Men Killed Sleeping In Chinatown Honored At Vigil

CHINATOWN, NY — A teary-eyed Chinatown man handed out white flowers to those mourning four homeless men beaten to death in Chinatown this weekend. Another man placed his hand on a piece of clothing left at a makeshift memorial, before stepping away and placing a hand on his heart. A woman held back sobs as she tried to tell the story of one of the men who was killed, Chuen Kok, or Kwok, to cameramen.

The small shrine of red and white candles, fruits, flowers, beers and pizza boxes was set up at Kimlau Square before a vigil honoring four men beaten to death with a metal pipe while sleeping on the street in Chinatown Saturday morning. The men, Chuen Kok, 83; Anthony Manson, 49; Nazario A. Vazquez Villegas, 55; and a fourth man that has yet to be identified, died of severe head injuries that were ruled homicides, according to the city's Medical Examiner.

"It's important for us to come out and show it affects all of us," said Manni Lee, who used to go to church with Kwok at a now-shuttered church in Chinatown. "This is our community."

On Monday morning, dozens gathered to honor the four men killed, many in distress about the horrific murders that shook the neighborhood.

Fernando Garcia, of Williamsburg, says he's been frequenting the area for more than 10 years and is shocked about what happened to the men, three who he says he knew.

Bronxite Ana Roble, who passes through the neighborhood to buy fish, said one man, who she and others knew as Eduardo, was known as a calm man — tranquilo — she said in Spanish.

One man, distressed with emotions from the morning's events, simply pounded his fist into his heart when asked about the attacks.

The memorial had just one photo of a victim, Kwok, who spoke Cantonese and was known by many in the neighborhood.

"It's traumatizing," said Shirley Ng, who took a photo of Kwok the day she met him last month. "He was just sitting there quietly. ... It's always very upsetting that someone you just met has just passed away."

Ng, who works in Chinatown, said though the full story of the four men remain unknown, "Homeless people have a name and a face."

"They're human beings. They're lives are just as valuable," she said.

Rodriguez "Randy" Santos, 24, who was also homeless, was arrested on murder charges for the crimes and has been ordered to undergo a psychiatric evaluation.

The Coalition for the Homeless demanded of Mayor Bill de Blasio and Gov. Andrew Cuomo that more low-income housing must be built and people who are homeless must not be criminalized.

"They would not be dead and fighting for their lives today if they were not homeless," said Giselle Routhier, policy director at the Coalition for the Homeless.

Local politicians demanded more resources for supportive housing be made.

"Shame on us. Here we are in New York City, one of the richest, wealthiest cities in the country," said Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez, a Democrat who represents parts of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.

"We gotta be serious and honest and we have to tackle the issue of accelerating the production of supportive housing in our city," she said.

Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, a Democrat who represents Chinatown, said, "We stand at a crossroads."

"We can continue to stand by [and] allow for inadequate resources for our homeless neighbors that make them vulnerable to this sort of horrific crime, but that is no longer an option, I feel. It should no longer be acceptable. It should no longer be tolerated," she said. "If the change isn't now, after this, I don't know when it is."

This article has been updated with information from the New York City Office of Chief Medical Examiner.