‘Justice for Soobleej Hawj’ display during Zurg Xiong’s hunger strike. (Facebook)

TL; DR:

“The mind is still very sharp, still very cognizant, still very determined…I am doing this for transparency and justice.” These were the words of 33-year-old activist Zurg Xiong on the 19th day of his hunger strike. The motive for such drastic action: the Hmong community being pushed against the wall by the Siskiyou government.

Why the Strike?

This strike comes in the limelight of a shooting on June 28th. A Hmong farmer, Soobleej Hawj, was fatally wounded by a police officer and the Sheriff’s office refuses to share any information about the shooting. Concatenate this with the rising defamatory rhetoric towards Hmong in the Siskiyou community – “Asian cartel, Asian mafia” – the Hmong community is finally taking a stand while still trying best to be peaceful.

Sounds familiar? We witnessed this with the African American community and #BLM was the answer.

The Big Picture

For Xiong, the fight is not about a Hmong farmer getting shot by the police. It is a matter of distrust in the community. Xiong asserts that Siskiyou County officers have singled out Hmong farmers as a primary target for the community. The proof is in the pudding. Even though marijuana has been legalized in California, Siskiyou County curbs water transportation to under 100 gallons and cultivation of marijuana to 12 indoor plants.

AAPI Support

Zurg Xiong’s fight has support from California Assemblymember, David Chiu; Sacramento City Councilmember, Mai Vang; AAPI activist, Helen Zia; his attorney, Nancy Ly; Hmong community activist, Tong Xiong; and Stop AAPI Hate Co-Founder, Manju Kulkarni.

Prominent members of the Hmong and AAPI community notice a growing concern for discrimination.

David Chiu: “…there is a fundamentally broken relationship between the Hmong community and Siskiyou County and the law enforcement officers sworn to protect them.”

Mai Vang: “Our communities know too well how the system continues to be stacked against minorities, against Hmong and Asian American communities.”

Manju Kulkarni has seen 6,600 racially charged incidents and cites a Pew Research survey highlighting that 45% of its respondents experienced discrimination.

Taking a Stand

Zurg Xiong, with strong will and determination, has taken a stand for the Hmong community. “…just because I’m taking a pause does not mean I’m taking my eyes off. If we don’t see any significant actions, I will go on a hunger strike again.” He makes clear that, if necessary, he will continue the hunger strike even if his body gives up. Xiong, along with many in the Hmong community are simply seeking justice, asking for release of the footage of the shooting and perform a fair and independent investigation.