanese-Americans throughout the United States. There are numerous reasons for many people from the United States that did not like the Japanese, and that could be due to left over prejudice from World War II, and the rise of Japanese immigration in the US. The rise of the Japanese automakers led white American autoworkers to believe that the Japenese were the cause of their difficult time getting jobs during deindustrialization[1].  With the rise of Southeast Asians immigrating to Detroit, many people had difficulty understanding the difference between Asians. Many people who live in the U.S and Detroit, did not comprehend the differences between Japanese and Chinese people apart and sadly, Vincent Chin was in the wrong place and the wrong time [2].

Chinese American Vincent Chin worked two jobs when he was living; a draftsman in Oak Park, and a waiter at a Chinese restaurant in Ferndale. [3] When Vincent got adopted by Lily and C.W. Hing Chin, they all lived in Highland Park[4].  People would describe him as “well-liked… friendly, easy-going”[5]. As it can be seen, Vincent Chin was an enjoyable, and likable person. He had a fiancé and was planning on getting married during this time. 

When Vincent Chin was celebrating his bachelor party at Fancy Pants Club, he encountered two white male automotive workers, Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz. When both Ronald and Michael saw Vincent, Ronald yelled to Vincent ‘“It’s because of you little motherf***** that we’re out of work.”’[6] Ronald’s words to Vincent were where the struggles began because they kept arguing back and forth until they had to get kicked out[7].

After they got kicked out, Vincent and his friend would end up walking up to a bus station in front of a crowded McDonalds.[8] A few moments later, both Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz spot Vincent at the McDonalds and began physically attacking him instead of verbally attacking him. The fighting started when, “with the help of Nitz, Ebens beat him over the head with a baseball bat again and again.”[9] The things Vincent had to go through with these white men is important to remember because it represents a moment of anti-Asian xenophobia and racism in our recent past, and it is truly heartbreaking to not know about some of Michigan’s struggles that are not well-known.

Within the next four days, Vincent Chin was pronounced dead by a local hospital. While he was proclaimed dead, Ronald and Michael did not end up going to jail. In June 1984, Ebens was found guilty for second degree murder, while Nitz got away with it. Both men did not end up going to jail.[10] Instead, the men received a $3,000 fine and no prison time[11]. The two white men did not get in any trouble with killing an innocent man, which made the Asian American community feel like they did not matter. 

With all that was done during this trial, there should have been more justice in this case. For instance, making both Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz guilty and sent in jail for the death of Vincent Chin, instead of them being free. It is important that people should not forget about the bad moments in Michigan’s history that are bad because if one does forget, the past will repeat itself.

[1] “Vincent Chin · Aapi,” Umich.edu, 2021, .

[2] “History | Detroit Chinatown,” Detroitchinatown.org, October 28, 2022, .

[3] “Who Is Vincent Chin,” The Vincent Chin Institute, accessed August 16, 2023, .

[4] Ibid.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Harmeet Kaur CNN, “Vincent Chin Was Beaten to Death 40 Years Ago. His Case Is Still Relevant Today,” CNN, June 23, 2022, .

[7] “Who Is Vincent Chin,” The Vincent Chin Institute, accessed August 16, 2023, .

[8] Ibid.

[9] Harmeet Kaur CNN, “Vincent Chin Was Beaten to Death 40 Years Ago. His Case Is Still Relevant Today,” CNN, June 23, 2022, .

[10] Harmeet Kaur CNN, “Vincent Chin Was Beaten to Death 40 Years Ago. His Case Is Still Relevant Today,” CNN, June 23, 2022, .

[11] Becky Little, “How the 1982 Murder of Vincent Chin Ignited a Push for Asian American Rights,” HISTORY, May 5, 2020, .

CNN, Harmeet Kaur. “Vincent Chin Was Beaten to Death 40 Years Ago. His Case Is Still Relevant Today.” CNN, June 23, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/23/us/vincent-chin-death-40-anniversary-cec/index.html.

Davis, Wynne. “Vincent Chin Was Killed 40 Years Ago. Here’s Why His Case Continues to Resonate.” NPR, June 19, 2022, sec. National. https://www.npr.org/2022/06/19/1106118117/vincent-chin-aapi-hate-incidents.

Detroitchinatown.org. “History | Detroit Chinatown,” October 28, 2022. https://detroitchinatown.org/history/.

Frances Kai-Hwa Wang. “Who Is Vincent Chin? The History and Relevance of a 1982 Killing.” NBC News. NBC News, June 15, 2017. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/who-vincent-chin-history-relevance-1982-killing-n771291.

Little, Becky. “How the 1982 Murder of Vincent Chin Ignited a Push for Asian American Rights.” HISTORY, May 5, 2020. https://www.history.com/news/vincent-chin-murder-asian-american-rights.

The Vincent Chin Institute. “Who Is Vincent Chin.” Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.vincentchin.org/about-vincent.

Umich.edu. “Vincent Chin · Aapi,” 2021. https://aapi.umhistorylabs.lsa.umich.edu/s/aapi_michigan/page/chin.

Wang, Claire. “New YA Book Details How Vincent Chin’s Killing Galvanized Asian American Activism.” NBC News, April 16, 2021. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/new-ya-book-details-vincent-chins-killing-galvanized-asian-american-ac-rcna691.

www.detroiturbex.com. “Detroiturbex.com - Highland Theater.” Accessed August 16, 2023. http://www.detroiturbex.com/content/parksandrec/highland/index.html.

Yelp. “McDonald’s - Highland Park, MI.” Accessed August 16, 2023. https://www.yelp.com/biz/mcdonalds-highland-park-4.

Zinn Education Project. “June 19, 1982: Vincent Chin Beaten to Death in Hate Crime.” Accessed August 15, 2023. https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/vincent-chin-hate-crime.

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