Claire Jean Kim, professor of Asian American studies and political science at UC Irvine, [writes]: On Tuesday, former New York police officer Peter Liang was sentenced to probation and community service − but no jail time − in the 2014 killing of Akai Gurley, an unarmed black man, in the stairwell of a Brooklyn housing project. This notably light sentence is a relief to some Asian Americans − particularly Chinese Americans − who leaped to Liang’s defense from the start, arguing that the shooting was a tragic accident and that Liang’s prosecution and conviction were proof of selective prosecution and racial scapegoating.

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