William Woo did everything for his family.
His son, Derek, remembers him as one of the most generous and giving people you could ever meet – someone who always helped his brothers and sisters and would readily open his door to friends if they needed a place to stay.
“I can’t remember the last thing he ever did for himself,” says Derek.
However, William Woo was also a gangster. And it was that lifestyle that claimed his life last year.
Woo’s body was found near Squamish last October. The 55-year-old died in what police called a targeted killing. Woo was well-known to them, they said.
Derek, 23, said his dad never kept secrets. Growing up, he was aware of his father’s dangerous, drug-dealing lifestyle.
“He didn’t lie to us, ever.
“My dad, he wasn’t proud of what he did. He grew up in a very difficult environment,” Derek says, explaining his father lost his own dad at a young age and had to take responsibility for six brothers and sisters.
“Back then, there was quite a bit of racism, in the ’60s growing up, so you did what you had to do.”
But Derek wants to let people – especially youth – know where gang involvement leads.
“Gang violence is not cool. It has significant, significant consequences.”
A fourth-year business student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Derek and classmate Scott McIndoe are using a school project to drive home the inevitable danger of gangs.
They’ve designed T-shirts with bold lettering reading So Not G, with the words Stop Gang Violence printed below, and are selling them for $25.
Five dollars from each shirt sale is going toward purchasing a memorial bench in Vancouver’s Kensington Park. It’s a place where a lot of people got to see a side of William Woo his son wishes everyone knew.
Derek says his dad donated thousands of hours and nearly 30 years of his life to help run a softball league for members of the community, many of whom were underprivileged, living in the East Vancouver neighbourhood.
“My dad positively affected the lives of hundreds and hundreds of people. What I’m trying to do is create something positive from my dad’s life and help raise funds for a bench and help to promote gang violence prevention.”
Woo, a North Delta Secondary grad, and McIndoe are also hoping to work with local school districts on anti-gang initiatives.
The T-shirt design and more information can be found at facebook.com/AntiGangCo. Orders can be placed by calling 778-834-5560 or emailing derekwoo12@hotmail.com
