An altar for Ronnie Goodman at 24th and Capp. Photo by Laura Wenus.

Friends of stabbing victim Ronnie Goodman, 20, crowded around a colorful altar in his honor at 24th and Capp street late Friday afternoon. They passed a bundle of burning sage around and remembered a vibrant young street artist who always seemed wise beyond his years.

“He was just a good-hearted dude,” said one friend to universal agreement. “If he was here, he would make you laugh a bunch of times.”

“He was a ladykiller,” another chimed in. “He loved the ladies.”

The son of a San Francisco artist and marathon runner by the same name, Goodman was already making a name for himself in the graffiti community. Mourners, who requested anonymity, said people around San Francisco and the Bay know and recognize his work as “Mire.” One mourner spray-painted the moniker at the spot on 24th and Capp Streets where Goodman was attacked to immortalize him.

Goodman was attacked by two men in their 20s a little before midnight on Tuesday. According to police, the men assaulted and stabbed him with an unknown weapon. He later died of his wounds at SF General Hospital.

He had attended Horace Mann Middle School and John O’Connel High School, and at the time of his death was a student at the Community College of San Francisco.

“He was trying to find his own voice as an artist,” said Goodman’s father. “That really stood out with me. He was just being Ronnie, being creative, doing his thing. He was trying to find his own meaning and his own purpose at a young age.”

Goodman’s friends said it was surprising for him to have been the victim of violent crime, since he had never had any gang affiliation or even associated with gang members.

“It’s not even like he had to make an effort to avoid it, that just wasn’t him,” a friend said.

“He avoided [violence] for so many years and it had to come and bite him in the ass,” lamented another.

What his friends remembered most was his positive attitude and perpetual smile. At the mention of his grin, several of them laughed, fondly remembering a missing tooth that gave Goodman a uniquely crooked smile.

“He was young, but he always hung out with the older cats,” said Eric Cortezer, echoing other friends’ sentiments that Goodman had always been mature for his age.

“We kicked it a lot on the pier when he was 14, I was 18, we used to kick back and enjoy the sights,” another friend said. “If you had a bad day he would find a reason to uplift you.”

Friends called him a “staple” of the graffiti community of San Francisco and even the world.

“He’ll definitely be missed,” his friends agreed.

His father added that he had been in and out of prison most of Goodman’s life and asked that we speak with his sister, who could not be reached for comment. “I’m taking this pretty tough here,” he said.

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9 Comments

  1. This shit makes no fucking sense man… Im still at a loss for words… Ive been rocking with you for years,From the late nights bus hopping all over the city,Hitting up On trucks and walls to let the city know who … MIRE was…You always clowning on me because of how Toy I was when it came to tagging.. You always found a way to make my day every time i came to you with all of my relationship problems,You were so … goofy.. It hurts my … heart to know and see that for years you stayed away from all that gang violence while we were growing up,and two days after i just seen you ,you loose your live to that bullshit.. You will always be missed bro. Turn TF up in Paridise Ron,cause you know thats what we’d be doing if you were still here…

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  2. TAKE THAT UP WITH THE CITY! THIS IS NO PLACE FOR NEGATIVITY! WHY ARE THESE COMMENTS EVEN APPRIOVED BY SFGATE? WE ARE TRYIN TO CELEBRATE A BEAUTIFUL LIFE THAT WAS CUTT SHORT WAY TOO SOON

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  3. Rest in paradise Mire. Ill miss runnin i to you all over the city, being greeted with a gappy smile and dap. Coolin late nights and takin in the city. You may have been younger but you were still someone to look up too. You showed love and were loved by many.

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  4. RIP Mire.. It is unfortunate this story doesn’t speak on who killed you or why they took your life. And nothing about your friend who was the one they were actually after that ranked out and watched while this happened to you. “La Cultura” of “Calle 24” did this to you. Norteños did this to you. We are so busy fighting this kind of behavior in Syria that we forgot about this happening in our neighborhood.

    you will be missed young man…

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    1. Only way to bring Justice for Ronnie and stop the violence is to speak up. If anyone has information PLEASE share is with SFPD anonymous tip line

      Anonymous Tip Line: 415-575-4444 or
      text 847411 in the “To” field and the keyword SFPD in the text field, followed by the message.

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