Vol. 71/No. 19      May 14, 2007

After more than a year of pretrial hearings, these individuals will be defending themselves against charges filed by the police of disorderly conduct and resisting arrest.

The Quincy Four are Karen Chen, an organizer of the Chinese Progressive Association; Howard Ng; Quan Manh Thin; and Tat M. Yuen.

The charges stem from an April 30, 2006, encounter with the police here. The cops assaulted the four while they were returning home from a traditional Chinese engagement party. One officer pepper-sprayed three of them in the eyes. Three of the cops roughed up Chen, who is barely five feet tall, giving her a black eye, a swollen face, and numerous bruises. One of the four victims, the prospective groom, was knocked unconscious.

Karen Chen and Joanna Ng, a witness to the incident, have filed formal complaints with the Quincy Police Department about the cops' misconduct. The FBI is now investigating their complaint.

During the April 9 hearing, presided by Judge Diane Moriarty, Paul Yee, attorney for Howard Ng, moved to separate his client's case from the others and proceed immediately to trial. The prosecutor, Jason Mohan, objected to Yee’s motion.

In the brief discussion that followed, Mohan revealed part of the basis on which the prosecution intends to build its case. Referring to a statement describing the April 2006 attack posted on the Quincy 4’s web site, Mohan attributed its authorship to Karen Chen and lamented its "impact" on the reputation of Quincy cops.

The judge sustained the objection.

“The prosecutor basically told us they have no case against Howard and that the only chance they have of getting a conviction in his case is association with the others,” Zenobia Lai, a leader of the Support Committee for the Quincy Four, told the press after the hearing. “And they are trying to introduce into evidence statements made by supporters of the four for the same reason—the overall weakness of their case.”

Defense organizers are now urging supporters of the Quincy Four to turn out in numbers at the June 18 trial, which will take place in Quincy District Court, 1 Dennis Ryan Parkway, Quincy Center.

For more information and up-to-date announcements, visit www.quincy4.com or contact the Chinese Progressive Association, 28 Ash St., Boston, MA 02111; Tel.: (617) 357-4499; E-mail: justice@cpaboston.org.
 
 
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