By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
The National Asian Pacific Islander Prosecutors Association (NAPIPA) launched its Northwest Chapter on June 27, featuring former Washington Governor and King County Prosecutor Gary Locke. He gave some encouraging advice for current prosecutors and law students aspiring to one day work in the courtroom.
Current King County Prosecutor Leesa Manion also spoke to the gathering, which included chapter representatives from Chicago and the national president based out of San Diego.
“Being part of an inclusive organization also creates a deep sense of belonging and support for those whose voices and perspectives have not always been valued,” said Manion.
“Representation matters, and I don’t have to explain to anyone in this room why this deep sense of belonging is so important,” said Manion. “I don’t have to explain to anyone in this room why this deep sense of belonging is important.”
“When I was a prosecutor, I was one of only two Asian Americans in the office and that stayed that way for a long time,” said Locke. He served as King County Deputy Prosecutor prior to entering politics.
“Being a deputy prosecutor was one of the most exhilarating and terrific jobs I ever had…when I was getting a paycheck,” he quipped. Locke told those in attendance that he had a passion for the law and was enthused by the amount of prosecutors that became criminal defense attorneys and criminal defense attorneys that became prosecutors. He enjoyed “bull sessions” where his colleagues would meet after work to discuss and debate the law and brainstorm how it could be better.
“The prosecutor’s office gave me an opening, a glimpse of sometimes the unfairness of the judicial system,” Locke said. He noticed certain judges that had “racial animosities” and some prejudices and went along with the prosecutor’s office in ruling against people of color.
“I vowed that if I was ever in a position to appoint judges or influence the appointment of judges, we would have to have the very best.”
“It’s great to see so many AAPI prosecutors,” the former governor stated. “When we prosecute Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, we don’t want that to be a stigma against us. We want the community to know that there are AAPI prosecutors that are going to carry out the law” no matter what.
Locke told a story from when he was a prosecutor involving a case of an Asian American accused of second-degree murder.
“My mom and dad were so upset that I was prosecuting someone of Asian ancestry,” recalled Locke. “I had to really convince them that we are here to carry out the law regardless of ethnicity.”
“I am proud of the fact that more than 50% of my judicial appointees were women and 25% were people of color, including in areas where they never had a person of color as a judge,” said Locke of his appointments.
“As prosecutors, you have amazing power. How you charge a defendant could be life-altering,” Locke advised of the duty to ask oneself if the charging is fair. “The power of charging is enormous, and you hold people’s lives in your hands.”
It is NAPIPA’s 8th regional board, which includes Northern California, Southern California, Chicago, New York, San Diego, Georgia, and Minnesota. The association serves to organize the efforts of AAPI prosecutors for the collective benefit of the American criminal justice system and of the legal profession. To that end, NAPIPA advocates for fairness, equality, and justice for victims of crime, for the criminally accused, for those working within the criminal justice system, and for the community at large.
NAPIPA’s National President, Fanny Yu, stressed its goal of reaching out to students and those in law school.
“We try to reach out to students prior to graduating,” Yu explained. “With the negative image in the media of law enforcement, we try to emphasize that you can provide change from within.”
Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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