An open letter being circulated by more than two dozen Asian American groups says New York Police Officer Peter Liang must be held accountable in the death of Akai Gurley (photo by Lauren Giaccone).
The letter is meant to counter a protest by other Asian Americans calling for the indictment to be dropped. Protests are scheduled from New York to California next Sunday in support of Liang.
The letter from the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence which was founded in 1986 says “the fact that Officer Liang is Asian American shouldn’t mean that we as Asian Americans support him unequivocally. Quite the opposite — it should compel us to think about what justice looks like and how Asian Americans can contribute to the movement for police accountability and broader racial justice.
“When police officers are not held accountable, they are enabled to kill with impunity. This should be unacceptable to all of us, especially as many of our own community members, from South Asians post-9/11 to Southeast Asian communities, are also targeted by police departments across the country.”
But the Coalition for Asian Americans for Civil Rights, a new group which sprung up around the indictment of Liang, calls the indictment a political prosecution and the charges inappropriate.
Liang was patrolling the stairwell of a housing project with his gun drawn when Gurley entered the stairwell just a dozen steps below them. Liang’s gun accidentally went off, the bullet ricocheted off the wall, striking Gurley and killing him.
To sign on to the letter from the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, go here.
To learn more about the protest next Sunday, you can to the Coalition for Asian Americans for Civil Rights.
RE: Asian American groups united behind justice for Akai Gurley: Akai Gurley and his family deserve justice. However this is a CLEAR case of throwing someone under the bus. The punishment should fit the crime. Officer Liang made a mistake, but DID NOT have ANY malice or desire to hurt or kill Akai Gurley. Police Brutality is well documented. However a vigilante witch trial is only going to satisfy the rage of the mob. I see many groups jumping on the BANDWAGON to get support for Akai Gurley. We shall wait and see IF they will put the same kind of energy in helping Asian Americans in the future. They most CERTAINLY left Officer Liang in the alley hung out to dry. I am not saying he is innocent. However I cannot keep quiet while another Asian brother gets treated unfairly in this American society.
RE: Asian Americans united behind justice for Akai Gurley: The question isn’t whether he had malice. The question is whether is he negligent in his action. At this point, we know that he did not contact his union reps…that was a fabrication. But, we need to know why his safety was off and why his finger was on the trigger when he did not have a radio call regarding an armed suspect. A call to the grand jury isn’t an indictment, it’s an investigative process. Let the investigative process take place. Officers Pantaleo and Brown both went before a grand jury and nothing came of it.