On
February 19, 1942 President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive
Order 9066 calling for the mass incarceration of West coast Japanese
and Japanese Americans during World War II. On March 30 almost 100,000
Japanese Americans in California were sent to Temporary Detention
or Assembly Centers, such as the Santa Anita Race Track and Pomona
Fairgrounds. Riots and protests occurred at both sites. Detainees
were held here until more permanent camps were completed, such as
Manzanar and Tule Lake. The Internment of Japanese Americans was
the single largest violation of any groups’ civil rights in
the history of the US. Internment lasted from 1942 to 1944. Most
Nikkei lost their property, homes, and businesses, as they had days
in which to pack-up and move. After years of organizing by Japanese
American activists, a Congressional Committee determined that Internment
was due to “race prejudice, war hysteria and a failure of
political leadership.” President Ronald Reagan issued a formal
apology to Japanese Americans & authorized monetary reparations.
These sites represent examples of how everyday places can be turned
into sites of terror by the state. |
