Liang's trial tests US social justice

At his sentencing, the charge against former New York City police officer Peter Liang, the rookie cop convicted of the fatal shooting of a black man, Akai Gurley, in a Brooklyn housing project, was reduced from manslaughter to criminally negligent homicide; as a result he was sentenced to five years probation and 800 hours of community service.

The final developments of the case are yet to be known, but the polarized reactions it has sparked between the Asian-American and African-American communities reflects the deep schisms in US society as a result of its prevailing political and cultural practices.

For a long time, different ethnic groups in the United States have been given different labels, although all of them have made huge contributions to the US economic and social development. For example, those of Asian origin, including those from China and India, are labeled as "model minorities". Such a "good label" does not result from a lack of prejudice, it is the result of comparing Asian-Americans with other minorities.