Family members held a vigil Thursday honoring the family of four that was tragically killed by a driver in West Portal two years ago, and advocacy groups are reminding Mayor Daniel Lurie that the 100-day deadline on his Street Safety Initiative is next week.
Dozens gathered outside the West Portal Library on Thursday for a vigil marking two years since a driver killed a family of four — Diego Cardoso de Oliveira, Matilde Moncado Ramos Pinto, Joaquin, and Cauê — at a nearby bus stop.
Relatives traveled from abroad to join the community, many meeting in person for the first time to mourn together, as NBC Bay Area reports. Photos of the victims were hung along a clothesline near the crash site, where attendees left messages remembering the family.
As KTVU reports, family members hosted the vigil with support from Walk San Francisco and the Bay Area chapter of Families for Safe Streets.
"The loss is still here. We feel it every day," said Denise Cardoso de Oliveira, Diego’s sister, per KTVU. "Tonight, it’s not just about grief. It’s about love. It’s about connection. It’s about remembering the energy they brought into this world."
As SFist has previously reported, the family was fatally struck by now 80-year-old Mary Fong Lau, who was charged in July 2024 with four counts of gross vehicular manslaughter after allegedly crashing into the family at 70 miles per hour. Last month, Lau changed her plea from not guilty to no contest, allowing the case to be treated as a conviction without going to trial. The plea follows an earlier attempt in January to have the charges reduced.
"It doesn’t feel like she has any remorse," said Fabio Benedetto, a friend of the couple, speaking to KTVU. "She never said I’m sorry. She never looked to the families."
Judge Bruce Chan indicated he is unlikely to impose prison time given Lau’s age and lack of a criminal record, and she’s likely to receive two to three years of probation and a temporary driving ban, per KTVU.
Relatives of the family are pursuing a wrongful death lawsuit, while alleging Lau and her family have attempted to shield assets by transferring properties out of her name.
KTVU reports that family members created an online petition urging the judge to revoke Lau’s license and to impose house arrest and mandatory, "meaningful" community service.
In a Walk SF’s release, the group noted that the 100-day deadline for SF Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Street Safety Initiative, which he authored and signed in December, is next Wednesday.
“We are eager for Mayor Lurie to share what the progress has been,” said Walk SF. “Within the Street Safety Initiative, Mayor Lurie did something no previous mayor has: created a first-ever Safe Streets Task Force within the Mayor’s Office.”
The group highlighted the alarming number of pedestrian deaths that have occurred in San Francisco in recent weeks, including a two-year-old girl at a Mission Bay intersection in late February, emphasizing the need for immediate solutions.
“San Francisco is reeling from a recent surge in pedestrian deaths,” said WalkSF in a press release. “In the course of just five weeks, five pedestrians – including a two-year old girl – were killed in traffic crashes across San Francisco.”
“If this new Task Force can get agencies working together more efficiently,” said Walk SF, “it could help deliver more safety solutions at the scale needed and prevent them from being watered down or delayed.”
Organizers are raising funds for a permanent memorial in front of the West Portal Library, with donations through Livable City.
Previously: Driver In West Portal Crash That Killed Family of Four Pleads No Contest, Judge Sounds Lenient
Top image: Walk SF/Facebook
