They became friends protesting China in the US. They still don’t know one another’s names
On an overcast December afternoon in Boston, 11 Chinese citizens arrived one by one at an underground parking garage — their clandestine meeting spot.
As planned, they wore all black, with hats and masks obscuring their faces. They had hoped their outfits would make them less visible. But the curious looks they drew made them feel like criminals.
That might have been the case if they had tried this in China. They had gathered to demonstrate against the Chinese government, the kind of act that could land them in prison back home.
Even in Boston, 12 time zones away from Beijing, the Chinese Communist Party might be watching. Might be listening. Or so they thought.
They feared the government would retaliate against their relatives in China. They all held green cards or student or work visas — what would happen if they returned home? They worried too about extreme Chinese nationalists in the United States. Would they harass them? Report them to the government?
