Community groups demand justice for Sherry Chen

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By Elaine Dunn

Sherry Chen, the award-winning hydrologist who was falsely accused of espionage in 2014, and whose charges were all dropped prior to trial in 2015, has the solid support of the Committee of 100 (C100), the United Chinese Americans (UCA), the Ohio Chinese American Association (OCAA) and nine additional community groups in her quest to get her job at the National Weather Service back.

The April 2018 Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) ruled that the Department of Commerce (DOC), which oversees the National Weather Service, did not have cause to fire Chen back in 2016. Chen, it said, was “a victim of gross injustice.” Chen’s attorney noted, “In their appeal brief, the Department of Commerce has re- cycled arguments that Judge Schroeder rejected and, worse yet, ignored once again exculpatory evidence presented at the hearing that the agency buried during the criminal and disciplinary investigations preceding Sherry’s ar- rest and termination.”

Community groups feel that the DOC’s decision to appeal rather than comply with the MSPB’s further de- lays justice for Chen,.

“The Commerce Department is clearly embarrassed by the publicity of its scandalous activities,” noted

Jeremy Wu, trustee of the Sherry Chen Legal Defense Fund. “By appealing the MSPB decision, the Department further shows its blindness to the truth and innocence of Sherry Chen and risks additional scrutiny of its prohibited practices and loss of pub- lic trust.” Wu added, “Supporters for Sherry Chen, including her colleagues in the National Weather Service, will redouble their commitment and have faith that justice and fairness for Sherry Chen shall prevail and those who abuse and misuse authority shall eventually be held accountable.”

On May 23, 2018, C100, UCA and the OCAA along with members of the

Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), including Chair Rep. Judy Chu, Ted Lieu, Grace Meng and Raja Krishnamoorthi organized a press conference on Capitol Hill a to draw attention to Chen’s wrongful termination case and to issue a letter signed by 31 members of Congress requesting the Commerce Inspector General conduct an independent inves- tigation into the mishandling of Chen’s case. More than 130 Asian American community organizations supported the press conference.

(For details about Sheery Chen’s case, see p. 5 of June 2018 issue of China Insight, www.chinainsight.info.) ♦

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