Ping On

The Ping On (Chinese: 平安; Jyutping: ping4 on1; lit. 'peaceful', 'at ease') was a Boston-based criminal organization. The organization rose to power in the 1970s and continued to operate throughout the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s.^[3] The Ping On was founded by Stephen "Sky Dragon" Tse who had heavy ties to the infamous 14K Triad in Hong Kong.^[1]

Ping On

Founded	1970s
Founder	Stephen "Sky Dragon" Tse
Founding location	Boston, Massachusetts, United States
Years active	1970s–early 2000s
Territory	Boston
Ethnicity	Chinese
Leader(s)	Stephen Tse
Activities	Drug trafficking, arms trafficking, fraud, prostitution, human trafficking, illegal gambling, money laundering, extortion, murder, illegal immigration, and racketeering[1][2]
Allies	14K, Hung Mong
Notable members	Stephen Tse, John Willis

History

The Ping On was regarded as a "farm team" for the 14K triad in Hong Kong. The ambition of Stephen Tse was to come to Boston to set up another hub on the East Coast of the United States. However, it was not directly affiliated with 14K despite Stephen Tse having a history with them. The organization had several allies in the late 1980s, including the Hung Mong which was in operation in New York City.^[2]

Decline

In 1984, Stephen Tse was jailed for refusing to cooperate with authorities in regards to Asian organized crime in the city.^[1] During this time, a large number of Vietnamese refugees had moved to Boston, in particular Chinatown. When Stephen Tse was released from jail in 1986, the landscape of organized crime was very different, and not nearly as one sided as it was when he was last free.^[1] The power vacuum left by the decline of Ping On was linked by early police reports to the Boston Chinatown massacre,^[4][5] which later FBI investigations revealed to be perpetrated by Ping On members and related to a feud with a rival gang member.^[1]

References

1. "In the Shadow of the Dragon - Boston Magazine". 15 May 2006.^{[dead link]}
2. Kushner, David (18 February 2015). "The White Devil Kingpin". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 21, 2015.
3. Burnstein, Scott (15 February 2015). "Boston Drug Baron White Devil John Transcends Gangster Stereotypes". The Gangster Report.
4. "SJC to hear appeal of two convicted in Chinatown massacre". Boston.com. Associated Press. January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 30, 2020. Police initially said the killings appeared to be part of a dispute between rival gangs vying for control of Chinatown's gambling rackets. During the trial, prosecutors offered little detail on the alleged motive, but noted that one of the shooters said it was a robbery.
5. Butterfield, Fox (January 15, 1991). "Killing of 5 in Boston's Chinatown Raises Fears of Asian Gang Wars". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2020. The killing of five men in a Chinatown social club on Saturday has raised fears that new and more violent Asian gangs are struggling for control in Boston... Mr. Saia said that "there has been no real organization of the criminal element in the Chinatown section of Boston" since the mid- to late-1980's, when the leader of the Ping On, the once-dominant gang here, fled to Hong Kong and his second in command was slain in his suburban restaurant. With the breakup of the Ping On, which had a base in the traditional Chinese underworld of the triads and tongs, or secret societies and mutual aid groups, a new generation of smaller, less formally organized but more violent gangs have emerged, a law-enforcement officer familiar with Asian gangs here said.