Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance
Press Release

In the light of ongoing hearings of slain youth, Filipino youth question Vancouver School Board’s ability to prevent another tragedy; to rally outside BC Supreme Court today 

10 May 2006

Vancouver, BC --- The ongoing sentencing hearing for the brutal death of Mao Jomar Lanot has left the Lanot family and the members of the Filipino community outraged. As community members learn more details about the 17-year old’s murder in 2003, they question if the Vancouver School Board can prevent a future incident from happening again.

Members of the Filipino community will be at the BC Supreme Court today to express their support for the Lanot family and to make public the need for Vancouver’s schools and other Canadian institutions to be proactive in preventing such future violence. The Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance argues that there is an urgent need to examine the root causes of such violence among Vancouver’s youth. Members of the group  will rally outside the BC Supreme Court today at 12 noon.

Mao Jomar Lanot was a 17-year old Filipino boy who was severely beaten outside of Sir Charles Tupper Secondary School in Vancouver by a group of youth in November 2003. He later died in hospital. Evidence revealed in the trial documented one of the youth saying, “We fucking hate Filipinos!” while beating the young Lanot.

The Vancouver-based Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance and members of the Filipino community have been supporting the family through the trying hearing, maintaing their support for the Lanot family’s search for justice and emotional closure to their three-year ordeal.

However, with more details of the brutal beating that caused the young boy’s death coming out of the hearing, the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance urges the community and Canadians to go farther and to learn lessons from the senseless beating death of Jomar.

The youth organization has been advising the Vancouver School Board to realize the inherit link between violence and systemic racism in the education system.

“The issue here is not an isolated case of ‘boys will be boys’ gone wrong or South Asian against Filipino youth as will often be portrayed,” explains Charlene Sayo of the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance. “The issue here is about two marginalized communities of colour who have been given little to no chances in this society. Filipino youth, as well as other youth of colour, are extremely isolated and alienated in the education system making our schools a hotbed for violence,” ends Sayo.

 Professor Geraldine Pratt of the University of British Columbia found that Filipino youth have the second highest drop-out rate in Vancouver’s high schools and hold one of the lowest grade point averages. The youth organization is questioning why such tragedies are occurring in Vancouver’s schools and point to racist policies and practices of the Vancouver School Board that alienate young people of colour.

“The justice that the Lanot family and the Filipino community deserve will not be given in full untill the root of their tragedy, systemic racism is done away with,” adds Sayo .

Since 1996 the Filipino-Canadian Youth Alliance has been documenting cases of systemic racism and doing grassroots-based anti-racism education and advocacy work both locally, nationally and internationally.

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 For more information, please contact: Charlene Sayo
Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada / the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance
Telephone: 604.215.1103

Email: ukpc_fcya@kalayaancentre.net

Website: www.kalayaancentre.net, www.ugnayan.net