Ann never really paid any attention to demonstrations prior to going abroad to the US

Ann never really paid any attention to demonstrations prior to going abroad to the US. Her parents specifically told her to stay away from political gatherings

But last Saturday, the 28-year-old Chinese PhD student in Boston took part in demonstrations that swept across the US to defend Peter Liang, the Chinese-American New York police officer who has been in the center of attention and heated debates for the past few weeks

Rookie cop Liang was convicted of manslaughter and official misconduct on February 11 over the 2014 death of Akai Gurley. The unarmed black man was struck in the chest by a bullet accidentally discharged by Liang when the officer was spooked by a noise while patrolling the unlit stairway of a public housing building in Brooklyn. Liang faces up to 15 years behind bars

At first Ann was worried that the demonstration would be chaotic or even dangerous, but she found that it was peaceful and the protesters were calm. The organizers had applied for a permit and the demonstration was limited to a park

There were no conflicts at all, the police were friendly, and from octogenarians to toddlers, everybody walked in an orderly manner while shouting slogans

While being part of the event was an eye-opener for Ann, she was one of only a few Chinese students who took part in the demonstrations. Most still shy away from these activities - some worry about the safety of protests, while others are disinterested in the internal affairs of a foreign country

Wang Tian is proud of the fact that his words were read by over 10,000 people in the US in just four hours

The Los Angeles-based organizer of protests against Jimmy Kimmel Live! and ABC in 2013 over comments he felt were prejudiced against Chinese said he read about Liang and immediately sent out a WeChat public message to call for demonstrations

Within a few minutes, he received phone calls from many friends that he met during the 2013 demonstrations. Within hours, people started chat groups and talked about organizing demonstrations in 15 cities. The protests quickly consumed all his free time, as he received more than 9,000 new messages in a matter of hours

Wang has long been active in organizing demonstrations in the US. He said it was due to his childhood experiences that he insists on fighting discrimination and "pursuing justice and equality."

Wang Tian left China in 1994, when he was 10 years old. He first migrated to Singapore, then Australia, then the US. He said he was regularly bullied because of his race

When Wang migrated to the US he felt liberated. He says in the US, people can express their discontent, but are bound by law to refrain from violence. He’s gradually grown to appreciate demonstrations as a way to voice his concerns and pursue justice. ,

When the demonstrations happened, he was out of town. Otherwise, he would’ve definitely taken part in them