On Feb. 20, thousands across the country protested the manslaughter conviction of former N.Y.P.D. officer Peter Liang. Last November, Liang shot and killed 28-year-old black man Akai Gurley, and on Feb. 11, a jury convicted Liang of manslaughter – serving the first conviction of an N.Y.P.D. officer in a line-of-duty shooting in over a decade. Protesters of the “Coalition of Justice for Liang” argue that Liang, an Asian American man, has become the “scapegoat” of white officers, offered up to appease those seeking justice for the numerous shootings of unarmed African American males. In response to these protests, some black activists have staged small counterprotests where they argue that the jury served justice, according to a Feb. 23 New York Times article. What do you think of Liang’s conviction?


Marlharrissa Lagardare ’16

To understand the Black Lives Matter Movement, one must simply understand what the activists are fighting for, which is for justice to be served whenever there is a wrongdoing against the Black community. Some argue that the BLM does not advocate for justice in regards to Black on Black crimes and solely targets cross-racial injustices, but what one must also understand is that when a Black male commits a crime, even against his own race, he is convicted — with little to no evidence. Yet, in major recent killings of police officers and unarmed Black victims, the justice systems has consistently failed in regards to persecuting the police department. Peter Liang shot and killed an unarmed suspect. Regardless of if Officer Liang was Asian, White, Hispanic, or even Black, he was rightfully convicted for his wrongdoing and that is exactly what the BLM works for.

Marlharrissa Lagardere ’16 is the Vice-President of the Brandeis Black Student Organization. She is also on the chair committee of Culture X. 


Queen White ’16

Though there has been a dominant narrative of White officers murdering Black people we should not exclude the countless amount of officers who reflect the deeply embedded racism that is the United States justice system. Despite Peter Liang’s claims that shooting Akai Gurley was a mishap, he still shot an unarmed Black person and then failed to follow protocol to seek immediate care, which arguably lead to his death. This country can not afford to claim another murder as a mistake when there are a countless amount of Black deaths that have been conveniently dismissed under mysterious circumstance. Liang’s community’s concerns present important issues on accountability and racial bias. And though it is their right to convey how his Asian identity has lead to his verdict, it is also important to include how officers are required and often trained to target minorities, despite the color and identity of who holds the badge.
Queen White ’16 is a member of the Woman of Color Alliance and a African And Afro-American Studies major. She also participated in Ford Hall 2015 occupation.

Nia Lyn ’19
Officer Peter Liang killed Akai Gurley. Whether it was influenced by the dark staircase, the unsavory part of Brooklyn he was in or his lack of experience with the NYPD, it was still a murder. In regard to those that feel as if Liang is being used as a scapegoat, do they feel this way because he isn’t getting off scot-free like one of his white counterparts would have? Since so many officers have gotten away with similar crimes, finally seeing justice served is a foreign concept. Liang’s conviction isn’t the problem; the problem is that so many others have gone without indictment that when someone finally gets a penalty befitting of their crime, it seems like they are being victimized. Liang isn’t a victim, and he isn’t being used as a scapegoat. He’s just not receiving the honorary white privilege that his supporters feel he is entitled to.
Nia Lyn ’19 is a Justice contributing writer.

Grace Kwon ’16
I think it’s absurd Peter Liang was convicted even though so many white NYPD cops haven’t been convicted of similar crimes. The reaction of black activists shows hypocrisy because they focus only on their group rather than other minority groups. Chris Rock at the Oscars on Sunday night showed this hypocrisy too. He brought three little Asian kids out on the stage and gave them the most stereotypical Asian names, but no one is calling him racist. This is ridiculous. I think it’s fine for people to point out racial issues, but they need to include all minority groups. Assuming that there is hatred only against black people is wrong. All minority groups experience discrimination. If Liang deserved to be convicted, so did white cops.
Grace Kwon is an Associate Editor for the Justice.