Yong Xin Huang Memorial
Title
Yong Xin Huang Memorial
Description
This photograph depicts a memorial and rally for 16-year old Yong Xin Huang, who was killed by a policeman. Dated July 16th, 1995, the rally was held the day before what would have been his 17th birthday. Organized by CAAAV, the memorial brought many members of the Asian-American community to Confucius Plaza, where leaders from the Asian, African American, and Latino communities spoke out against police brutality.
In this photo, we can see these community members carrying signs in the shape of headstones in honor of Yong Xin and other young lives lost to police brutality and anti-Asian racism. These include Kai Lor, another 16-year old who was shot four times in an attempted robbery despite lacking a weapon, and Luyen Phan Nguyen, a 19-year old university student killed after objecting to being called “Viet Cong” and “Chink” at a party.
Yong Xing was playing with a pellet gun at his friend’s house the morning of March 24th, 1995, when a neighbor called the police. Police accounts claimed that there was a struggle, and that Officer Steven Mizrahi believed the boy’s gun to be real. In spite of this, injuries found in an autopsy report made it clear that Yong Xin had his face pushed against a glass door and was shot in the back of the head. At the time, a grand jury still concluded that the killing was accidental, and no indictment was brought against Officer Mizrahi.
Years later, the Huang family sued the city alleging that the officer wasn’t properly trained and acted recklessly. They settled with the city for $400,000, but did not receive public justice. Yong Xin’s sister Qinglan has continued to speak out against police brutality, notably advocating for justice for the family of Akai Gurley in 2014. The gravestone imagery within the photo speaks to an ongoing struggle against anti-Asian racism and police brutality, as the memory of Yong Xin and many others reminds us.
Bibliography:
1. Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, “Community Seeks Justice in Yong Xin Huang Killing,” CAAAV Voice newsletter, Fall 1995, 1-2.
2. Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, “Bruce Teng Thao and Kai Lor,” CAAAV Voice newsletter, Spring 1994, 2.
3. Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, “4 States, 4 Asians Murdered.” CAAAV Voice newsletter, Fall 1992, 1, 6.
4. Daniel Hevesi, “Boy, 16, With Pellet Gun is Killed by Officer,” The New York Times, March 25, 1995.
5. Qinglan Huang, “Opinion: Akai Gurley’s Family Deserves Justice,” MSNBC, April 12, 2015, https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/opinion-akai-gurleys-family-deserves-justice-msna831171.
6. Chris Fuchs, “Decades After a Cop Shot Her Brother, Qinglan Huang Speaks Up for Akai Gurley,” NBC News, April 11, 2016, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/two-decades-after-cop-shot-her-brother-qing-lan-huang-n554146.
In this photo, we can see these community members carrying signs in the shape of headstones in honor of Yong Xin and other young lives lost to police brutality and anti-Asian racism. These include Kai Lor, another 16-year old who was shot four times in an attempted robbery despite lacking a weapon, and Luyen Phan Nguyen, a 19-year old university student killed after objecting to being called “Viet Cong” and “Chink” at a party.
Yong Xing was playing with a pellet gun at his friend’s house the morning of March 24th, 1995, when a neighbor called the police. Police accounts claimed that there was a struggle, and that Officer Steven Mizrahi believed the boy’s gun to be real. In spite of this, injuries found in an autopsy report made it clear that Yong Xin had his face pushed against a glass door and was shot in the back of the head. At the time, a grand jury still concluded that the killing was accidental, and no indictment was brought against Officer Mizrahi.
Years later, the Huang family sued the city alleging that the officer wasn’t properly trained and acted recklessly. They settled with the city for $400,000, but did not receive public justice. Yong Xin’s sister Qinglan has continued to speak out against police brutality, notably advocating for justice for the family of Akai Gurley in 2014. The gravestone imagery within the photo speaks to an ongoing struggle against anti-Asian racism and police brutality, as the memory of Yong Xin and many others reminds us.
Bibliography:
1. Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, “Community Seeks Justice in Yong Xin Huang Killing,” CAAAV Voice newsletter, Fall 1995, 1-2.
2. Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, “Bruce Teng Thao and Kai Lor,” CAAAV Voice newsletter, Spring 1994, 2.
3. Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence, “4 States, 4 Asians Murdered.” CAAAV Voice newsletter, Fall 1992, 1, 6.
4. Daniel Hevesi, “Boy, 16, With Pellet Gun is Killed by Officer,” The New York Times, March 25, 1995.
5. Qinglan Huang, “Opinion: Akai Gurley’s Family Deserves Justice,” MSNBC, April 12, 2015, https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/opinion-akai-gurleys-family-deserves-justice-msna831171.
6. Chris Fuchs, “Decades After a Cop Shot Her Brother, Qinglan Huang Speaks Up for Akai Gurley,” NBC News, April 11, 2016, https://www.nbcnews.com/news/asian-america/two-decades-after-cop-shot-her-brother-qing-lan-huang-n554146.
Date
July 16, 1995
Contributor
Connor Grehan
This post was completed as coursework for Archiving Asian America, taught by Vivian Truong, in the Asian and American Studies programs at Vassar College.
This post was completed as coursework for Archiving Asian America, taught by Vivian Truong, in the Asian and American Studies programs at Vassar College.
Rights
Copyright is held by CAAAV Organizing Asian Communities.
Format
Photograph
Identifier
Photo228
Files
Citation
“Yong Xin Huang Memorial,” CAAAV Digital Archive, accessed May 19, 2024, https://archives.caaav.org/items/show/2071.