The city honors a fallen soldier with a street re-naming in Chinatown.
Part of Elizabeth Street is now officially designated “Private Danny Chen Way.”
Chen was serving in the Army in Afghanistan in 2011 when he committed suicide following racially-charged hazing against him by members of his unit.
Chen’s family says they hope the designation will serve as a way to educate people about racial bias and the importance of acceptance.
“The location here in Chinatown, a lot of people walk by here and I hope that if they walk by they will question what it is, what it represents, and they will find out more and they’ll know that this event happened,” said Banny Chen, Danny Chen’s cousin.
City Councilwoman Margaret Chin was at the event to show her support.
“Because what happened to Danny is something that really struck at the heart of our community and we want to make sure that anyone walking down Chinatown will get to hear or find out the story of what happened to Private Danny Chen,” Chin said.
Chen’s death sparked a national outcry, as well as the adoption of legislation to prevent further hazing in the Armed Forces.
Eight soldiers were court-martialed in the wake of the incident.
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