PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 40 NO 35 AUGUST 28 – SEPTEMBER 3, 2021 FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE
CID business owners frustrated after spate of break-ins
Chinese woman beaten on Metro bus, suffered concussion By Becky Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo by Assunta Ng
Photo by Becky Chan
Smack! Judy (an alias) felt the sting on her wrist as if she’d been caught misbehaving. The source of her pain came from a fellow female passenger, who had just boarded the bus without a mask and was admonished by the bus driver to wear one. The passenger mumbled as she grabbed the mask and plopped onto a seat near where Judy was standing. She then stood up and began the assault. It was July 21, around 9 a.m., prime rush hour in South Lake Union. The King County Metro (KCM) Route 70 bus crawled along Fairview Avenue, exchanging young tech workers for others heading towards downtown. Judy, a caretaker, was on her way to see an elderly client near Pike Place Market. She stood near the back door.
Richard Chang of Kau Kau points to the new metal plate covering holes from recent break-ins.
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
see METRO BUS on 12 The Stewart and 9th bus stop where a woman suffered a concussion from a beating by a fellow bus rider who refused to wear a mask.
Seattle’s police chief had lunch with Chinatown-International District (CID) business owners on Aug. 24—who are on edge after recent break-ins and burglaries. Adrian Diaz told the Northwest Asian Weekly, “We have been doing community roll calls with a couple squads of our officers in the CID, Little Saigon, and 12th and Jackson, trying to address the people selling a lot of the stolen goods.” Diaz said thieves have been breaking into businesses and selling the merchandise at an “outdoor flea market” on 12th Avenue. The market comes and goes, he said, and now, it appears that it is ramping up. “We’re trying to address that with very strategic operations about where they’re getting goods and trafficking those stolen goods, and coupled with… having a visible presence and we’ve included not only our officers but our Community Service Officers as well.” Mr. Cui, who owns Jian He Hang on 657 South Jackson, said three people broke into his shop last week, stealing or damaging items totalling $20,000. “The thieves were in there for about 15 to 20 minutes. There were people walking
AAPI restaurant owners make tough choices amidst COVID-19 vaccine controversy
Courtesy of Musang restaurant
As the COVID-19 vaccine/antivaccine war rages, some Asian American-owned restaurants have stepped into the fray. Along with approximately 100 other diverse King County restaurants, Watson’s Counter and Musang have decided to require proof of vaccination for dine-in service. “A lot of the decisions that we make are for the safety of our team,” said Melissa Miranda of Musang in North Beacon Hill. Miranda opened Musang as a tribute to the Filipino food of her heritage just three months before COVID-19 hit. What started as popup catering for events turned into a full-service restaurant that operated as a community kitchen throughout the
Courtesy of Spice Waala restaurant
By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Melissa Miranda of Musang
Spice Waala co-founders Uttam Mukherjee and Aakanksha Sinha
pandemic. Miranda felt concern for her staff as part of a profession that is hard hit. “A lot of the breakthrough cases that have been happening have been other
restaurant workers.” Musang is also allowing a proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test to dine in. see RESTAURANTS on 12
see CRIMES on 11
Why get the COVID vaccine now?
“So we can go out and hang with friends again.” Everyone ages 12 and older is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine is safe, easy, and free - no insurance or appointment needed.
KingCounty.gov/vaccine
audrey, fl ynn, & no va ce n tr al di st ri ct
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