On Jan. 15, 2022, in a shocking act of violence, Michelle Go was pushed to her death in front of an oncoming subway train by a homeless man, Martial Simon. She was 40 years old. Over three years later, the memory of her life and its tragic end continues to resonate as debates about how to address public safety proceed. Michelle Go is very much still remembered, especially by her father, Justin Go:
Michelle was my first daughter, and you could say she was the stereotypical firstborn. She was confident, and she always had a sense of her own agency and a vision for success. She knew that the only way to get what she wanted in life was to work hard. She always tried to share the best of herself with other people.
The memory of Michelle Go as a vibrant, generous, and deeply hopeful woman is what her father hopes to memorialize. “She was never afraid to try new things. I know that she would have continued and done even better if she hadn’t been murdered,” he said.
Michelle Go was killed in Times Square Station, New York, far from Go’s family home in California. So it was several hours before the police were able to identify and contact him. “I went to New York to meet with the detectives investigating her death,” her father recalls. “I found out that the man who had pushed her, Martial Simon, who had been in a mental hospital, told the police soon afterwards that he had killed a woman in Times Square. They were able to connect that to my daughter.”
Simon has since been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial and placed back in a mental institution.
Michelle Go’s murder has had a profound impact on her family. “Five years ago, I never would have thought any of this could happen,” her father said. “It has completely changed my life, and that of my family. My daughter’s murder was deeply traumatic. All of the mundane things that I used to worry about have been replaced.” While the legal proceedings around Simon have concluded, the pain of what happened remains strong in the Go family.
… [w]hen that man pushed my daughter, he knew that she was Asian. That fact was very clear.
— Justin Go
Given the rise in anti-Asian violence in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been some speculation about the motivations behind the attack in the context of Michelle’s Asian background. When asked, her father said, “According to the district attorney and the police, there was no evidence that a hatred for Asians was part of the motivations for Michelle’s murder. However, I know this for a fact: when that man pushed my daughter, he knew that she was Asian. That fact was very clear.”
Michelle Go’s case reveals the real and continued importance of building a community where ordinary people trying to live their lives do not have to fear for themselves. She never did anything wrong, and she was not being reckless. She was simply standing on a subway platform during her regular day, and she was killed. Something like this should never have happened.
What, then, can we do to prevent more attacks like it?
“We need more respect in our community.” Justin Go says. “We need more respect for the institutions and the law. Most people that I have met, law enforcement included, are doing what they can to do the right thing. The police and the courts need to be able to do what they are supposed to do, and the lack of respect for the law has to be solved.”
Go also strongly hopes that the eponymous Michelle Alyssa Go Act, which addresses mental health problems like those of Martial Simon, will also be advanced. “I want to see that bill get its reading in Congress. I hope it will make our communities safer.”
Go also hopes to see more respect for the differences between people in our society. “We have a very heterogeneous society. If more people understood that others around them are different, and they respected other people regardless of those differences, there would be fewer attacks like the one against Michelle.”
Michelle Go’s story has a special relevance to many people in the Asian community specifically because the attack against her came during a time of increased visibility around violence against Asian people after the pandemic. My family had a personal connection to this story: My mother was pushed in a Muni station toward a train here in San Francisco, although it was not by a homeless person, and thankfully, she survived.
Michelle Go’s murder proves that not everyone is so fortunate. It’s a sobering reminder that public safety is an issue that is deeply important.
In the context of the ongoing mayoral election in New York, and last year’s in San Francisco, remembering stories like Michelle Go’s becomes all the more important. Justice and public safety must remain a serious priority, not merely in the immediate aftermath of a horrible tragedy. Consistent efforts must be made ensuring our cities are safe and remain safe.
While memories of the period immediately after the pandemic have somewhat faded, it remains important to recognize that real people are the victims of crime. There were many factors that led to Michelle Go’s murder, including a crisis of mental health and the seeming inability of cities like New York (and San Francisco) to offer a solution to the homelessness crisis and to make public areas safe. Solving this is a complex problem, and will likely require a strong investment in mental health, better outcomes for homeless people, and above all, to enforce the law and ensure effective justice. It will be difficult, but the results if we don’t could be fatal.
As for his own family, Go is still trying to remember his daughter for the way she lived and the good that she did, rather than how she died. “I’m trying to memorialize Michelle as a living person, who did many things I wish I could have done. I hope those memories will be a keepsake for my family. It’s what Michelle deserves.”