Free Sushi John Now! ICE Out of LD16! We need People w/ Actual Backbone to SPEAK OUT and FIGHTBACK! Update: Sushi John is Detained in NJ (Not Louisiana) – Slightly Good News!
UPDATE: FightBackBetter editor has been informed that Sushi John is being detained in NJ and the family is working hard to get him out as soon as possible. This is slightly good news because if they transport him to other jurisdictions – the courts could be harsher toward immigrants from one state to the next. The US seems to be sending to Louisiana which is a likely legal death knell for immirgrants whose rights are being violated. Best of luck – and if you want to support the family’s efforts, Ya Gotta Try YaYa!
A popular restaurant owner and Montgomery resident and lawful resident of the United States was arrested by ICE without charge and his whereabouts were originally unknown (now known, NJ). Ming Xi Zhang who is affectionately known in town as “Sushi John” is the owner of Ya Ya Noodles, a popular and longtstanding Chinese food eatery.
As a candidate for NJ Assembly Legislative District 16, which includes Montgomery where Yaya Noodles is located and Mr. Zhang resides, I wholeheartedly condemn the arrest of Mr. Zhang and call for his immediate release. I also demand that the Montgomery Township Committee and Mayor pass a resolution immediately demanding Mr. Zhang’s immediate release. The resolution should also demand that ICE stay out of Montgomery Township. Furthermore, I demand that Assembly members Roy Freiman and Mitchelle Drulis join in the demand for Mr. Zhang’s release.
Mr. Zhang’s illegal arrest by ICE was not for political reasons like many of the legal visa holding students who are being arrested illegally by ICE. However the M.O. is similar in at least these two ways:
- He detention location was iinitially undisclosed situation – it has been determined that he is in NJ. Students also have been disappeared similarly and it was days before people knew where they were. They are “disappeared.”
- The government and ICE provided no details about charges that have been filed in Mr. Zhang’s case as in cases of the students kidnapped for having opposed US support for genocide in Israel. They are arrested without legal charge. There is no respect for Habeas Corpus rights.
Currently there has been no statement from the Montgomery governing body supporting Mr. Zhang nor from the Assembly members. No officials have called for his release and condemned ICE for the arrest. No editors of hyperlocal sites that cover Montgomery have weighed in with editorial opinion either. FightBackBetter is weighing in right now.
However, candidates Amanda Baumunk and Mazhar Syed have made a clear statement of opposition that includes also support for this editor who is in the midst of a repressive attempt to railroad me with a false felony accusation of “bribery” for announcing my challenge for Assembly and opposition to fascist IHRA laws currently proposed by the NJ Democratic Party leadership in the legislature and supported by Drulis and Freiman.
This editor has visited the YaYa Noodle establishment and has offered my support to the manager . While there is no concrete defense committee that we are aware of for Sushi John, we proudly proclaim “FREE SUSHI JOHN NOW – RETURN HIM TO HIS HOME IN MONTGOMERY NOW!”
Once we hear of plans to organize for demanding his release we can update.
For now the best way to support Sushi John if you are local is to patronize YaYa Noodles – the legal expenses can be enormous with such a high profile ICE arrest. Use this link for more information about YaYa Noodles meal offerings and catering.
