Oregon Candidate Releases Racist Letter He Received Weeks Ago

TROUTDALE, OR – Justin Hwang knew that he'd have an uphill battle running for Oregon House District 49, which mostly covers Troutdale, Fairview and some other parts of East County. A Republican, he's trying to unseat Chris Gorsek, a former Portland Police Officer, a teacher of criminal justice and geography at Mouunt Hood Community College and resident of Troutdale.

One of the things that he hadn't necessarily been counting on was the racist reaction to his campaign.

On Friday, he released a letter he received that responded to a get out the vote mailer that he had sent.

Get all the latest information on what's happening in your community by signing up for Patch's newsletters and breaking news alerts

"You will never get my vote Chink," someone hand wrote on the bottom of the letter. "Go to your own country and vote."

"As a Korean immigrant to this country who could barely speak English, I've been called derogatory names my entire life," he wrote on Facebook.

"This isn't new or shocking to me."

Hwang, whose Joy Teriyaki restaurant chain, has 22 locations, last week accused his opponent, Gorsek, of playing the race card.

The Democratic Party of Oregon had sent out a mailer stating that "Chris Gorsek understands our priorities because he is one of us."

Hwang said the phrase "one of us" was alluding to the fact that he's a Korean resident.

Gorsek insisted that he was simply to referring to the fact he's lived in the community for more than 20 years.

Hwang, who first opened Joy Teriyaki in 2006, is a member of the Gresham-Area Chamber of Commerce.

The letter that he released on Friday. Nov. 2, appears to have been sent to him in late August.

He did not immediately respond to Patch about why he waited to release the letter until just four days before the election.

In his Facebook post, Hwang writes that "I'd really like everyone to begin to talk and understand one another, rather than to continue to hate and live in fear of one another."

Photo via Justin Hwang for State Representative.