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In New York, Yu Family Mourns Son's Passing, Plans Service
By Betsy Morais
PUBLISHED APRIL 21, 2008
A week after arriving in New York, the parents of former Graduate School of Arts and Sciences student Minghui Yu are struggling to cope with the sudden death of their 24-year-old son and to arrange a memorial service in his honor.
Yu, a first-year Ph.D. candidate in statistics, was killed by a passing car on W. 122nd Street and Broadway the night of April 4 as he fled assault. Since then, a 14-year-old defendant, known only as “Sheldon J.,” has been charged as a juvenile delinquent for second-degree manslaughter.
Although a formal memorial service had been tentatively scheduled for this week, Columbia University Chinese Students and Scholars Association Executive Vice President Junhua Shen said that he is now unsure of when it will take place. A candlelight vigil for Yu took place outside of Low Library on April 8.
“They are still in deep sorrow,” Shen said of the Yu family, adding that they are not yet prepared to discuss plans for the ceremony honoring their son. “It’s very hard for them to accept this fact.” When Shen went to visit them at their University-provided housing, he said Minghui’s mother often began to weep, though he tried to console her.
Currently, the Yu family is keeping in touch with the New York Police Department to follow the case. “Right now, they’re still doing their best to make sure they can bring justice to Minghui,” Shen said.
The Yus, who are from the Shandong province on China’s east coast, are in New York for the first time. Although their stay in the city is due to tragic circumstances, Shen said they are pleased with Columbia’s cooperation and expeditious support.
Yet, according to Shen, as Chinese students and faculty have been arriving at the Yus’ doorstep in droves to offer solace for heartache, the family is saddened by the scarcity of non-Chinese visitors.
University administrators and CUCSSA representatives hope to discuss the upcoming memorial service with Yu’s parents soon.
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The Yu family is "still doing their best to make sure they can bring justice to Minghui."
This is so sad. Somebody please put the Yu family on a plane back to China before the juvenile justice system adds insult to injury.
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