People gather in Times Square to mourn the Asian woman who was victim of the subway attack

According to the American "Overseas Chinese Daily" on January 20, hundreds of people of all ethnic groups gathered in New York Times Square on the evening of the 18th to mourn the victim of the subway attack last Saturday (15th) Michelle Alyssa Go (former translation Michelle Wu). Mayor Adams, Congressman Meng Zhaowen, state attorney general Zhan Lexia and many other elected officials delivered speeches to express their condolences and call on New Yorkers to abandon racial prejudice and work together to deal with the dual crises of public order and mental health.

The evening was coordinated and hosted by Asians Fighting Injustice with the assistance and support of Meng Zhaowen's office, and received support and sponsorship from many community groups and individuals. A portrait of Michelle was specially broadcast on a large screen near the event site that night.

In his eulogy at the scene, Mayor Adams stressed that to solve the current policing problem, law enforcement and mental health services must be equally emphasized, and at the same time, the estrangement between all classes and ethnic groups in New York City has a long history, and people must strengthen communication and dialogue to eliminate prejudices and misunderstandings among each other. He said that on the 18th, he attended the fifth anniversary mourning ceremony of the death of a deceased police officer, and then visited the family of a 19-year-old girl who was killed in a hamburger restaurant, and now he came to Michelle's memorial service. It reminded him of his experience as a local iron patrol in the area in the 1980s and how it felt to stand with the parents of a young Chinese delivery man who was killed years ago. "We're not going back to that old age, and I say this not from the mayor's point of view, but from my lifelong belief. We must make New York a place where people can raise their families with peace of mind. ”

Adams also stressed that those who have fallen to the streets can no longer be ignored, that they cannot be demonized, and that they must be given the necessary help. So the city is currently taking action to get law enforcement officers, along with counselling professionals, to help those in need.

In her speech, Rep. Meng Zhaowen said that Michelle is remembered and admired for her kindness, generosity and years of volunteerism, but people gather here today not only to remember her, but more importantly, to seek fairness, justice and answers to many questions with action. "Over the past year or two, the Asian Pacific-American community has experienced a huge shock, with many people afraid to go out on the streets, to take the subway, or even to go out. As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, injustice anywhere is a threat to justice in all places. ”

Meng Zhaowen said that to solve the current mental health and public safety crisis, no single solution is enough. Some want to strengthen law enforcement, some want more mental health services, and others blame specific ethnic groups. But none of this will solve the problem, because the root of the problem lies in deep-rooted poverty and racism. "Mutual recriminations between our different ethnic groups will not help solve the problem, and we cannot tolerate such racial divisions." As Asians, we must not forget the many support and assistance that people of different ethnic groups have given us over the past two years and stand with us. We must therefore cherish this solidarity and friendship, support each other, and seek answers to our questions through difficult dialogue – including how not to simply throw mentally ill people to the criminal justice system, how not to force people out of prison into the streets, how to prevent police officers from taking on multiple responsibilities of psychological counselling and emergency rescue. All of this requires difficult dialogue and discussion. ”

In her speech, State Attorney General Zhan Lexia also stressed the importance of solidarity between different ethnic groups and safeguarding each other's rights and interests.

A colleague of Michelle's former colleagues at Deloitte and her former boyfriend also reminisced about her time with her, remembering her dedication, wisdom, helpfulness, and traveling around the world. The colleague said that on the Friday (14th) the day before the accident, the two were still discussing what to do on Monday (17th) on the phone.

Michelle's parents, who were dealing with their daughter's affairs in New York, were not present but had previously issued a written statement on behalf of all the family. "We are in the midst of shock and grief over the loss of our daughters, sisters and friends," the statement said. We want people to remember how Michelle spent her life, not just how she died. She is a beautiful, intelligent, kind woman who loves her family and friends and loves to travel the world and help others. Her life was taken in a senseless act of violence, and we pray that she will get the justice she deserves. Thank you for your condolences. We want the media to respect our privacy during this very difficult time. (Tube Dawn)

Source: China News Network