Your Honour, members of the jury, today I am representing Vincent Chin in this case and have intended to prove that mechanics Ronald Ebens and Michael Nitz are guilty of a racially driven hate crime. Let me remind you of the key facts of this case presented in court today: On the night of the assault, Chin and a group of his friends were at a club for Chin’s bachelor party, he was soon to be married. A fight between the three men resulted in the group’s discharge. With a white supremacist complex and a previous prejudice against the Japanese auto workers who recently have been replacing American competition, Ebens and Nitz followed Chin. Wielding a bat and a mentality of discrimination, the men beat Mr. Chin nearly to death. Four days later, after a respectable fight with death, Chin succumbed to his injuries and passed away. This man suffered a wrongful death. A hate crime can be defined as an act of violence driven by prejudice, this act was clearly and unquestionably a hate crime, and the defendants deserve a punishment that serves justice to the victim. Today you have also heard from my witness, who wishes to remain anonymous, who testifies that the two white men were using racial slurs as they were violently beating Mr. Chin. I believe this has left no doubt in your mind of the guilt of the defendants. The major opposition the defendant has posed is regarding the blood alcohol content Chin was reported to have at the time. Although .14 is considered legally intoxicated and the defendants have stated Mr. Chin fought back, this man is a victim and did not deserve death. As quoted from Mr. Ebens, “If he hadn’t sucker-punched me in the bar ... nothing would have ever happened. They forced the issue. And from there, after the anger built up, that’s where things went to hell.” Despite allegedly provoking the fight, this act was undeserving. Respectable Chinese American citizen Vincent Chin, being incorrectly racially stereotyped as a Japanese American, wouldn’t have deserved death whether he was blackout drunk, whether he started the fight, whether he truly did “steal the jobs of the American workers,” etc.. I believe he simply did not deserve death. No human has the right to determine another's right to live. What we can do, as people and as citizens of the United States, is bring justice to those who lose that right by the hands of bigotry. Ebens and Nitz, have pleaded to second degree murder, but have only received three years probation and a fine of merely 3,000 dollars. This is a punishment worthy on a minor offence, not the taking of an innocent life. Please find the defendants guilty, and sentence them to 40 years to life in prison. Although nothing would truly settle this act of unlawful discrimination, the family of Mr. Chin as well as every American who has experienced prejudice because of their Asian ancestors deserve as much justice as they can receive. “It’s not fair…” are the last words spoken by Vincent Chin. These last words should resonate with the people of the court today. They should serve as a reminder that we are equal, regardless of race, and when our right to live is infringed upon, we as Americans need to fight to ensure justice is served.