Besides the services of pro bono lawyer Gary Park, a new trust fund was established for dismissed NYPD police officer Peter Liang to help him in his legal battle.
Liang, indicted on Feb. 11 by a Brooklyn court for the death of unarmed black man Akai Gurley, is facing manslaughter charges. The trust fund was started by Liang’s supporters and announced on Friday by Park, reported the New York Daily News.
However, Park did not disclose figures for the fund which the family of the Chinese American has sanctioned. He added that Liang, who was just a rookie cop, would not have access to the fund which was set up mostly for his legal defense.
But donors could specify if they want to set up another trust fund to help cover Liang’s living expense. Park said about 80 to 90 percent of the donations would go to the legal defense fund, but recognizing that embattled former NYPD member may need to pay rent, the trusts has options to have two funds.
Park said that Liang plans to appeal his conviction. Many of his supporters believe Liang was convicted due to public anger over recent deaths of unarmed black men in the hands of white officers who were not charge. But the Asian officer served as a scapegoat to appease the angry mob, noted CBS.
“He’s overwhelmed right now. He needs to focus on his legal battles,” said the pro bono lawyer.
Over the weekend, another gathering was held in downtown Seattle to protest the double-standard applied in Liang’s case. About 200 people attended the protest. One of the participants, Wei Duan, said, “We really feel sorry, I offer sincere condolences to the black community.”
Wei added, “The standards are for everyone. There are thousands of cases before this one – all with white policemen – that are not even brought to court,” quoted Seattle Globalist.