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Donations pour in for Asian victims
Friday, May 05, 2000 By Robert Dvorchak, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
A foundation that was established to receive donations on behalf of the families of two Asian men who were killed last week has been deeply touched by the charity of local residents.
"Donations are pouring in," said Lee Sang, secretary for the law firm that helped set up the 428 Victims Foundation. "We are really touched. Even though there are a few wackos out there, we know that there are a lot more of nice, caring, charitable people in Pittsburgh."
About 100 donations have been received in three days, including 30 that arrived in the mail yesterday morning. Lee said all of them came from non-Asians.
Proceeds will go to the families of Ji-Ye "Jerry" Sun and Thao "Tony" Pham, who were shot and killed by an intruder who entered the Ya Fei Chinese Cuisine in the Robinson Towne Centre.
The foundation -- named for the date of a rampage in which five people were killed in two counties -- was set up through the efforts of various Chinese organizations. About 3,000 people of Asian descent live in the Pittsburgh area. Though they represent less than 1 percent of the local population, they are a tight-knit community.
The fund was set up with the help of Xiao & Koerth, a Downtown law firm that serves as legal counsel for the Greater Pittsburgh Chinese Restaurant and Business Association.
Sang said all donations were tax deductible.
Among the other organizations that are helping with the foundation are the Pittsburgh chapter of the Organization of Chinese Americans, the Chinese Association for Science and Technology and the Chinese Graduate Students Association, which has a number of students from Carnegie Mellon University.
Donors may designate which family should receive a gift, Sang said. She noted that Pham's family has a greater need. His widow has no income, and his 5-year-old son has a heart condition that requires treatment, she said.
"Tony was the sole breadwinner," said Sang.
Sun's family will receive friends from 2 to 4 p.m. today in the Jobe Funeral Home, Shaw and Triboro avenues, Turtle Creek. Viewing hours tomorrow are from 9 to 11 a.m., followed by a traditional Buddhist ceremony.
The Asian community noted that the families will continue to need support as the case wends its way through the criminal justice system.
"All we want to see is justice prevail," Sang said. "What kind of society is this in which people can go on these rampages and then say they were insane? The ones who were killed did nothing to deserve this kind of fate."
A separate fund has been set up specifically for Sun's family. He left a wife and two stepchildren, and his mother and father had to fly from Shanghai, China, to bid farewell to their son.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Jerry Fund, P.O. Box 1495, Pittsburgh 15230-1436.
It was set up by Jonathan Yee, owner of the Chinatown Inn, Downtown, where Sun once worked as a waiter.
At 4 p.m. today, a rally will be held in Market Square, Downtown to memorialize the shooting victims. The rally was organized by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Anti-Defamation League, the Pittsburgh Coalition to Counter Hate Groups and other organizations. Mayor Murphy and Allegheny County Executive Jim Roddey have said they will attend.
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