| Web Exclusive: 5 Questions with John Liu |
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| Written by Ari Paul | |
| Friday, 02 May 2008 | |
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John Liu is New York's first and only Asian American City Council Member. He represents Flushing, Queens, and has been vocal in his denunciation of a recent spat of racially motivated crimes, including assaults against several Asian American youths. As chairman of the City Council's Transportation Committee, he's demanded transparency from the agencies running and overseeing New York's subways, buses and taxis. 
You were very instrumental in getting some Asian language reporters press passes when they were having trouble with that.
Liu I think it had to do a lot with the city and the administration not understanding that there's a huge media presence, it's just not in English. But they didn't get it, and so the city folks didn't necessarily believe that these were bona fide reporters. There's not any intentional discrimination, but there obviously has been institutional ignorance. What is the problem with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority? Liu: The issue for me has been one of non-accountability to the public. One of my most memorable moments was forcing the MTA to admit that they had two sets of financials: one set of financials supporting their ability pay off bonds, the other set of books trying to make a public case for the need to increase [subway and bus] fares. It makes you kind of sound like a crime fighter. Liu: I do not believe that I am fighting any rampant corruption. But at some level there is institutional inertia. You've fought against hate crimes, but New York is often thought of as diverse and tolerant. Liu: Hate crimes in the city are not representative or reflective of the people of our city. That's why when Reynold and John got beaten to a pulp in August of 2006, we had to stand up. Why is there a lack of representation of the APA community in the city government? Liu: There's a learning curve that every group goes through, Asian Americans are no different. The first generation has immediate concerns about well-being and family, and it's usually not until second and successive generations where people start getting elected to office and taking a far more active role. Asian Americans have the benefit of seeing the experience through the African American and the Latino lens. |
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