Photo: Peter Obi, Goodluck Okechukwu Source: Twitter. It was also clear that the writers of Kung Fu were likewise running out of good plot . Brown said Liang is still completing his community service. He took a brief break from the witness stand to compose himself after turning away to hide his tears. Then he went looking for the bullet and heard someone crying. Some feel that Liang, as a member of the police force, deserves to be punished while others believe that he was only being used as a scapegoat since White officers in similar situations previously did not face charges. He added that the Gurley family insisted on Liangs paying as part of the settlement. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. While his police training included CPR, he said instructors had given cadets most of the answers to pass the required test, echoing a testimony his partner gave last week. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. They are affiliated with Staten Island University Hospital. Unfolding in the dark stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project, the shooting inflamed the residents of New York City and thrust two marginalized communities together into the uneven criminal justice system. [64], Landau, the other officer involved, was not criminally implicated in Gurley's death. From left to right: Scott Rynecki, Akai Gurley family attorney; Kimberly Ballinger, Gurley's domestic partner; and Hertencia Petersen, Gurley's aunt. On February 11, 2016, a year and a day after his indictment, the jury found Peter Liang guilty of Manslaughter and Official Misconduct. me with just its sheer scale. Call Dr. Peter Liang on phone number (718) 273-0553 for more information and advice or to book an appointment. Terence Zhao '19 originally hails from Beijing, China, before immigrating to the US and settling in Arcadia, CA, a suburb of Los Angeles. I remember when I first heard the news, and spewed out. Liang had already made inroads into the Chinese American community with her debut film in 2012, 9 Man, a vicious game of street volleyball unique to the Asian American community. At one point a Chinese protester supporting Peter Liang walked across the street to protesters in support of Akai Gurley and began a dialogue. The rumors were later debunked by the District Attorney's office but the Daily News did not issue a retraction or apology. , where Nick Carraway describes his role at a party: A friend of mine (who is Asian American) once told me a story from when he was a kid: He and five other friends (all of whom were white) went to one of the friends house and was told by the friends dad that there was only room for five: . She also spoke briefly to members of the Asian American community who came out in support of Akai Gurleys family. "From retraining our officers to adding body cameras to launching neighborhood policing, our administration is taking significant steps to strengthen the relationship between our officers and the communities they serve," deputy press secretary Monica Klein said in a statement to NBC News. "I think no matter how good the academy training will be, nothing replicates actually doing it," said Moreno. He received his medical degree from . Some current officers who were cadets at around the same time as Liang have said they remember being given the questions to the test before they took the CPR exam. Akai Gurley, a 28-year-old black man, was fatally shot on November 20, 2014, in Brooklyn, New York City, United States, by a New York City Police Department officer. [38], Gurley's funeral was conducted December 6 at the Brown Memorial Baptist Church in Fort Greene. But that moment has passed. Butler has brought her own civil lawsuit against the city, which was still pending. [65] Both radioed for an ambulance as Gurley's girlfriend performed CPR. On February 12, 2016, Gurley's family demanded the NYPD permanently end all vertical patrols. His lawyers say the shooting was an accident, not a crime. He fired once and the bullet ricocheted, killing Akai Gurley, who was also in the stairwell. What supporters of Peter Liang are asking for is to grant Liang, like Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, the license to take black lives at will. [77][78], The New York City Police Department's practice of vertical patrols was also criticized. I guess I came to as a concerned citizen, knowing that this is like, a really important issue and policing is essential and needs some like real real change. Do not sell or share my personal information. We stand by that but were Police Commissioner Bill Bratton blasted Assemblyman Charles Barron on Friday, saying the state lawmaker practically committed a criminal act by threatening that violence is inevitable if stairwell-shoot cop Peter Liang The fact that he says hes sorry didnt bring Akai back, Kimberly Ballinger told her lawyer after meeting Thursday with Peter Liang the now-former cop who accidentally killed her Assemblyman Charles Barron on Thursday warned of riots, saying violence is inevitable if former NYPD officer Peter Liang gets the no-jail sentence recommended by Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson. A jury convicted Liang of manslaughter, which a court later reduced to criminally negligent homicide. Following that hunch became Liang's second documentary, " Down a Dark Stairwell .". On the issue of NYPD patrolling, he considered it essential to public safety; he also characterized the notions of Liang being a scapegoat [16] and police brutality cases somehow being linked together to be non-existent. They see it as a counterpoint to cases in which grand juries declined to indict white police officers in the killings of unarmed black men, including Eric Garner in New York and Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. [26][27][28] Upon entering, Liang said he heard "a quick sound" to his left which startled him. New York City reached a settlement Monday in the wrongful death lawsuit of Akai Gurley, agreeing to pay more than $4 million to the family of the 28-year-old fatally shot by police in a Brooklyn housing project in November 2014. "I never expected this to happen," Butler said. On April 19th, a New York State Supreme Court in Brooklyn sentenced former NYPD officer Peter Liang to five years of probation for the shooting of unarmed Black man Akai Gurley. Similarity to the shooting of Timothy Stansbury Jr. Akai Kareem Gurley's funeral service program, December 6, 2014, Brown Memorial Baptist Church, Brooklyn, Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York, List of killings by law enforcement officers in the United States, "Former NYPD Cop Peter Liang's Guilty Verdict Leaves a Community Divided", "A Guilty Verdict in the Akai Gurly Case", "Liang had 'thousand-yard stare' after staircase shooting, fellow cop testifies", "How Should Asian-Americans Feel About the Peter Liang Protests? Former NYPD Officer Peter Liang, who dodged prison time for fatally shooting an unarmed man, must now determine how to spend his 800 hours of community service as lawyers on. [32][33][34], New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton declared the shooting to be an accident and that Gurley was a "total innocent. It offered a little bit of hope, because there was dialogue at that moment. And out of all of those killer cops, guess how many got convicted? Shortly after Liangs sentencing, people carrying Black Lives Matter signs gathered outside the courthouse, while those supporting him aggregated on the other side. Gurley, 28, and his girlfriend were taking the stairs rather than having to wait for an elevator when the bullet ricocheted off a wall. A Shot Through The Wall, directed by Aimee Long, premiered at the Bentonville Film Festival in Arkansas in August and is now in post-production. Go to our Twitter feed and Facebook page for more content. ", "A Look at Recent Police Killings Cited in Protests", "Like Michael Brown And Eric Garner, Akai Gurley's Death Inspires Anger", "The Year in NYPD Public Relations Disasters", "Let's take the longer view on NYCHA's safety", "After Akai Gurley: The Connection Between Maintenance and Safety in Public Housing", "I-Team: Darkened Stairwell Not the Only Problem at Police Shooting Building", "18 provocative documentaries to look for this year", 1992 Patrolmen's Benevolent Association Riot, 2004 Republican National Convention protest activity, Prospect Park alleged police sodomy incident, Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, 20152016 University of Missouri protests, Donald Trump photo op at St. John's Church, 20202023 MinneapolisSaint Paul racial unrest, Rest in Power: The Enduring Life of Trayvon Martin, Stay Woke: The Black Lives Matter Movement, Holding a Black Lives Matter Sign in America's Most Racist Town, Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, George Floyd Law Enforcement Trust and Integrity Act, Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, List of police reforms related to the George Floyd protests, 2020 deployment of federal forces in the United States, Black maternal mortality in the United States, U.S. immigration policy toward the People's Republic of China, One Hundred Years: History of the Chinese in America, Attack on Squak Valley Chinese laborers, 1885, Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association, Chinese Historical Society of Southern California, List of U.S. cities with significant Chinese-American populations, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Killing_of_Akai_Gurley&oldid=1142721841, African-AmericanAsian-American relations, African Americans shot dead by law enforcement officers in the United States, New York City Police Department corruption and misconduct, November 2014 events in the United States, November 2014 crimes in the United States, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2021, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Manslaughter (reduced at sentencing to criminally negligent homicide), $52 million lawsuit filed by Gurley's family against City of New York, This page was last edited on 4 March 2023, at 00:57. First, that the death of Mr. Gurley was not intentional; this argument, given the. The documentary had its national television debut on PBS Independent Lens April 12 and remains available for streaming for free until May 11 and on the PBS video app. District Attorney Thompson plans to appeal todays reduction in the verdict. He was the father of a two-year-old girl. Im not saying that its OK for the White cops to get away. The judge has barred any mention of those shootings in Liang's trial. In his spare time, he likes to explore cities and make pointless maps. Peter Liang is not the victim here just because the system did not cover up his mistakes. [27][36] Media initially reported that both officers had text-messaged their union representatives before calling for help;[21] the claim was refuted as being false by both the police union and the District Attorney's office. The film would not have been as powerful without gaining access to organizers on both sides. Asian America New York City, Peter Liang to Pay Over $4 Million Settlement to Family of Akai Gurley The NYC Law Department told NBC News that the city will pay $4.1 million, the Housing. ,A. Others, however, said Liang had to be held accountable for his actions because he took a life. Shaun Landau, Liangs former partner who was originally named in the lawsuit, doesnt have to pay because he was released from the complaint, Brown said. The 1990s. There was no happiness in him today," Liang's attorney Paul Shechtman told ABC News. The New York Police Department declined to comment on the allegation, citing the ongoing trial. Protesters support former New York Police Officer Peter Liang outside a Brooklyn courthouse before his sentencing for manslaughter in the killing of Akai Gurley, in New York April 19, 2016. And Asian Americans are like Nick in a way. [17][20] The New York Daily News initiated rumors that their commander had instructed officers in the area not to carry out vertical patrols and instead to conduct exterior policing, and that the officers were texting their union representative as Gurley lay dying. Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to Liang's former partner as Sean Landau. With our combined strengths in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics, we are better equipped to drive personalised healthcare forward. [11][12], Peter Liang (born c.1987), a Hong Kong American, had less than 18 months of experience with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) at the time of the shooting. [5][6][7], On March 28, 2016, prosecuting Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson recommended to Kings County Supreme Court Judge Danny Chun that Liang serve only house arrest and community service for his sentence. It takes the first spot on the medal standings with six medals including another silver and bronze medals. I'm not going to ignore all of this and go to bat for him just because he's also Chinese. We're revolutionising personalised healthcare. The NYC Law Department told NBC News that the city will pay $4.1 million, the Housing Authority $400,000, and former NYPD officer Peter Liang $25,000. She quickly saw that when she saw the huge crowds at rallies which turned out in support of Liang in the Chinese community across the country. This happened in 2014, the same year Gurley died, but Pantaleo wasnt even indicted, let alone convicted, despite a clearly stronger case and more outrageous wrongdoing. It pitted the unjust death of an innocent young black man against the unjust scapegoating of a young Asian police officer who was frightened, poorly trained, and who committed a terrible accident. Please consider interning, joining our staff, or submitting a story or making a contribution. [14], The Pink Houses are considered to be among the worst housing developments in New York. [3] Liang turned himself in to authorities the next day and was arraigned. After hearing a noise, Liang, who was on a pitch-dark stairwell, accidentally fired his weapon. In evaluating the possibility of equipment failure, they concluded that the 11.5-pound (51-newton) trigger could not have been fired unintentionally. 'I said, 'Oh, my God, someone's hit,'' Liang recalled as he gave an emotional testimony. [71], The defendants also argued that Liang pulling out his gun was still considered in line with protocol because the "lack of lighting is commonly perceived as a sign of criminal activity. RELATED: Peter Liang Won't See Jail Time as Manslaughter Charge Reduced. Two months later, Judge Danny Chun downgraded his conviction to criminally negligent homicide and sentenced him to five years probation, including 800 hours of community service. Anger: Almost 15,000 gathered in Brooklyn on Saturday protesting the treatment of Chinese-American cop Peter Liang, who was convicted of manslaughter on February 11 after shooting an unarmed. Americas. Actor Kenny Leu ( Midway) leads the movie A Shot Through the Wall, inspired by the story of former New York City police officer Peter Liang, who was convicted of criminally negligent homicide. Feb 9, 2016 Officer Peter Liang Accused In Death Of Akai Gurley Breaks Down. The doctor uses the sample to confirm Kim's infection levels and to prescribe drugs for her; she also asks Kim for informed consent to share the blood sample with a biobank that sequences the sample, creating digital representations of Kim's genetic profile that are shared with numerous research teams . , but those more race-conscious protesters were few and far in between. And, as the article points out, Asian Americans, like whites, enjoy a priceless set of structural privileges and immunities. And there is no denying that. Liang fired his weapon; the shot ricocheted off a wall and fatally struck Gurley in the chest. A former Brooklyn district attorney bureau chief now vying to become the boroughs next top prosecutor claimed Wednesday he had mounting evidence of corruption within the current DAs administration. Those who are angered by the double standard between how the state holds white and Chinese American officers accountable must fight in solidarity with African Americans and other people of color to transform a . Unfortunately, in the case of Peter Liang, this power was poorly used indeed. About $325,000 dollars were given to Liang's family and $80,000 would be used for Chinese communities. Their office accepts new patients. AsAmNews is a community of users interested in reading, learning and commenting on news, events, people & issues in the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander communities. — -- A former New York City police officer who shot an unarmed man to death won't face any jail time after a judge today reduced his manslaughter conviction to criminally negligent homicide. 027-86699610 58377363@163.com qq3310059649 Brown said Liang has up to nine months from April 19, the day Liang was sentenced in Brooklyn State Supreme Court, to file appeal arguments. I cant help but bring in a quote from . I think what is important is to recognise that all JET-Ps basically consist of a mix of concessional loans, market-based locals, grants and guarantees from public and private entities. We are invited to the party, but never quite made to feel belong. Peter Liang Caitlin C Murphy Background In May 2021, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force began recommending initiating colorectal cancer screening at age 45 (vs. 50) years. On the final day of the trial of NYPD officer Peter Liang, the prosecution argued that the rookie officer intentionally fired his weapon in the dark stairwell of East New York's Pink Houses,. 'I was panicking. "[72] Furthermore, the light had been out of service for a number of days without repair. So, when Liang was convicted, it was a watershed for Asian Americans. These Valuable Pennies Are Worth Thousands. But I just think that he [Liang] did something wrong and he should be held accountable for it, Ling told NPR. The conviction galvanized the Chinese community in New York City and across the United States. A jury convicted Liang of second-degree manslaughter in February for Gurley's death. But there is a second, stronger argument: Liang was a victim of selective prosecution and racial scapegoating. The first week of the trial for Peter Liang, the NYPD officer who shot and killed 28-year-old Akai Gurley in a Brooklyn stairwell in November 2014, rounded out with a close look at Liang's. Assistant District Attorney[70] Joseph Alexis claimed the killing wasn't an accident and that Liang chose to place the finger on the trigger. We stand by that but we're puzzled by the claim that Thom Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Still, building trust in her own community wasnt easy. Police Commissioner William Bratton has said that the patrols are needed to reduce crime[17][20] and vertical patrols continue to be conducted in the Pink Houses. He said . Liang, who said he didnt feel qualified to administer CPR, stood by as Butler performed the procedure on Gurley, according to testimony. In April, a judge reduced Liang's manslaughter conviction to criminally negligent homicide and sentenced Liang to five years probation and 800 hours of community service. Many of the protesters were pro-police, anti-Black Lives Matterand dismissive of Mr. Gurleys death basically co-opting the language of white supremacists. Fliedner was also the prosecutor who won a manslaughter conviction against NYPD cop Peter Liang for the 2014 accidental shooting of Akai Gurley in a darkened housing-project stairwell. She also hired a diverse film crew and thought carefully about who should come with her to different events. Unfortunately the original 1970s Kung Fu series ended after three seasons because Carradine had suffered a number of injuries doing the stunts himself along with the martial arts that are inherently dangerous; and breaking his foot was the last straw for him. The New York Housing Authority paid $400,000 and Liang paid $25,000. Peter Wilmshurst wrote a long blog post on the occasion of Lancet's . Amidst all this, it becomes easy to assign Asian Americans to a position of privilege after all, arent we the model minority?. He died within a few minutes. The case sparked heated debate within the Asian-American community, with some believing Liang was made a scapegoat to compensate for a lack of indictments of white officers involved in police-related deaths of black men. But I also think I came to with an open mind in terms of like, listening to folks feelings on the case, she said. Inside the Peter Liang-Akai Gurley police shooting case, Kamala Harris vows to lift up Asian small businesses, Vietnamese Am man files lawsuit against county deputy, Walmart for false arrest, Ronny Chieng and Hasan Minhaj roast each other on The Daily Show, Two Native Hawaiian men sentenced to prison for hate crimes against White man, US-China tensions bring fresh wave of AAPI xenophobia, Meet Todd Gloria the first AAPI Mayor for San Diego, Journey lead singer Arnel Pineda in a public feud with other band members, Michelle Yeoh wins SAG Award for best actress. in an angry, despondent word vomit. We love you all and can't appreciate you guys enough. And there was a little bit of a bridging, of opinions and, and listening. In all honesty, I was blown away by the response the Chinese-American community fielded in defense of Peter Liang. Normally, I give the benefit of the doubt to the police, even when it is a gray area that theyre in. You understand that theres a level of trauma when youre dealing with a family that has lost somebody. Liang has already tried once to get his conviction thrown out, which was denied. , is nonsense. "[49], Nearly 15,000 people protested on behalf of Liang in New York on February 20, 2016,[50] with similar turnouts across the United States that day. Whats justice, whats right, its also about the people who get left behind., Feature Images via Getty (left), Kings Road Pictures (right). I mean, I think they felt like, the emotions were so volatile, and it was such a complicated, and, you know, complex story that this is sort of not the thing they wanted, highlighted down the line, Liang told AsAmNews. The late Brooklyn District Attorney Ken Thompson was not of sound mind during his final months in office, one of his top prosecutors told The Post on Tuesday. It was frustrating to the utmost extent, which is why I never even came near to one of those protests. Peter Liang became an officer in June 2013, which likely meant there was one training officer for about a dozen rookies. The Brooklyn District Attorneys Office and former NYPD cop Peter Liang have both reportedly dropped their respective appeals of Liangs conviction in the 2014 fatal shooting of Akai Gurley in Bruce Springsteen is a megatalented rock star of limited intelligence and outsize cultural influence. [10] He was not a resident of the Pink Houses but lived in nearby Brownsville with his domestic partner, her daughter, and their two-year-old daughter. See Evanna Lynch Now At 31 He Played 'Chunk' In Goonies. They Played 'Katie' On School of Rock. Convicted former NYPD officer Peter Liang was conducting a vertical patrol the night his gun went off in a dark stairwell. Courtesy the artist and Q SO-KO. Granted, there were some cooler heads in the mix, but those more race-conscious protesters were few and far in between. Liang is not the only police officer who has taken an innocent life, and he should not be the only one held accountable for doing so. Instead she chose to highlight a bit more understanding of why people were taking certain positions.. The young man and father was killed. [25] Liang's gun discharged as he opened the door and the bullet ricocheted off the wall and struck Gurley once in the chest. Peter Yew was a 27-year-old engineer who, in 1975, was brutally beaten by police officers in Manhattan's Chinatown, when he attempted to intervene after he saw them beating a 15-year-old kid whom. Down the Dark Stairwell plays next at a film festival in New Zealand. Overview. Advocates for police accountability are watching Liang's trial closely. A friend of mine (who is Asian American) once told me a story from when he was a kid: He and five other friends (all of whom were white) went to one of the friends house and was told by the friends dad that there was only room for five: Its a special kind of loneliness when suddenly you realize why, when that kids dad said there was only room for five, everyone else knew he was talking to you., Contact Terence Zhao at terencezhao at stanford.edu. Forget the cliched myths and stereotypes about how Asian Americans are politically apathetic or dont vote the overwhelming protests, marches and political pressure the community exerted downright. Liang said he felt it better to wait, instead, for professional help. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, Saying he beamed his flashlight and saw no one after firing, Liang acknowledged that he didn't immediately report the shot. Inspector Richard Dee, executive officer of the NYPD Police Academy, explained to the I-team that they have trained over 800 field training officers. One woman left screaming and crying while another said she was having a panic attack. Brown said Liang has four months to get together the $25,000 he must pay to Gurleys family. Officer Liang failed that night. Peter Liang Won't See Jail Time as Manslaughter Charge Reduced, who said he didnt feel qualified to administer CPR, Ex-Cop Peter Liang Apologizes to Akai Gurley's Domestic Partner in Meeting, a judge reduced Liang's manslaughter conviction, who apologized to Ballinger for shooting Gurle. And back then, it made sense. or debate this issue live on our message boards. [42][43], More than 3,000 protesters, mostly of Chinese American descent, showed up at New York City Hall in March 2015 to support Liang. Former New York Police Department officer Peter Liang won't spend a day in prison. [76], The incident received national and international coverage, in part due to the recent police shootings of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and Eric Garner in Staten Island. They wanted to feel its weight in their . Front-runner for Oscar. Tensions around the case quickly surfaced with the case dividing the largely immigrant Chinese community with the progressive members of the Asian American community. Alexander Leissle. He fired once and the bullet ricocheted, killing Akai Gurley, who was also in the stairwell. never making any promises about the direction the film would take. No comments have so far been submitted. He followed the sound down three flights and saw a man lying wounded and a distraught woman bending over him, Liang said Monday at his manslaughter trial in the 2014 death of Akai Gurley, who was shot in a stairwell in Brooklyn public housing. After Liang's bullet ricocheted off the wall and struck Gurley in the chest, the officers did not render CPR. He said that neither of them tried to revive Gurley, with both of them saying they did not feel qualified to perform CPR. Feng Liang , Jiashen Meng , Shih-Hsin Ho , Tong Zhao , Hui Zhou , Awais Ahmad , Yinlong Zhu , Liangxing Hu . "I'm just confused about what happened. Liang faces manslaughter and other charges. Kenneth Palmer, stepfather of Akai Gurley, speaks outside state Supreme Court in Brooklyn. No decisions have been made and its a complicated chess board," Shechtman said. [55], Gurley's death was one of several police killings of African Americans protested by the Black Lives Matter movement. Anastasia Savira, Echolocation (still), 2023. [22] The department also insists that officers place their fingers on the trigger only upon encountering extreme and particularized danger. (Seth Wenig/AP) "Peter Liang was sworn. "Each officer handles that differently and needs different amounts of training and coaching.". [21] The NYPD's policy on whether an officer should keep a weapon holstered on such patrols is purposely vague and the decision as to when to take out a firearm is left to the discretion of the officers, according to Police Commissioner Bill Bratton.