The brother of a Filipino teen beaten to death in Vancouver says many kids in his community fear for their lives because of the possibility of racist violence.

"Everyone should have the opportunity to realize their goals and dreams," Garnet Lanot told a news conference Tuesday. " We have a long way to go (before we have) a society where all young people have the same chance."

The news conference was held in response to the death of Mao Jomar Lanot. Members of the South Asian and Chinese communities spoke about the need for action by the Vancouver School Board and the city to deal with racism in the community.

Garnet Lanot: 'We have a long way to go'
Garnet Lanot: 'We have a long way to go'

Lanot described his brother as a talented musician and artist who was "quiet, patient ... hardworking."

Lanot said he was there to make a statement on behalf of his family. He did not take any questions from the media.

The Lanot family had just been reunited a year ago. Lanot's mother had been working to bring her sons to Vancouver. An older brother still lives in the Phillipines.

Joanne Vasquez
Joanne Vasquez

Lanot pleaded with Canadian immigration officials to provide a visa for that brother to "help my family put my youngest brother to rest."

Mao Jomar Lanot died early Saturday after being beaten at his school's tennis courts. The 17-year-old and three Filipino-Canadian friends had finished a pickup game of basketball last Friday when they were allegedly harassed by a group of 10 Indo-Canadian youths.

Vancouver police say they've questioned and released a 17-year-old boy they describe as the "central figure" in Friday night's confrontation. They say the boy has a history of violence and was once a student at the school.

Police are looking for nine other Indo-Canadian boys in connection with the incident.

Const. Anne Drennan said it began with racial slurs hurled at the Filipino boys, who answered in kind. She stressed that the violence may not have been racially motivated and that it "appeared to be a spontaneous situation."

Charles Tupper High School has been described as racially diverse with Filipino, Vietnamese, Chinese, Caucasian and Indo-Canadian students.

The local Filipino community is upset about the incident saying the Vancouver School Board has been ignoring racial problems at its schools.

"Filipinos are the third largest immigrant group in Vancouver...yet our experiences are denied," said Joanne Vasquez of the Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance. "There is systemic racism going on."

Vasquez said Filipino youth have one of the highest dropout rates in the Vancouver school system.

"We have been coined by one university professor as 'the disappeared.'"

A trust fund is being setup in Mao Jomar Lanot's name.