Meng Joins Son of Asian Woman Who Died After Being Attacked With a Rock in Queens
March 20, 2022
GuiYing Ma passed away last month from the assault; her son arrived in New York from China yesterday to attend his mother’s funeral this week; Meng and Rep. Ocasio-Cortez helped secure a visa for him so that he could enter the U.S.
QUEENS, NY – This afternoon, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) joined the son of GuiYing Ma where he talked about his mother's passing and arriving in New York from China to attend her funeral.
Ma is the Queens resident who died last month after she was attacked with a rock in November while sweeping the sidewalk next to her home. Last Monday, Meng and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens/Bronx) helped secure a visa for her son, Yang Gao, so that he could enter the U.S. for the funeral, and provide emotional and physical support to his father. Her son arrived in Queens yesterday and the funeral is scheduled to be held in Queens on Saturday, March 26.
Ma, 62, died on February 22. She was struck in the head with a rock on November 26 while she was sweeping and had been at Elmhurst Hospital since the assault took place. She died just weeks after waking up from a coma. The suspect has been arrested and indicted for the crime.
Her son's visa application was approved after Meng and Ocasio-Cortez intervened with the State Department following the family's request for assistance. Meng joined Ma's husband–the son's father, Zhanxin Gao, and the family's pro bono attorneys on March 1 to announce her death, and also called for continued efforts to combat the rise in anti-Asian hate and violence.
"I cannot imagine the pain and agony that GuiYing Ma's loved ones are going through," said Meng. "This was such a horrifying and senseless crime and my heat continues to ache for them. I'm pleased to have been helpful in obtaining her son's visa so that he and his father can be together at this difficult time. The heinous attacks that we continue to see against those of Asian descent, several of which have resulted in deaths, is despicable, unconscionable and disgusting. They must end at once."