Justice for Peter Liang: Accident, Not Crime

jaced21

DEREK WU
Staff Writer

2015 saw an increase in understanding and recognizing social inequality, as evidenced by the growth of the Black Lives Matter movement. This movement, among others, serve as potential gateways for other minorities to rally against unequal treatment, something various Chinese Americans have begun to do for New York Police Department officer Peter Liang.

On Nov. 20 2014, Liang was patrolling with his partner when he pulled out his gun and accidentally shot a bullet as he opened the door leading to a stairway of an apartment floor. The bullet then ricocheted off a wall, ultimately hitting and killing Akai Gurley. Liang was convicted of murder on Jan. 20. According to the New York Times, questions arose about why Liang, a rookie police officer, was assigned to patrol a neighborhood with high crime rates. It seems as though Liang’s convinction was a result of the various calls for justice in other cases wherein African Americans were shot.

One such case, according to the Huffington Post, was Eric Garner, a 43-year-old black man who was killed by a New York police officer who had a chokehold on him for 13-15 seconds; the police officer, Daniel Pantaleo, was not indicted by the jury. Similarly, 22-year-old Amadou Diallo was shot 44 times by four police officers who thought he had a gun when in reality it was just his wallet. In both instances, the police officers were white and acquitted. These are only two of the many incidents where white police officers have killed African Americans on duty and did not receive legal consequences. While Peter Liang’s case was an accident, he was convicted. For Liang to be indicted for a mishap while white police officers involved in more serious crimes are allowed to walk free shows how much we still have to do to achieve equal rights for all races. Our society still has a long way to go in terms of becoming advocates of a more just society and ensuring that no one is subject to cruel and unusual punishment.

What happened to Gurley was indeed a tragedy and Liang should still be penalized, but the previous police officers who have acted in a similar fashion should also recieve a form of punishment. Those past officers should have faced their own punishments and be fined and incarcerated. The voices of minorities need to be heard and justice to be received equally for everyone no matter what ethnicity they fall under. Ultimately, it is evident that America still has a long way to go before equality is achieved for everyone and Liang’s case could have served as the first step towards progress.

MOOR cartoon by JACQUELYN LOI