Michael Yang: Difference between revisions

Born in {{w|Queens, New York City|Queens}}, [[New York City]], Yang is the only child of immigrants from [[China]]. He would attend {{w|Columbia University}}, obtaining a degree in Continental law and would become a attorney in [[Manhattan]]. Joining the [[Continentalist Party of the United Commonwealth|Continentalist Party]] in 1999, Yang would later be selected as a Continental representative in the [[Manhattan Board of Estimate]]. During his time as a Continentalist, Yang would quickly grow to oppose the ''de facto'' one-party system enforced by the party, and would become a leading advocate for democratic reforms, which earned him the ire of other fellow Continentalists. For his support for democratic reforms, Yang would be removed from the Continental delegation in the Board of Estimate in 2009, and would later be officially condemned by party leadership in early 2010. In late 2010, Yang would publicly disavow the Continentalist Party and [[Landonism]], leaving the party to join the pro-democratic and anti-authoritarian [[Democracy Party of the United Commonwealth|Democracy Party]].

Yang quickly became a rising leader within the Democracy Movement, becoming known for his charismatic speeches and unwavering support for the movement. As a leader of the Democracy Movement, Yang would be targeted by state police, being arrested twice before 2019. In 2012, Yang would be arrested on corruption charges and would serve four years in prison and in 2017, he would be arrested for "inciting a riot" at a pro-democracy protest, but would be released as a condition during the [[2018 Continental-Superian summit]]. While in prison, Yang would be elected leader of the Democracy Party in 2014. In 2019, Yang would be arrested by state police for "{{w|subversion of state order}}" for organizing a protest honoring the victims of the [[1979 Times Square protests and massacre]] and would be sentenced to thirty years in prison and his political rights would be revoked. His arrest would spark protests around the United Commonwealth and condemnation from a number of western nations. However, before his sentencing, Yang and his family would escape to [[Manitoba]], where he would be granted asylum. Since then, Yang has continued to lead the Democracy Party in exile, and has advocated for greater pressure on the United Commonwealth from the [[Conference of American States]].