OCA-NY

Founded in 1976, the New York Chapter of OCA is one of over 80 chapters and affiliates across the country dedicated to advancing the social, political and economic well-being of Asian Pacific Americans in the United States. OCA-NY is a community leader in advocating on important local and national issues, including voting rights, immigration reform, language rights, health care reform, hate crimes and hate media.

JUSTICE FOR PVT. DANNY CHEN

Dear Members and Supporters:

We are asking for your help. OCA-NY has been the lead advocacy organization seeking justice for Private Danny Chen, a 19-year-old soldier who was found dead in Afghanistanon October 3, 2011 after being subjected to unrelenting physical and emotional abuse—including racial taunts and humiliation—by his superiors.

Eight superiors have been charged in connection with Danny’s death. These charges range from dereliction of duty to involuntary manslaughter. After months of advocacy, the Army announced in April that if these charges are referred to court martial, the court martials will be held at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Please see OCA-NY’s Winter 2011 newsletter for the timeline of community activism on Danny’s case.

We need to keep seeking justice for Danny’s family and also for reforms in the Army so these preventable deaths do not happen to anyone else. This is what you can do:

1) Participate in Danny’s Birthday Card Campaign- Danny would have turned 20 on May 26th, 2012, Memorial Day Weekend. We are collecting birthday cards to Danny and will hand-deliver them to the chairs of the Senate and House Armed Services Committees. Our goal is 10,000 cards! Please click here to find out more about the birthday card campaign. Please also visit our Tumblr page for cards we've already received.

2) Come to the Birthday Salute to Private Danny Chen at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday,May 24th at Manhattan Chinatown’s Pace High School, where Danny went. We have a talented line-up of artists including Performer Taiyo Na, Magnetic North, Rap Artist Jason Chu, Photographer Corky Lee and Violinist Jason Kao Hwang, Dancer YanliniDream, Spoken Word poet Kris Lew, Dance Troupe Agent Orange, and Binari Drummers. To make a reservation, please visit our nycharities.org event. Proceeds will go towards mobilizing people to attend the court martials in North Carolina and to educating people worldwide on Danny’s case. Raffle prizes at the event include a cruise for two down the Yangtze River in China, a Wii-Fit and 26” HD LCD TV, and much more.

Help us keep Danny Chen’s legacy alive! Thank you for your support.

Elizabeth R. OuYang, President