Chinese-Americans in New York are divided over the controversy that stems from the fatal shooting of an unarmed black man by a Chinese-American police officer.

Some Chinese Americans hail the cop's indictment by the state Supreme Court in Brooklyn on Wednesday afternoon, while others see the accused as an innocent man who should not go to prison for lawfully doing his duty.

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New York City Police Officer Peter Liang has just been indicted for an array of charges, including manslaughter, for the accidental shooting of 28-year old Akai Gurley.

The 27-year-old Liang, who is on the job for less than a year, and another rookie partner were patrolling the Louis Pink Houses in one of the most crime-ridden housing areas in Brooklyn, when the incident happened on November 28 last year.

The two cops were walking down a pitch-black stairwell. It was also at the same time Gurley and his girlfriend entered the stairwell, one flight below the cops.

That moment, Liang had drawn his service weapon but the pistol suddenly discharged, hitting Gurley in the chest accidentally. Gurley fell and died in the stairwell a short time later.

Liang is facing a jail term of 15 years if he is convicted of the crimes he allegedly committed but police Commissioner William Bratton says, Gurley's death was an accident.

District Attorney Kenneth Thompson, however, had branded the case as manslaughter.

Liang has a chance of being declared innocent, as state laws grant immunities to police officers who perform their duties in good faith.

Some observers say a charge of manslaughter is preposterous because Liang's act was limited to putting his finger inside his pistol's trigger guard.

They add the young police officer committed a violation of safety protocols but he does not deserve a prison sentence.

Amid all these views, many Chinese Americans in Manhattan are reluctant to find politics or discrimination in the indictment of Liang.

There are also those who say the charges against him could improve the relations between the police and all the minorities.

Still, some Chinese Americans want to hold protest actions to defend the rights of the Chinese minority group, which has never been as politically active as the Blacks or the Hispanics.

Phil Gim, who is a Chinese American living in Whitestone, Queens, says, "we don't want to be pushed around anymore, or picked on anymore. We're going to fight back."

Gim and his friends are organizing a protest march in New York, a city with the largest Chinese population outside of Asia.They are also contacting lawyers who can help Liang in his legal battle.

An online petition opposing the indictment has garnered over 100,000 signatures.

But Councilwoman Margaret Chin, who represents the Chinatown neighborhood, says, Liang must be indicted.

She sees this as a step to reform a police force that has supposedly targeted Asians, Blacks and Latinos.She advises her fellow Chinese Americans to "let the judicial system take its course."

This way, she says, "we can reform the whole system so that everyone can get equal treatment." 

TagsPeter Liang, Brooklyn Shooting, Chinese Americans