Amicus Brief - Peter Liang, Please forward. Thanks
Jimmy Hwang
March 7, 2016
Hon. Danny K. Chun
Kings Supreme Court - Criminal Term
320 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
RE: State of NY vs. Peter
Liang
Kings Supreme Court - Criminal
Term
Case No. 09988-2014
Dear Justice Chun:
Please accept this letter in lieu of a more formal Amicus Curiae brief concerning the above referenced matter.
In New York City, the grand juries rarely issue indictment in cases involving police officers who have killed civilians and the court rarely convict police officers involved in civilians death when they were on duty doing their job .
Therefore, when four plainclothes NYPD officers fired 41 shots at Amadou Diallo, an unarmed 22-year-old Bronx resident, peppering his body with bullets and killing him. All four of the officers who shot Diallo were acquitted. When Gidone Busch, a mentally disturbed Orthodox Jewish man, was shot a dozen times in Borough Park in Brooklyn by Officer Gravitch, Officer Martin Sanabria, Sgt. Joseph Memoly and Officer William Loshiavo. None of the officer was charged. When Richard Watson was fatally shot by the police in Harlem after he fled on foot in the wake of an accusation that he had evaded a taxi fare, officer Foster Gilkes was not charge. When Patrick Dorismond was shot to death, Detective Anthony Vasquez was not charge. When Eric Garner was killed, Officer Daniel Pantaleo was not charged.
It appears that as long as there is a valid excuse, the police office can never be held criminally liable for doing their job. But then why Peter Liang is the only police officer indicted and convicted? as what he did was not even close when comparing to what happened with the other police officers involved in the Diallo , Busch, Watson, Garner or Dorismond cases.
It is obvious that he was indicted and convicted not because what he did, but because who he is. We believe that if he were black or white or any ethnic groups other than Chinese, he would have received a different treatment. He would not have been thrown under the bus. He is just a scapegoat for all the civilian death caused by the hundreds of other police officers who have never been prosecuted or convicted.
It is not only a shame that our justice system has been manipulated in such fashion, it is also downright unconstitutional that Right to Equal Protection is based upon color of the skin.
We believe Peter Liang has been unfairly indicted and unfairly convicted, we ask you not to further punished him unfairly.
Sincerely yours,
Jimmy Hwang
Executive Director