On August 10, 1999, Buford O. Furrow, Jr., a white supremacist, shot and killed JOSEPH ILETO, a Filipino American postal worker in Chatsworth, CA, after firing 70 shots inside the North Valley Jewish Community Center with a semi-automatic weapon.  Ileto had just delivered mail to a home when Furrow approached him and asked if Ileto could mail a letter for him. Furrow then shot Ileto nine times. Furrow later admitted that he shot Ileto because he worked for the federal government and “looked Latino or Asian.”

In this episode, half of the TFAL crew talks to members of the Ileto family – Ismael and Deena Ileto – and discuss keeping Joseph’s memory alive through their advocacy against hate.  Also, joining the Ileto family is Stewart Kwoh, longtime national Asian American community leader.  Listen as they discuss Joseph’s tragic killing, their thrust into community advocacy, their plea to the Filipino community to stop being complacent, and the frustration towards the lack of political accountability for the ongoing hate-fueled mass shootings that seemingly have no end.

Listen through the embedded player below, download directly here, or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For folks who are on Spotify, you can listen to us here.

If you remember that day or you have an opinion on hate crimes and mass shootings, email us at thisfilipinoamericanlife@gmail.com or call our voicemail at (805) 394-TFAL (8325).