A vigil for Private Danny Chen, year two
October 3rd marked the second anniversary of the young soldier’s death – 19 y.o. Pvt. Danny Chen had been found dead on his Army watch post in Afghanistan after enduring relentless, racist hazing by his fellow soldiers and superiors. A group consisting of family, friends and community activists gathered on Elizabeth Street, a stretch of which is pending to be renamed in the Chinatown native son’s honor. An incantatory oral history recitation recounting the young man’s life was read in Chinese and English.
A family’s grief continues, and all one can hope for is that the continued visible support of community members and local politicians might provide even a modest amount of relief to the parents. And that the changes in Armed Forces protocol that have been fought for will end impunity, and will contribute to preventing similar tragedies in the future. In the meantime, continued attention to the case is not only happening by means of political activism but also through art. I’ll see you at the opera next year.
(1) Members of Baruch College fraternity Pi Delta Psi listen to a (2) recitation commemorating Danny Chen // (3) John C. Liu extends a comforting touch to Danny Chen’s father, Yan Tao Chen. // (4) Ada Chen sounds a drum beat for each year of her cousin’s short life // A final walk around the block of Elizabeth Street that OCA-NY has been advocating to be renamed in Chen’s honor.
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This year’s vigil was more intimate than last October’s a larger gathering at Union Square, when bringing the people responsible for Danny Chen’s death to justice was still a goal to rally around, within reach while the court martials were ongoing.
