Did both sides use race card in Vang murder trial?

I want to say that I agree as a Asian minority that the verdict in the Vang trial was correct. No one has the right to take someone else's life unless they believe that their life is in jeopardy.

That being said I think that the prosecution played the race card too. Initially the racial slurs that were said were not reported by the media which probably lead to the outcome that it did. My guess is that there was a lot intimidation by the rural white hunters. It wasnt until trial that one of the hunters at the scene testified that one of them had used explitives and racial slurs. The problem is that we dont know to what extent that this had taken place. The prosecution claimed that only one had a gun. This does not mean that there were other means of hurting Vang. Its been interesting listening to talk radio to hear quite a few white people indicting the Hmong community for this unfortunate situation. White people need to get their facts straight before they start making accusations. Thats one of the reasons why minorities get mad. You think that because one person does something stupid that everybody in that race does the same thing. I think thats why black people get upset too.

I think that some of the comments by Vangs family were unfortunate. I dont think Vang was a hero in this situation. The asian community needs to acknowledge that this was a terrible tragedy. This is does not reflect views of the Asian community.

The fact is that most minorities have to deal with racism ie stereotypes and/or discrimination on a daily basis. Especially if you live in a major city. Unfortunately unless you are a minority you have no idea what that is like.

I think one of the biggest reasons why we continue to have this issue of racism in this country is that people do not see the big picture. They see it from their experience and they cant see why a person from another perspective does not see it their way. Its like everybody owns their own perspective and they take it personally if someone else challenges their view of it. I think that white people refuse to acknowledge it when it exists and minorities have a tendency to exagerate the situation when it happens sometimes.

I have the unique opportunity of being in both shoes. I grew up in a predominantly white community so I understand the white persons perspective. As a minority I also understand the experiences of the minority community. People make certain presumptions about me before they even talk to me in terms of race.