Bill Lee (author)
Encyclopedia
Bill Lee is a Chinese American
and a former member of the San Francisco
Chinatown
gang that was responsible for the 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre
.
He grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown, and went to Marina Middle School, Galileo High School
and was a student majoring in psychology at SF State
when he joined the Chung Ching Yee
, also known as the Joe Boys. He was not involved in but was questioned by homicide investigators about the 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre
, one of the deadliest massacres in San Francisco History, for which five other Joe Boys were jailed. In 1988, Lee was an employee at ESL
when former employee Richard Farley
fatally shot seven people and wounded four others at its headquarters. Lee recalled the tragedy in detail and his role in rescuing coworkers in his first book, Chinese Playground: A Memoir.
and Asian Week and has been featured on the History Channel, A&E Network
and in national print publications.
Lee is the principal of Bill Lee and Associates, a senior management and technical search firm based in California. He has also counseled serious offenders at the Juvenile Justice Center (YGC).
Chinese American
Chinese Americans represent Americans of Chinese descent. Chinese Americans constitute one group of overseas Chinese and also a subgroup of East Asian Americans, which is further a subgroup of Asian Americans...
and a former member of the San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
Chinatown
Chinatown
A Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
gang that was responsible for the 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre
Golden Dragon massacre
The Golden Dragon massacre took place in San Francisco, California, on September 4, 1977, inside the Golden Dragon Restaurant. At 2:40 AM a longstanding feud between two rival Chinese gangs, the Joe Boys and Wah Ching came to head when a botched assassination attempt by the Joe Boys at the Golden...
.
He grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown, and went to Marina Middle School, Galileo High School
Galileo Academy of Science and Technology
Galileo Academy of Science and Technology is a public secondary school located in San Francisco's Russian Hill and Marina District neighborhoods...
and was a student majoring in psychology at SF State
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
when he joined the Chung Ching Yee
Chung Ching Yee
Joe Boys was a Chinese youth gang founded in the 1960s in San Francisco's Chinatown. Joe Boys was originally known as "Joe Fong Boys", after its founder Joe Fong...
, also known as the Joe Boys. He was not involved in but was questioned by homicide investigators about the 1977 Golden Dragon Massacre
Golden Dragon massacre
The Golden Dragon massacre took place in San Francisco, California, on September 4, 1977, inside the Golden Dragon Restaurant. At 2:40 AM a longstanding feud between two rival Chinese gangs, the Joe Boys and Wah Ching came to head when a botched assassination attempt by the Joe Boys at the Golden...
, one of the deadliest massacres in San Francisco History, for which five other Joe Boys were jailed. In 1988, Lee was an employee at ESL
ESL Incorporated
ESL Incorporated, or Electromagnetic Systems Laboratory, was a subsidiary of TRW, a high technology firm in the United States that was engaged in software design, systems analysis and hardware development for the strategic reconnaissance marketplace. Founded in January, 1964 in Palo Alto,...
when former employee Richard Farley
Richard Farley
Richard Wade Farley is an American convicted mass murderer. A former employee of Electromagnetic Systems Labs in Sunnyvale, California, he stalked co-worker Laura Black for four years beginning in 1984...
fatally shot seven people and wounded four others at its headquarters. Lee recalled the tragedy in detail and his role in rescuing coworkers in his first book, Chinese Playground: A Memoir.
Career
Lee is the author of two books. His first, Chinese Playground: A Memoir (1999) is a memoir of gang life in 1960s and '70s San Francisco Chinatown which caused him to be approached and threatened by former gang associates who told him he should not have written the book and made veiled threats against him and his family. Lee's second book, Born to Lose: Memoirs of a Compulsive Gambler, (2005) details his lifelong gambling addiction and recovery. He has also written numerous articles for the San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
and Asian Week and has been featured on the History Channel, A&E Network
A&E Network
The A&E Network is a United States-based cable and satellite television network with headquarters in New York City and offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles and Stamford. A&E also airs in Canada and Latin America. Initially named the Arts & Entertainment Network, A&E launched...
and in national print publications.
Lee is the principal of Bill Lee and Associates, a senior management and technical search firm based in California. He has also counseled serious offenders at the Juvenile Justice Center (YGC).