Justice for Papa Yohannes

My parents have been proud small business owners in San Francisco for 25 years. Unfortunately, due to the recent spike of violence and burglaries they felt defeated and had essentially been living/working in fear. Heartbroken, they agreed to retire in the coming months and begin a new chapter of their lives. Before they were able to do so, there was another major attempted break in, in which an SUV had driven into our store front repeatedly at 4AM. My father received the call & once again, went in to assess the damages. A little before 10AM, while he made arrangements to get the storefront repaired, he was confronted by an aggressive individual. The individual refused to leave the store & began fighting with my dad. During the fight, the individual stabbed my dad multiple times and fled.

One of our long-time customers, who just happens to be a doctor, came in shortly after to make a purchase. He found my dad losing blood quickly and jumped to action. He called 911 while applying pressure to his wounds and helped him maintain consciousness until the paramedics arrived. This terrifying incident caused my dad to lose his left eye & he only regained partial vision within his right eye in addition to the wounds on his chest and arms.

My parents immigrated from Eritrea (East Africa) in hopes to provide a better life for my siblings and I. They worked 16-18 hours a day, 7 days a week. They gave, until they could not give anymore, and this is how they have always been. Consequently, the sweetest and most hardworking man I know, was left to rely on our family for assistance with almost everything. His assailant had stripped him of his independence and pride.

Today I am reaching out in hopes to provide my dad with some sort of financial relief with his incoming extensive medical bills. He has a long recovery ahead and the last thing we want him to worry about is being able to afford necessary treatments/procedures since he is no longer able to work & does not have health insurance. My dad has one of the biggest hearts of anyone I know. If you had ever stopped in his store guaranteed you left laughing, with a smile, or even a quick history lesson. If you were lucky, you’d get all three.

We know what a difficult time this is for everyone and we understand that there are many individuals and organizations in need. If you are in a position to help, we truly thank you from the bottom of our hearts for helping to lighten the burden on his shoulders.

-Be kind & stay safe