In the Neighborhood : Orange County’s Vietnamese: Kids Are Caught Between Cultures : An Immigrant Community Sees Its First Success in Electoral Politics, But Struggles With Youth Violence and Estrangement.

One of the candidates defeated by Vietnamese immigrant Tony Lam in his successful race for the Westminster City Council was fellow immigrant Jimmy Tong Nguyen. (A third Vietnamese-American, Henry Le, made a close but losing run for the Santa Ana City Council). Overall, it’s a strong entry into mainstream politics.

Still, much of the Vietnamese community in Orange County--the center of Vietnamese culture and business in the United States--is bound financially and spiritually to Vietnam. Some business people complain that families, instead of reinvesting, send cash to relatives left behind.

Asian gang violence is on the rise. Fearing gang revenge, Vietnamese-Americans often will not report crime, and there is lingering distrust of law enforcement because it was more often seen as persecutor than protector in Vietnam.

But as the Vietnamese community gains political sophistication, it is also developing systems to help families keep their children out of gangs. These are primarily pilot programs but because they are grass-roots, they show great promise.

Candidate

Henry Le

Unsuccessful Santa Ana City Council candidate .

The Asian gangs are working on survival. They cannot speak the language, they don’t understand (American) culture. They’re finding the easy way to survive because they know the weaknesses of the community around here. (The community) has a language barrier. They don’t want to call law enforcement and they don’t trust law enforcement. They also have the bad habit of keeping their money at home.

We have to build up more communication with the people, to narrow the gap. We need to have law enforcement (materials) in the Vietnamese language and more officers who speak Vietnamese.

Gang Investigator:

Marcus Frank

Westminster Police Department:

A lot of the kids went through a lot of terror. They probably experienced more than you or I ever will in our lifetime. Some of these kids witnessed multiple acts of homicide, gang rapes, mutilations. Many went to refugee camps. They’re not concentration camps per se, but they certainly resemble them: barbed wire, guards, dogs. These kids faced robbery as an everyday thing. Even though they were very young, pyschologically there’s an impact. Many of those kids come over here with a survivalist mentality.

They see money as a means of survival. Money is status, power. Money is everything.

Businessman:

Jimmy Tong Nguyen

Business consultant and unsuccessful candidate for Westminster City Council .

Prevention to deter crime is better than prosecution. I don’t see any of those law enforcement agencies coming up with constructive programs that would benefit the Vietnamese youngster or the Asian-American youngster. We create a more hostile situation in the community when the youngster has no creative alternative.

Also, this country believes in rehabilitation of the criminal, and I believe the Vietnamese youngster deserves the same treatment. Law enforcement agencies have to change their attitudes.

Family worker

Hung Nguyen

Coordinator for a delinquency prevention and diversion program at the Vietnamese Community of Orange County center.

We talk to the parents about delinquency and things leading to delinquency. We talk about having a new life in the United States and the new methods to raise their children in the United States. The English barrier is a very difficult one. In Vietnam, (parents) can punish (children) physically. Here, you can’t beat your children. They have to learn new rules and regulations for life in the United States. I explain to parents about the right to privacy for children. They have to respect their privacy and give rewards to children to do something good and take privileges when they do something bad.

DEMOGRAPHICS

Vietnamese Population in Southern California

percent change up from 1980: (county) Orange: 271%

Los Angeles County: 118%

San Bernardino County: 399.4%

Riverside County: 435%

San Diego County: 189%

Ventura County: 202.8%

Population:

Orange County: 2,410,556

Total Asian-Pacific Islanders: 249,192 (10% of population.)

Vietnamese Communities in Orange County:

percent change up from 1980: Garden Grove: 453.3%

Santa Ana: 221%.

Westminster (home of Little Saigon): 466%

Source: 1990 U.S. Census. Data programming by Maureen Lyons, Times statistical analyst.

Vietnamese-Speaking Students with Limited English Abilities in Orange County Schools:

1990-8,036

1992-11,884

Source: Orange County Dept. of Education

Asian Defendants as Percentage of Total Alleged Gang Defendants in Orange County:

1990: 6%

1991:10%

1992 (first 6 months): 12%

Source: Orange County District Attorney’s Office