Asian Americans Rally Behind Ex-NYPD Officer Peter Liang by Elaine Dunn
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ChinaFostering business and culturalInsight harmony between China and the U.S. VOL. 15 NO. 3 March 2016 MN China Friendship Garden Society unveils designs for St. Paul – Changsha China Garden at Phalen Park News, p.3-4 By Linda Mealey-Lohmann (with acknowledgement to Ivy Chang) As previously reported in the January entrance arch, and an arched bridge. The included in the Plaza. China Insight, Minnesota China Friendship main pavilion will be of Changsha-style Construction on Phase 1, the Main China Garden Society has been working architecture and modeled after the famous Pavilion, is expected to begin in 2016. with two architects from St. Paul’s sis- Aiwan pavilion in Changsha. A stone The China Garden will likely be built in ter-city Changsha on the St. Paul-Changsha garden will lead from this pavilion down 3 phases, depending on fundraising. The Sister-City China Friendship Garden at to the water channel and feature Minnesota Environmental Committee of the Payne Phalen Park. The Changsha architects, stone. These structures and elements will Phalen District 5 Planning Council will be Jennifer Junfang Fan and Jon Youhua Wen reflect Chinese culture and the long-history scheduling a community meeting to gather Food, p.5 from Hunan Jianke Landscape Company, of Chinese garden aesthetics. The Hmong further community input. Ltd., visited Minnesota in November, and Cultural Plaza is an important element The China Garden will be located north have been working with senior landscape in the China Garden because Minnesota of the Phalen Park picnic pavilion and water architect Alice Messer from St. Paul Parks Hmong claim Changsha as their ancestral channel, and east of the Stone Arch Bridge & Rec. home and a large Hmong community lives along Lake Phalen. The China Garden will The garden design concept includes in the Phalen Park area. A Hmong advisory complement the “Meditation” sculpture an open-air pavilion and stone garden, a panel will be formed to ensure authentic- already located at Phalen Park, created by lakeside pavilion with a waterside patio ity and accuracy of the Hmong cultural and veranda, a Hmong Cultural Plaza, an symbols and historical information to be continued on page 8 Community, pp. 1, 8, 16 Asian Americans rally behind ex-NYPD officer Peter Liang By Elaine Dunn The local Chinese community under the tragic shooting occurred. Startled by the direction and organization of the a noise, Liang accidentally discharged his Minnesota Chinese Association (MCA) gun and the bullet ricocheted off a wall Arts & Culture p. 5, 8–9 joined in a nationwide rally that took and hit Gurley, who died from the wound. place on Feb. 20 in more than 40 other Police records showed neither officer major U.S. cities in support of ex-NYPD knew someone had been hit for another Officer Peter Liang. Liang was found four minutes. guilty on Feb. 11 of second-degree In addition to manslaughter, Liang manslaughter of Akai Gurley, a young, also faces a litany of other charges rang- unarmed black male. Nationwide rallies ing from second-degree reckless endan- drew more than 1,000,000 participants germent to official misconduct, based and took place in Boston, Chicago, Hous- on the fact he did not administer CPR ton, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, to Gurley. (In his own defense, Liang Raleigh, San Francisco, and Washington stated he had not been properly trained to D.C. amongst others. administer CPR, a fact substantiated by Society, pp. 1, 10, 14 The Minnesota rally took place at Landau.) Saint Paul’s State Capitol Lower Mall. Liang’s conviction stood in stark Approximately 300 demonstrators, most- contrast to many other cases across the In This Issue ly Chinese Americans, waved American country in which police has been accused Arts & Culture 5, 8–9 flags and carried a variety of signs that of killing unarmed black victims. His Peter Liang proclaimed “Justice for Liang, Justice verdict carries a sentence of up to 15 Book review 12 for All!” “Justice-Yes, Politics No,” “No years in prison. Sentencing takes place The problem for Asian Americans, Business 14, 15 Scapegoat!” “Tragedy Not Crime!” “One April 14. In return for his testimony, Li- as for others, is we cannot control how Community 1, 8, 16 Tragedy Two Victims.” The local rally ang’s partner Landau was never criminal- we appear on the stage of a tragedy that Events 7 ly charged. Both Liang and Landau have participants also signed a petition that has been playing since well before our Food 5 will be sent to Brooklyn Judge Danny since been fired. arrival. We have been cast against our History 6, 12 Chun, a fellow Asian American whom The guilty verdict against Liang is will, as a model minority until we are not. News 3–4 some in the Asian communities felt may viewed by many, and especially in the We cannot help but seem to have come “feel compelled to levy a harsh sentence Asian community, as unfair. People 11 only lately, despite Asians being here in so he can’t be accused of being soft on Frank H. Wu, professor of law at Pronouncements 2 significant numbers since before the Civil another Asian.” University of California Hastings College Society 1, 10, 14 of Law, San Francisco, wrote in a Feb. War. Perceived as perpetual foreigners Liang, a 28-year-old rookie cop and Travel 13 his partner Shaun Landau were patrolling 13 Huffington Post Opinion piece, called who are not quite members of the commu- an unlit stairwell of a Brooklyn public Liang “a scapegoat,” a fall guy sacrificed nity, we are an easy target. housing project on Nov. 20, 2014, when for the sins of others: continued on page 14 PAGE 2 / March 2016 pronouncements chinainsight.info Publisher’s Pronouncements ChinaInsight Greetings: Publisher: Gregory J. Hugh We trust that most of you have been need to speak up. The Chinese American Unfortunately, when politicians need a [email protected] enjoying our relatively mild winter thus community needs to be united and speak scapegoat for the broken judicial system far and have recuperated from the holidays, with one voice to demonstrate that all lives and racial injustice, Asian Americans are including Chinese New Year. We now look matter, with justice for all. There should be the first ones to be sacrificed, because we Manager of Operations/ forward to St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) no scapegoat. There is no doubt the fatal are the silent “model minority” with little Circulation: with the traditional corned beef along with shooting was tragic, but it was an accident, or no political clout. Sadly this has been Richard He all the other customs that the Irish uphold in not a crime. However, Liang could face up demonstrated over the past 150 years in this [email protected] celebrating their national holiday. Ten days to 15 years in prison. Would this have been county, beginning with the sweat of Chinese later, Easter arrives and will be observed the verdict had the officer involved been laborers building the Transcontinental Rail- by the Christian community throughout other than a Chinese American? way. Also, The Chinese Exclusion Act from Staff Writers: the world. Reaction to Liang’s conviction has 1882-1943 does not reflect well on how Greg Hugh The arrival of spring also marks the re- been swift and decisive in many Chinese the Chinese have been treated in the U.S. [email protected] turn of the 9th annual “A Passage to China” American communities across the country. The Chinese American community cannot that will be held at Mall of America on April Within days, Chinese American organiza- afford to be silent anymore; we must speak Elaine Dunn 9-10. The Chinese Heritage Foundation is tions banded together to plan nationwide up and stand up. [email protected] busy planning this annual event. See page protests and to launch fundraising efforts China Insight will continue to monitor 7 for details or go to www.chineseheritage- to help pay legal fees for Liang, who this case and report on it accordingly. In the foundation.org. along with his partner, was fired from the meantime, do whatever you can to support Contributors: The Chinese-American community re- NYPD. Relying heavily on social media, Peter Liang. Chang Wang cently held demonstrations in many major including Facebook and WeChat, a popular [email protected] U.S. cities to protest the conviction of New Chinese-language platform, supporters have York City police officer Peter Liang (pages quickly galvanized support for the rookie Sincerely, Robert Webber 1, 14). Sadly, there was not any kind of officer among many Chinese Americans. [email protected] coverage of the local rally by our local Historically, Chinese-Americans are media, which begs the question: why not? frequently labeled the “model minority,” Patrick Welsh While it is not normally the policy a group that doesn’t make waves; but now Gregory J. Hugh [email protected] of China Insight to comment on political we must no longer remain silent. Chi- Publisher-CEO matters, this incident has brought the Chi- nese Americans need to speak up now or China Insight, Inc. nese community together and there is a continue to be invisible and mistreated. Production Editor: Teresa Khamlusa [email protected] Honorary: Jennifer Nordin, Editor Emertus Be Your Own Boss! [email protected] China Insight is seeking a self-motivated individual to sell advertising space for our newspaper. China Insight has been publishing for 15 years. The ideal individual we seek must be passionate about our About ChinaInsight mission, be resourceful, creative and capable of ChinaInsight is a monthly English language newspaper fostering business working independently.