The East Side Teachers Association (ESTA) is disappointed that the Santa Clara County Democratic Party (SCCDP), without a fair investigation, passed a resolution on October 6th condemning East Side Union High School District Board Member Bryan Do of intentionally using racially charged language and redbaiting as part of a deliberate strategy to inflame racial division within the San Jose Mayoral race.
ESTA inquired with the SCCDP about the October 6th resolution and posed five questions:
For [the SCCDP resolution condemning Bryan Do], who did the SCCDP use to translate the language from Vietnamese to English?
Did [the SCCDP] seek the assistance of the local Vietnamese media to investigate the allegations
Did [the SCCDP] in any way investigate the accusations leveled against Mr. Do by questioning neutral parties?
Did [the SCCDP] speak with Mr. Do and allow him an opportunity to rebut the accusations?
[Did the SCCDP] ever call together all involved parties (all registered Democrats) to receive all sides of the story?
The SCCDP answered only the first question, responding that the “San Jose Spotlight reported they had independently verified the translation.”
In the absence of further answers, ESTA must conclude that the answers to questions 2-5 is “no.” If this presumption is incorrect, the SCCDP may correct it and ESTA will amend any relevant statement.
ESTA’s purpose in this matter is to advocate for a fair investigation so a sitting and well-respected board member faithfully and effectively serving the educators and students of ESUHSD is not wrongfully condemned.
The SCCDP leaders have an obligation to include Mr. Do (and all involved parties) in any investigation. By not doing so, the SCCDP leaders have demonstrated a concerning disregard for truth. One truth seems clear at this point: No consensus exists about the translation of Mr. Do’s words. The SCCDP cites the San Jose Spotlight as the source of the translation used to condemn Mr. Do. However, representatives from Calitoday Newspaper, Sunset Radio, Vietnam Daily Newspaper, Song Viet Radio, and the entire Editorial Board of VietValley have issued a joint statement in VietValley that “at no time did [Bryan Do] say anything racist or anything demeaning of any other ethnicity.” ESTA is not qualified to translate Vietnamese to English. However, plenty of other qualified people have. The SCCDP has plenty of resources to hire their own independent and certified translator. Why this did not happen is beyond our ability to answer. But we would like answers.
ESTA is calling on the SCCDP to give Bryan Do a fair investigation, one that actually speaks with him about what he actually said.
ESTA calls on the SCCDP to use a neutral, certified translator for the investigation and to incorporate the services of the previously mentioned Calitoday Newspaper, Sunset Radio, Vietnam Daily Newspaper, Song Viet Radio, and VietValley—all of whom are native Vietnamese speakers, communicate in Vietnamese on a daily basis, and seem qualified to help interpret the meaning of what Mr. Do actually said.
ESTA calls on the SCCDP to, in the meantime, issue a statement that the situation involving Bryan Do is under investigation and the October 6th resolution is suspended until the investigation is complete.
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