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Murder of Evelyn Okubo

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However, many older Japanese-Americans viewed the murder as confirming their suspicions about the dangers of interracial activism by young Japanese-Americans, and despite the fact that no evidence has been found to support the claim, the belief that the crime was committed by a Black Panther remains
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in the murder after he was caught raping and robbing another woman in the same hotel. Robinson was not affiliated with the Black Panthers or any other political organization. However, Robinson was later ruled out as a suspect, though in the rape case he was indeed convicted the following year.
160:," and "Don't blame him it was not his fault. There must be absolute peace." When the victims were discovered about half an hour later by a third JACL attendee sharing the hotel room, both girls had been stripped naked and bound, though neither showed evidence of being 155:
On July 17, 1970, Okubo was murdered, and Yamada was slashed in the throat, in Room 725 of Chicago's Palmer House hotel. Yamada, though badly wounded, wrote out several messages: "Gory, but it doesn't really hurt," "He was a black man with a
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Newspapers also eventually acknowledged that no rape had been committed in Okubo's case, and though some columnists suspected that racial animus was a motive, this has never been confirmed as the perpetrator was never found.
107:. Her 17-year-old roommate, Ranko Carol Yamada, was also severely wounded, yet survived. The murder caused a significant stir within the Japanese-American community, in part because Yamada alleged that the killer was 131:. She and Ranko Carol Yamada had traveled to Chicago as representatives of the Japanese-American youth organization Yellow Seed to the national convention of the JACL, which was then focused on fighting for 224:
began touring Japanese-American communities, advocating interracial reconciliation and activism while raising money to honor Okubo's memory. Ultimately, they would form the band Yellow Pearl (a pun on
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fire from a housing project that same day, while several police and Panthers had been killed the previous year, which added to the supposition that Okubo was killed by a Panther. According to the
541: 29: 164:. Yamada could not speak for two weeks after the incident due to her throat injury, but eventually recounted that the attacker had pranced around naked before killing Okubo. 482: 576: 571: 581: 43: 526: 433: 551: 566: 139:. Prior to the murder, Okubo was believed to have attended racial issue discussion meetings with groups like the Black Panthers and the 546: 343: 297: 92: 531: 536: 419: 245: 404: 556: 561: 521: 255: 42: 211: 24: 124: 250: 112: 96: 331: 289: 210:
The tragedy of Okubo's murder was the inspiration for Japanese-American songwriter and musician
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on the part of the youth activists was to blame. Meanwhile, two police officers were killed by
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stories alleging that Okubo was raped prior to being murdered, and implied that
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Evelyn Okubo was 18 years old and hailed from the Japanese community of
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Carol Yamada and Mabel Okubo, Evelyn's mother, later filed a
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Double Cross: Japanese Americans in Black and White Chicago
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actress, to write her first song. She and fellow musician
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against the Palmer House hotel, alleging negligence.
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American civil rights activists of Japanese descent
71: 60: 52: 336:Yellow Light: The Flowering of Asian American Arts 281: 91:teenager killed during the 1970 convention of the 190:, police named a man named Lonell Robinson as a 8: 390:"Bizarre Details Told About Chicago Slasher" 35: 41: 34: 434:"Conrad Hilton Hotel Rapist Found Guilty" 338:. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. 326: 324: 275: 273: 271: 366: 364: 267: 577:Unsolved murders in the United States 572:July 1970 events in the United States 236:prevalent in parts of the community. 7: 582:Asian-American-related controversies 464:Carol Ranko Yamada and Mabel Okubo 372:Carol Ranko Yamada and Mabel Okubo 172:Chicago newspapers originally ran 14: 527:1970 murders in the United States 469: YAMADA v. HILTON HOTEL CORP. 377: YAMADA v. HILTON HOTEL CORP. 93:Japanese American Citizens League 16:1970 murder in the United States 418:Leeds, Patricia (1970-12-01). 115:. The killer was never found. 1: 436:. Chicago Tribune. 1971-02-11 405:"Police Note Clews to Murder" 403:Koziol, Ronald (1970-07-18). 246:List of homicides in Illinois 228:) and become a touchstone in 552:Deaths by person in Illinois 420:"Suspect in Hotel Rape Held" 214:, another JACL attendee and 567:People murdered in Illinois 598: 547:Japanese-American history 392:. Desert Sun. 1970-08-26. 40: 280:Harden, Jacelyn (2003). 256:List of unsolved murders 532:20th century in Chicago 212:Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto 36:Murder of Evelyn Okubo 30:considered for merging 537:Asian-American issues 47:Photo of Evelyn Okubo 251:Japanese in Chicago 113:Black Panther Party 37: 557:History of Chicago 422:. Chicago Tribune. 407:. Chicago Tribune. 178:interracial dating 97:Palmer House hotel 562:Murder in Chicago 86:Japanese-American 79: 78: 65:Chicago, Illinois 589: 522:1970 in Illinois 506: 503: 497: 496: 494: 493: 478: 472: 466: 460: 454: 451: 445: 444: 442: 441: 430: 424: 423: 415: 409: 408: 400: 394: 393: 386: 380: 374: 368: 359: 356: 350: 349: 332:Nokubo, Miyamoto 328: 319: 316: 310: 309: 307: 306: 287: 277: 135:and against the 109:African-American 45: 38: 597: 596: 592: 591: 590: 588: 587: 586: 512: 511: 510: 509: 504: 500: 491: 489: 487:The Rafu Shimpo 481:Yamamoto, J.K. 480: 479: 475: 462: 461: 457: 452: 448: 439: 437: 432: 431: 427: 417: 416: 412: 402: 401: 397: 388: 387: 383: 370: 369: 362: 357: 353: 346: 330: 329: 322: 317: 313: 304: 302: 300: 279: 278: 269: 264: 242: 217:West Side Story 208: 187:Chicago Tribune 170: 153: 121: 48: 33: 17: 12: 11: 5: 595: 593: 585: 584: 579: 574: 569: 564: 559: 554: 549: 544: 539: 534: 529: 524: 514: 513: 508: 507: 498: 473: 455: 446: 425: 410: 395: 381: 360: 351: 344: 320: 311: 298: 266: 265: 263: 260: 259: 258: 253: 248: 241: 238: 230:Asian-American 207: 204: 169: 166: 152: 149: 133:racial justice 120: 117: 95:(JACL) at the 77: 76: 73: 69: 68: 62: 58: 57: 54: 50: 49: 46: 18: 15: 13: 10: 9: 6: 4: 3: 2: 594: 583: 580: 578: 575: 573: 570: 568: 565: 563: 560: 558: 555: 553: 550: 548: 545: 543: 540: 538: 535: 533: 530: 528: 525: 523: 520: 519: 517: 502: 499: 488: 484: 477: 474: 470: 465: 459: 456: 450: 447: 435: 429: 426: 421: 414: 411: 406: 399: 396: 391: 385: 382: 378: 373: 367: 365: 361: 355: 352: 347: 345:9781566398176 341: 337: 333: 327: 325: 321: 315: 312: 301: 299:9781452905969 295: 291: 286: 285: 276: 274: 272: 268: 261: 257: 254: 252: 249: 247: 244: 243: 239: 237: 233: 231: 227: 223: 219: 218: 213: 205: 203: 201: 196: 193: 192:prime suspect 189: 188: 183: 179: 175: 167: 165: 163: 159: 150: 148: 146: 142: 138: 134: 130: 126: 118: 116: 114: 110: 106: 102: 98: 94: 90: 87: 83: 74: 70: 66: 63: 59: 56:July 18, 1970 55: 51: 44: 39: 31: 27: 26: 25:Infobox event 22: 501: 490:. Retrieved 486: 476: 463: 458: 449: 438:. Retrieved 428: 413: 398: 384: 371: 354: 335: 314: 303:. Retrieved 283: 234: 226:Yellow Peril 222:Chris Iijima 215: 209: 197: 185: 171: 154: 122: 82:Evelyn Okubo 81: 80: 23: 505:Harden, 130 453:Harden, 129 358:Harden, 129 318:Harden, 129 174:sensational 145:street gang 141:Young Lords 137:Vietnam War 19:‹ The 516:Categories 492:2017-09-13 440:2017-09-13 305:2017-09-13 200:civil suit 129:California 119:Background 262:Citations 168:Aftermath 72:Convicted 28:is being 240:See also 125:Stockton 105:Illinois 61:Location 32:. › 21:template 232:media. 158:natural 101:Chicago 467:, 375:, 342:  296:  206:Legacy 182:sniper 151:Murder 89:sansei 84:was a 75:Nobody 67:, U.S. 162:raped 340:ISBN 294:ISBN 53:Date 290:128 99:in 518:: 485:. 363:^ 323:^ 292:. 270:^ 147:. 127:, 103:, 495:. 443:. 348:. 308:.

Index

template
Infobox event
considered for merging

Chicago, Illinois
Japanese-American
sansei
Japanese American Citizens League
Palmer House hotel
Chicago
Illinois
African-American
Black Panther Party
Stockton
California
racial justice
Vietnam War
Young Lords
street gang
natural
raped
sensational
interracial dating
sniper
Chicago Tribune
prime suspect
civil suit
Nobuko JoAnne Miyamoto
West Side Story
Chris Iijima

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