HomeSoutheast Asian AmericanNew mural unveiled honors murdered SF Man Vicha Ratanapakdee

New mural unveiled honors murdered SF Man Vicha Ratanapakdee

The family of Vicha Ratanapakdee unveiled a new mural in San Francisco Sunday remembering the 84-year old man whose death sparked the stop Asian hate movement.

NBC Bay Area reports Mayor London Breed, two supervisors and community leaders attended the commemoration.

“You know, grandpa Vicha and his face has become a symbol for the National Stop Asian Hate movement and we’re going to keep his story alive,” said Forest Liu who organized the event.

A teen is seen on video running across the street and shoving Ratanapakdee into the ground, killing him.

Artist Thitiwat Phromratanapongse and Sarah Siskin began painting the mural on August 24 and completed it in less than four days.

The mural is located on Grant and California, not far from the Gateway to Chinatown and right where cable cars will pass everyday.

Vicha’s daughter, Monthanus Ratanapakdee and her husband Eric worked closely with the mayor’s office to make the mural happen, according to Justice 4 Vicha.

They also requested to rename a San Francisco street with no residential addresses to honor Vicha.

“Renaming this street will signify that the City and County of San Francisco values the contributions of Asian Americans, debunks the American perception of Asian Americans as “others,” and believes all SF residents are equal regardless of race. This street will be the landmark for his last walk in the Anza Vista neighborhood,” the website states.

The family this weekend also launched a Go Fund Me campaign to support the education of Ratanapakdee’s grandchildren and to cover the cost of mental health and grief counseling for the family.

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