By Niv Sadrolodabaee , Essam Al-Ghalib
The phone call first came from a local police station in China.
On the other end of the line, a woman asked to be identified as Xu was told her husband, a Melbourne delivery rider, might be dead thousands of kilometres away.
Then the call from the Australian embassy in China came.
"It was true," Xu told SBS Chinese — Jianming Feng was stabbed to death in Melbourne's CBD on Friday while working as a food delivery rider.
The 47-year-old, originally from Shaanxi Province, had planned to return to home within a year or two, around the time of his son's wedding. Instead, his family is now preparing to travel to Australia to bury him.
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"Our family can't be without him. Even now, we still can't believe this is real," Xu said.
Feng spent over nine years thousands of kilometres away from his wife, children and elderly parents, sending home what he earned.
Xu said her husband rarely spent money on himself — a sacrifice the family came to depend on.
"He never allowed himself any comforts. He wouldn't spend money on food or drink. Every night, he would just eat a biscuit to get by," Xu said.
And the bicycle he relied on to make those earnings was essential to keeping that support going. It was more than simply a means of getting around Melbourne; it was a means by which to earn a living in Australia.
Keeping that bike secure had been a constant struggle for him.
"He's already lost four or five bikes ... Several of his bikes were stolen before. Later, he installed a tracking device on his own bike, saying that if it was stolen, he could find it.
"He said public safety here wasn't good."
Last Friday, around 8pm, those concerns became a reality when Feng and another delivery rider spotted a man allegedly tampering with their bicycles on Frederick Way in Melbourne's CBD, according to Victoria Police.
Police say the two riders "confronted" the man before a "physical altercation" broke out. Feng was allegedly stabbed by the man.
The other rider was also seriously injured, and the police have now charged a 51-year-old man with murder and intentionally causing serious injury.
For Melbourne's Chinese community, the news has brought grief and anger, with hundreds attending a vigil at the State Library Victoria.
Known affectionately as "Brother Feng" among friends and community members, the delivery rider was remembered by those at the vigil.
"He was a regular rider at our shop. He was a very, very good person. He would wait patiently and never pressure us," a person attending the vigil said.
But alongside the tributes was frustration that a man could lose his life in an apparent confrontation over a bicycle. Some questioned the city's safety, asking whether people are safe simply going about their daily lives.
"The public safety situation in this city has become so serious that even those of us living in the city centre feel our personal safety is at risk," a woman said.
Melbourne's Lord Mayor, Nick Reece, acknowledged the community's concerns, telling SBS Chinese that the city needs stronger measures to prevent violence.
"That is not acceptable in a city like Melbourne. ... We want to see more Victoria Police on the streets. We also want to see tougher rules," he said,
Melbourne councillor Le Liu Egan said the council has already "increased the number of surveillance cameras" and the number of community safety officers.
The alleged attack has also brought renewed attention to the risks faced by Australia's growing army of food delivery workers, whose livelihoods depend on spending long hours on the streets, often alone and sometimes late at night.
Victorian Premier Ben Carroll has vowed to make "whatever changes are necessary" to ensure the safety of gig economy workers.
"We do know that often people in the gig economy, people who are doing transit deliveries, are some of the most vulnerable Victorians, and they do need proper protections in place and workplace safety," he said.
The Transport Workers' Union wants WorkSafe Victoria to investigate whether Hungry Panda, the platform Feng worked for, adequately assessed the dangers its riders face.
Hungry Panda said it will cover the family's travel and funeral expenses and offer additional financial assistance.
Steve Zhang, a lawyer, told SBS Chinese: "In this case, he may not only be able to receive this workers' compensation, although, of course, that is also an argument. There is also another form of compensation he can receive directly, which is that Victoria also has something called victim compensation, that is, compensation for people who have suffered harm."
For Xu, who spent nearly a decade waiting for her husband to return home, financial compensation is not her only concern.
She now has one goal: As investigations into his death continue, Xu wants those responsible to be held accountable.
"I must get justice for my husband," she said.
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Chinese .
