By Shirley L Ng, AsAmNews Staff Writer
Yards from the location where Chuen Kwok called home, a community comes together to remember a “polite humble gentleman” killed last year.
Kwok was one of four murder victims killed while sleeping in the streets of Chinatown exactly on year ago in Manhattan Chinatown on October 5, 2019.
Karlin Chan, a community advocate organized a candlelight vigil in Chinatown to remember the lives of the homeless men; Chuen Kwok, Anthony Manson, Florencio Moran and Nazario Vasquez-Villegas.
The men didn’t have a chance to defend themselves as Randy Santos, also homeless, allegedly swung a pipe and brutally beat them as they laid sleeping. The men died on the scene. A fifth man survived. Kwok was struck in the head on the corner of Doyers and Bowery Streets. His blood was splattered at an enclave where he slept, which told his fate to those passing by in the morning.
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The Chinatown vigil was to be peaceful and quiet. There were no scheduled speeches or politicians and their paparazzi. Individuals came by to place a battery powered candle on each of four park benches draped with a purple table cloth. Each bench had the names of the men in a picture frame along with a larger candle.
Kwok is buried in Princeton, NJ. The Chinatown’s Celestial Love Foundation donated his funeral service and plot. They support those that are not able to pay for funeral services or if the deceased has no family or friends. However, Kwok’s grave in New Jersey is still unmarked.
A Go Fund Me created on behalf of the Chinese Freemasons has been created to purchase a tombstone for Kwok’s final resting place. Their goal is to raise $10,000. They have raised over $3,700 as of now. The remaining funds will be distributed to The Celestial Love Foundation to feed the homeless.
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Hello, I am hoping that the fifth victim – David Hernandez – can be acknowledged as he did die in the hospital in June. We (the family) were never contacted despite having left his information with the Mexican consulate as a missing person prior to the attack. I found him on http://www.NAMUS.gov last month, and we are in the process of confirming DNA.
Dear Laura:
The Coalition for the Homeless is very sorry for your loss. We would like to connect with you. Please email us at [email protected].
With sympathy,
Deborah