In this past year, API Legal Outreach has continued to play a lead role in coalitions and causes on the cutting edge of the struggle for social justice.

Equal Protection Under the Law

API Legal Outreach will also be leading a national coalition of legal and community groups in filing an amicus brief before the California Court of Appeals in challenging the denial of marriage to same-sex couples. For more information, visit www.asianequality.org.

Justice For Claire Joyce Tempongko: A Call to End Violence Against Women

Since 2003, API Legal Outreach has been active in a grassroots coalition organized to free Eddy Zheng. Eddy had been sentenced at the age of 16 to serve a term of 7-years-to-life. When we became involved in his case, Eddy had already served more than 17 years in state prison, received his G.E.D., participated in “scared straight” programs, and organized the first poetry slam in San Quentin. By all accounts, Eddy had reformed and been a model prisoner with several job offers working with youth pending his release.

In 2004, Eddy received a single disciplinary infraction as a result of his non-violent organizing to incorporate ethnic studies into the prison college curriculum. He was placed into solitary confinement for nearly a year and eventually transferred to another prison as punishment and to stop his organizing.

Along with pro bono counsel Peter Kang of the Sidley Austin firm, API Legal Outreach negotiated a settlement for Eddy in federal court, expunging the infraction from his record, allowing more student input into the curriculum, and receiving a token payment from the state as compensation.

Eddy was subsequently granted parole by Governor Schwarzenegger on March 8, 2005 after receiving the support of a number of elected officials and community groups. On the day of his “release” from prison, Eddy was taken into immigration custody to face deportation because he was only a permanent resident at the time of his conviction. Despite the fact that all of his family members live in the Bay Area, that he now speaks only limited Chinese, he now faces deportation based on laws passed after the date of his conviction.

API Legal Outreach has been working closely with a coalition of supporters, with his family, and with a team of attorneys to secure Eddy’s release. Based upon evidence of ineffective assistance of counsel at the time of his plea, there is currently an agreement in place with the San Francisco District Attorney to strike some of his convictions allowing him to argue for clemency before the immigration court. Eddy has also recently married a longtime supporter and friend who is a U.S. citizen which gives him a separate basis for relief.

For more information on Eddy’s continuing struggle for freedom, visit his website at www.eddyzheng.com.