Once again the racist injustice system in America has failed the Black community. NYPD Officer Peter Liang was convicted by a jury of his peers for manslaughter in the second degree. For Judge Danny Chun to reduce the charge of manslaughter in the second degree to criminally negligent homicide and offer no jail time, no house arrest and only five years of probation and 800 hours of community service to Liang for killing an innocent Black man, Akai Gurley, a father of a 2-year-old, is an absurd and gross miscarriage of justice.
Manslaughter in the second degree was the original and appropriate charge because it means that he recklessly caused the death of Gurley and he was conscious and aware that his action could cause someone to lose his or her life. When Liang fired his weapon in the dark stairwell, as he heard Gurley and Melissa Butler come into the stairwell, he was aware that his action could cause the death of someone. Criminally negligent homicide would mean that he failed to perceive that his action could cause the death of someone entering the stairwell. He knowingly did perceive that his action could cause the death of an individual, and it did. That’s why the manslaughter charge should have stuck and he should’ve been given jail time. But it’s obvious that Chun wasn’t about to send the Asian defendant to jail, especially because Thompson, who betrayed the Black community, agreed with no jail time.
Our struggle will continue! Every instance of injustice embeds in Black people a deep and profound sense of anger and hatred toward this system and the police department. If anything is going to cause our people to rise up and engage in desperate actions for justice, it’s this kind of blatant disregard for Black life. My heartfelt condolences go out to the Gurley family and Melissa Butler and I shall continue to support their struggle for justice.
The silence and lack of support for the Gurley family by Black elected officials, clergy and other leaders was deafening. They were too busy pedaling and hustling votes for the conservative Democrat Hillary Clinton to take time out of their schedules to fight for justice for the Gurley family. Yesterday was a terrible day for the movement! No justice for Gurley and Clinton and Trump won their primary elections. It can’t get much worse than that for a day. But remember what Tupac said, “Keep ya head up!” Remember, “What goes around comes around” and one day, “The chickens will come home to roost.” Now is the time to fight back like never before! Join an organization fighting for liberation! Join the movement! This sentence was just a setback to set us up for victory! We will win! Forward ever! Backwards never!