Support the Family of Xing Long Lin
Donation protected
On Thursday, April 30th, Xing Long Lin was struck and killed by a reckless driver on 35th St. near Ditmars Blvd. in Astoria, Queens. Xing was in the middle of his shift when a driver entered the 35th St. bike lane in order to pass another car. The driver struck him, dragging his body and scooter under her car, hit two more parked vehicles, and barreled through the outdoor dining structure at Rosatoro, injuring one other.
Xing was only 37 years old. A Chinese immigrant, he came to this country 14 years ago to provide for his family. He leaves behind his wife Li Chen, their 5 year old daughter and 9 year old son, all of whom live in Elmhurst. He had started working as a deliveryman for Watawa Sushi on Ditmars just one and a half months ago. This new job was vital as Xing was the sole income-earner of his household. He tried to work as much as he could so he could provide enough for his family here as well as his mother and father who live in China. He loved music, his family, and taking care of those he loved.
Xing was taken from his family less than 6 months after the death of Alfredo Cabrera Licona, a deliveryman killed by another reckless driver in the Crescent Street bike lane. We must be clear however, the true cause of death for both Xing and Alfredo was the inadequate road safety infrastructure across Astoria, infrastructure that incentivizes the kind of reckless driving that took their lives. Our neighborhood, and this entire city, needs appropriate infrastructure to prevent cars from entering bike lanes. Paint will not save people, proper protection will. Additionally, Open Streets that host outdoor dining should be closed to car traffic to eliminate the risk of a diner being injured or killed in a traffic crash. Without these changes, more will die. And it is immigrants and essential workers like Xing and Alfredo who will continue to be most exposed to the risks and most impacted when they inevitably come to a head, as they are the people who we rely on to keep our city running as we emerge from this pandemic.
We will continue to vigorously advocate for these safety improvements to be made. In the meantime, we ask that you stand in solidarity with Xing and his family, as they struggle to go on without the husband, father, son and breadwinner they loved and leaned on.
We are raising 10k for his wife Li Chen to provide financial support for funeral expenses and the family’s immediate needs. My name is Zohran Kwame Mamdani, I am the Assemblymember for Astoria and have set this fund up with Li’s consent and am in the process of securing the needed information to have her listed as the official GoFundMe beneficiary. Many thanks to Phil and Kevin from Rosatoros who welcomed me into their restaurant and began the process of putting me in touch with Li.
UPDATE 4/30/21:
After meeting our initial goal of $10,000 rather quickly thanks to the generosity of the Astoria community, we've consulted with Xing’s family and decided to raise the goal to a final figure of $20,000. They told us they've been overwhelmed by the support they've received and are incredibly grateful to everyone who has chipped in to help them out.
UPDATE 5/3/21:
After the amazing influx of support that has led to far surpassing the $20k goal, we’ve spoken with Li Chen and she’s decided to close the GoFundMe. She thanks everyone for the unbelievable support. Thank you all for your solidarity.
Xing was only 37 years old. A Chinese immigrant, he came to this country 14 years ago to provide for his family. He leaves behind his wife Li Chen, their 5 year old daughter and 9 year old son, all of whom live in Elmhurst. He had started working as a deliveryman for Watawa Sushi on Ditmars just one and a half months ago. This new job was vital as Xing was the sole income-earner of his household. He tried to work as much as he could so he could provide enough for his family here as well as his mother and father who live in China. He loved music, his family, and taking care of those he loved.
Xing was taken from his family less than 6 months after the death of Alfredo Cabrera Licona, a deliveryman killed by another reckless driver in the Crescent Street bike lane. We must be clear however, the true cause of death for both Xing and Alfredo was the inadequate road safety infrastructure across Astoria, infrastructure that incentivizes the kind of reckless driving that took their lives. Our neighborhood, and this entire city, needs appropriate infrastructure to prevent cars from entering bike lanes. Paint will not save people, proper protection will. Additionally, Open Streets that host outdoor dining should be closed to car traffic to eliminate the risk of a diner being injured or killed in a traffic crash. Without these changes, more will die. And it is immigrants and essential workers like Xing and Alfredo who will continue to be most exposed to the risks and most impacted when they inevitably come to a head, as they are the people who we rely on to keep our city running as we emerge from this pandemic.
We will continue to vigorously advocate for these safety improvements to be made. In the meantime, we ask that you stand in solidarity with Xing and his family, as they struggle to go on without the husband, father, son and breadwinner they loved and leaned on.
We are raising 10k for his wife Li Chen to provide financial support for funeral expenses and the family’s immediate needs. My name is Zohran Kwame Mamdani, I am the Assemblymember for Astoria and have set this fund up with Li’s consent and am in the process of securing the needed information to have her listed as the official GoFundMe beneficiary. Many thanks to Phil and Kevin from Rosatoros who welcomed me into their restaurant and began the process of putting me in touch with Li.
UPDATE 4/30/21:
After meeting our initial goal of $10,000 rather quickly thanks to the generosity of the Astoria community, we've consulted with Xing’s family and decided to raise the goal to a final figure of $20,000. They told us they've been overwhelmed by the support they've received and are incredibly grateful to everyone who has chipped in to help them out.
UPDATE 5/3/21:
After the amazing influx of support that has led to far surpassing the $20k goal, we’ve spoken with Li Chen and she’s decided to close the GoFundMe. She thanks everyone for the unbelievable support. Thank you all for your solidarity.
Organizer and beneficiary
Zohran Mamdani
Organizer
Astoria, NY
Li Chen
Beneficiary