VOL 40 NO 14 | APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA

THE BUSINESS ISSUE VOL 40 NO 14 APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

is sponsored by

FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Seattle Chamber to increase help for BIPOC businesses

More help for business owners, organizations affected by COVID-19

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

Round 4 open until April 9

While Vicky Schiantarelli was going to college in the 1970s, she was the only Latina woman working construction sites in and around Seattle.

Her grandmother, a serf from the border of Mongolia and Russia who had escaped Siberia in 1902, had taught her carpentry. And Schiantarelli, who was born in Peru, of mixed descent with an Italian surname, had no other way

Photo by Alabastro Photography

By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

see SEATTLE CHAMBER on 16

Small businesses affected by COVID-19—especially those that had to close due to public health and safety measures—can now apply for up to $25,000 in round four of Working Washington grants. see GRANTS on 16

Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the chamber.

Tommy Le family settles KCSO Deputy Molina culpable

Filipino American Rob Bonta appointed as CA’s new attorney general

By KATHLEEN RONAYNE and OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

see LE on 13

see BONTA on 14

Photo from the South Seattle Emerald

of them refugees—never got to see him achieve his dream of becoming a firefighter.

Instead, King County Sheriff’s Office (KCSO) Deputy Cesar Molina shot the young man twice in the back and once in the back of the hand in Burien on June 13, 2017.

The shots to the back killed Le. But the KCSO never mentioned

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California Gov. Gavin Newsom nominated a progressive Filipino American state assemblyman as California’s next attorney general on March 24, ensuring a push from the top for criminal justice reform and other liberal priorities in the nation’s most populous state.

Assemblyman Rob Bonta, a 48-year-old Assemblyman Rob Bonta Democrat from the east San Francisco Bay Area city of Alameda, would be the first Filipino American to hold the state’s top law enforcement job, which has an outsize role in influencing national policy and moving financial markets.

“Now more than ever we need leaders in government, and leaders in law enforcement, who will build bridges with communities that have been othered, that have been persecuted, that have been targeted,“ Bonta said.

Tommy Le’s family at a news conference on March 24.

By Carolyn Bick *This story originally appeared in the South Seattle Emerald* Tommy Le loved to cook and garden with his grandmother and do landscaping work with his father. He was friendly with his teachers. He loved to play chess.

He had a curiosity that made him seek out deeply philosophical texts—a trait so unique that his

■

local librarians knew him by name.

And on June 14, 2017, the 20-yearold Vietnamese American student was going to attend his graduation ceremony at South Seattle College, where he had graduated from the College Career Link program just the day before.

But Le never got to attend that graduation ceremony. He never got to wear his graduation outfit.

Generations of his family—some

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

■ NAMES IN THE NEWS Asian Americans will represent WA at Miss USA, Miss Teen USA

Christine Brodie

Novalee Lewis

For the first time in the history of Pageants Northwest, the two state queens crowned recently are of Asian descent.

Novalee Lewis, who’s Japanese American, and Christine Brodie, who is Filipino American, will represent Washington at Miss Teen USA and Miss USA, respectively.

Lewis is a junior at Life Christian Academy. She is on the Associated Student Body, on National Honor Society, and participates in the school’s Student Leadership Institute. She trains in all styles of dance and is currently traveling the country as an assistant to professional choreographers.

Brodie attended Washington State University and works as an executive recruiting coordinator. She is also passionate about raising awareness for local shelters that provide resources to underprivileged women.

Her interests include traveling, reading, and spending quality time with her family.

During the pandemic, Pageants Northwest allowed contestants to compete in person or virtually. 

Katherine Tai confirmed as U.S. trade representative

The Senate confirmed Katherine Tai to serve as U.S. trade representative on March 17, giving her a key role to smooth supply chains shaken by the pandemic, implement a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, and address a multitude of challenges with China.

Tai, 47, is the first Asian Katherine Tai American and the first woman of color to take on this role.

The daughter of immigrants from Taiwan, Tai previously oversaw trade enforcement for China during the Obama administration. 

Virtual‌ ‌celebration‌ ‌of‌ ‌Tomio‌ ‌Moriguchi‌ ‌and‌ ‌family‌ ‌

Former‌ ‌chairman‌ ‌and‌ ‌ EO‌ C ‌ ‌of‌ ‌Uwajimaya‌ Tomio‌ ‌Moriguchi ‌and‌ ‌his‌ ‌family ‌were‌ ‌named‌ ‌as‌ ‌Seattle-King‌ ‌County‌ ‌First‌ ‌Citizen‌ ‌Award‌ ‌recipients.‌‌ Outside‌ ‌of‌ ‌Uwajimaya,‌ ‌Moriguchi,‌‌84,‌‌is‌‌revered‌‌for‌ ‌his‌‌volunteerism,‌‌generosity,‌ ‌advocacy,‌ ‌and‌ ‌dedication,‌ ‌and‌ ‌he‌ ‌is‌ ‌quick‌ ‌to‌ ‌credit‌ ‌his‌ Tomio Moriguchi ‌family.‌‌‌ The‌ ‌March‌ ‌25‌ ‌event‌ ‌include‌d ‌video‌‌tributes‌‌from‌‌Yuka‌‌Shimizu,‌‌Tom‌‌Ikeda,‌‌Dr.‌ ‌Constance‌ ‌Rice,‌ ‌Norman‌ ‌B.‌ ‌Rice,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Denise‌ ‌Moriguchi,‌ ‌plus‌ ‌comments‌ ‌by‌ ‌former‌ ‌Seattle‌ ‌Mayor‌ ‌Charles‌ ‌(“Charley”)‌‌Royer,‌‌entertainment‌‌by‌‌Taiko‌‌drummers,‌‌and‌ ‌a‌‌sake‌‌toast.‌‌ 

CIDBIA’s outreach care coordinator

Alicia Yan is the newly appointed outreach care coordinator for the Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area.

Yan engages with people experiencing homelessness and helps them connect to services if wanted. She can also connect with businesses to provide sup- Alicia Yan port, education, and information regarding the current state of homelessness and opportunities to care for people experiencing homelessness in their community. 

Tammy Duckworth’s memoir

“Every Day Is a Gift” —a memoir written

by Sen. Tammy Duckworth’s, was released on March 30.

“I am grateful to be able to tell my personal American story with the help of Sean and Twelve,” the Illinois Democrat said in a statement, referring to Twelve publisher Sean Desmond. “My life has been filled with unexpected challenges and painful experiences, but also with the rewards that come with service and perseverance.”

In the book, Duckworth writes about what it was like being a biracial child in Southeast Asia in the 1960s.

Duckworth’s mom is Thai-Chinese and her dad was an American soldier. 

Upcoming from your Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce Need help navigating the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) application process?

We’ve got you covered!

Presented by:

Get FREE PPP and/or Employee Retention Tax Credit accounting services for your small business from CPAs with Clark Nuber by emailing leighj@seattlechamber.com Sponsored by:

Building an Organizational Commitment to DEI April 15 | Webinar

Services available to any small business in the region with 100 employees or fewer who needs accounting assistance for either of those two programs.

Get best practices for committing your organization long term to diversity, equity, and inclusion work from our featured speakers:

Priya Frank

Kevin Henry

Diem Ly

Director of Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Seattle Art Museum

Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator Sound Health

Director of Community Investment & External Affairs Comcast NBC Universal

Weekly from Apr. 29 to May 20 | Webinars Problem-solve some of your small business challenges and dig into building community at four sessions.

seattlechamber.com/events

YOUR VOICE

■ NATIONAL NEWS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

3

Video shows vicious attack of Filipino woman in NYC

NEW YORK (AP) — A vicious attack on a Filipino woman near New York City’s Times Square is drawing widespread condemnation and raising alarms about the failure of bystanders to intervene amid a rash of antiAsian violence across the U.S. A lone assailant was seen on surveillance video on March 29 kicking the 65-year-old woman in the stomach, knocking her to the ground and stomping on her face, all as police say he shouted anti-Asian slurs at her.

The attack happened outside an apartment building two blocks from Times Square, a bustling, heavily policed section of midtown Manhattan known as the “Crossroads of the World.”

Two workers inside the building who appeared to be security guards were seen on the surveillance video witnessing the attack but failing to come to the woman’s aid. Their union said they called for help immediately.

The attacker was able to casually walk away while onlookers watched, the video showed.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the video of the attack “absolutely disgusting and outrageous” and said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that witnesses did not intervene.

“I don’t care who you are, I don’t care what you do, you’ve got to help your fellow New Yorker,” de Blasio at his daily news briefing on March 30.

AP Photo/Mary Altaffer

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and KAREN MATTHEWS

A police officer hangs a sign offering a reward for information on the person who attacked an Asian American woman near the crime scene.

“If you see someone being attacked, do whatever you can,” he said. “Make noise. Call out what’s happening.

Go and try and help. Immediately call for help. Call 911.

This is something where we all have to be part of the solution. We can’t just stand back and watch a heinous act happening.”

The attack comes amid a national spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, and happened just weeks after a mass shooting in Atlanta that left eight people dead, six of them women of Asian descent. The surge in violence has been linked in part to misplaced blame for the

coronavirus and former President Donald Trump’s use of racially charged terms like “Chinese virus.” The NYPD said there have been 33 hate crimes with an Asian victim so far this year, news outlets reported.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the attack near Times Square “horrifying and repugnant” and he ordered the state police’s Hate Crimes Task Force to offer its assistance to the NYPD. The NYPD’s Hate Crime Task Force is investigating the attack and has asked anyone with information to contact the department. No arrests have been made.

The woman was hospitalized with serious injuries.

She was in stable condition as of March 30, a hospital spokesperson said.

According to video footage of the New York City assault, the two people who appeared to be security guards walked into the frame and one of them closed the building door as the woman was on the ground.

The property developer and manager of the building, Brodsky Organization, wrote on Instagram that it was aware of the assault and said staff members who witnessed it were suspended pending an investigation.

The head of the union representing building workers disputed allegations that the door staff failed to act. He said the union has information that they called for help immediately. see ATTACK IN NY on 12

NYPD adding undercover patrols to combat anti-Asian attacks

Two in Seattle, San Francisco face anti-Asian hate charges

By MICHAEL R. SISAK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By DAISY NGUYEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department will increase outreach and patrols in Asian communities, including the use of undercover officers, amid a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes, officials said on March 25.

The department is sending undercover officers to the city’s Chinatowns and other areas with significant Asian populations in an attempt to prevent and disrupt attacks, Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a news conference.

Chief of Department Rodney Harrison described the undercover officers as a “robust team’’ but declined to give a specific number of officers, all of whom are of Asian descent.

In a warning to would-be attackers, Shea said: “The next person you target, whether it’s through speech, menacing activity or anything else, walking along a sidewalk or on a train platform, may be a plainclothes New York City police officer. So think twice.’’

The NYPD is also adding two detectives to its hate crimes task force, holding community forums in Asian neighborhoods, including Flushing, Queens, and Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and providing businesses and residents with posters and pamphlets printed in

Mandarin, Korean and other languages.

Shea also announced Inspector Tommy Ng as the new leader of the department’s Asian Hate Crime Task Force, replacing the retiring Deputy Inspector Stewart Loo. The NYPD has tallied 26 anti-Asian incidents this year, including 12 assaults, compared with eight stemming from misplaced blame for the coronavirus pandemic at the same time last year, according to Deputy Inspector Jessica Corey, commanding officer of the department’s Hate Crimes Task Force.

Among them: a 68-year-old man punched on a subway train, a 37-yearold woman assaulted as she headed to an anti-Asian violence protest in Manhattan, and a 54-year-old woman hit in the face with a metal pipe while walking home.

Actor Olivia Munn drew attention to the issue in February, tweeting about an assault on her friend’s mother in Flushing.

Shootings at three massage businesses in the Atlanta area have also raised concerns about violence against Asians.

Eight people were killed, most of them Asian.

Harrison said the Asian Hate Crimes Task Force, staffed with many officers see PATROLS on 6

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Prosecutors in Seattle and San Francisco have charged men with hate crimes in separate incidents that authorities say targeted people of Asian descent amid a wave of high-profile and sometimes deadly violence against Asian Americans since the pandemic began.

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Los Angeles and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area last weekend, the latest in a series of rallies in response to what many said has become a troubling surge of anti-Asian sentiments.

“We can no longer accept the normalization of being treated as perpetual foreigners in this country,’’ speaker Tammy Kim told a rally in LA’s Koreatown.

At rally attended by more than 1,000 people in San Francisco’s Civic Center, the city’s police chief, Bill Scott, drew loud applause when he said, “Hate is the virus, and love is the vaccination.’’

On March 26, prosecutors in King County, Washington, charged Christopher Hamner, 51, with three counts of malicious harassment after police say he screamed profanities and threw things at cars in two incidents

targeting women and children of Asian heritage, The Seattle Times reported.

In San Francisco, Victor Humberto Brown, 53, made a first court appearance after authorities say he repeatedly punched an Asian American man at a bus stop while shouting an anti-Asian slur.

Brown was initially booked on misdemeanor counts, but prosecutors recently elevated the case to a felony, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. He said in court that he has a post-traumatic stress disorder.

In Seattle, according to court documents, Hamner yelled profanities and threw things at a woman stopped at a red light with her two children, ages 5 and 10, on March 16. Three days later, authorities say Hamner cut off another car driven by an Asian woman, yelled a profanity and the word “Asian’’ at her and then threw a water bottle at her car after charging at her when she pulled into a parking spot.

Hamner was being held on $75,000 bail on March 27. It wasn’t immediately clear if Hamner, who has not yet made a court appearance, had retained an attorney or would be assigned a public defender.

In the first instance, the woman told see HATE CHARGES on 15

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asianweekly northwest

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

39 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

CID gets $30k from Clean City Initiative

If there is litter, trash, needles, or illegal dumped materials near you, you can always report via the City’s Find It, Fix It app, or call (206) 684-CITY (2489). 

To learn more about the Clean City Initiative, visit seattle.gov/clean-city.

Haiku contest ongoing Mukai Farm & Garden on Vashon Island is sponsoring its second annual Haiku Festival through April 24. This juried competition is open to people of all ages. Each person may submit up to three haiku poems at mukaifarmandgarden.org/ events to compete in the following categories: • Heritage Award: Most eloquent portrayal of the history or some other aspect of the Mukai Farm & Garden • Nature: Most elegant and poignant depiction of some aspect of nature

• Social Justice Award: Shedding unique insight on social equity • The Young Poet Awards: Best haiku for 1) children (grades K-6) and 2) young adult (grades 7-12) • People’s Choice: Most popular haiku • Other categories that may occur to the jurors According to contest rules, all entries must follow the haiku convention of 17 syllables. Please include see HAIKU on 12

We, at InterIm CDA, are deeply saddened to hear of the horrific events in Atlanta, GA that left 8 people murdered including 6 members of the Asian Pacific Island community. Our deepest condolences to the victims’ families and friends.

As attacks on the API community increase, we need to highlight the depth of white supremacy and racism that humanized the shooter as “having a bad day” while framing the massage parlors as “temptation” to “eliminate”. This sexualization of Asian women is even more abhorrent in the light of the recent Stop AAPI Hate report that more than twice as many women are victims than men. We stand against misogyny and the stigma of earning a living in massage parlors. We respect all forms of work that our community engages in.

If you experience or witness a hate crime, please contact our friends at CISC and tell them about it by calling or emailing as follows: Cantonese-粵語/English: (425) 240-5825 Mandarin-普通話/English: (206) 393-2110 Russian/English: (425) 326-9497 Spanish-Español/English: (425) 598-5436 Vietnamese/English: (206) 235-4372 Email: antihb@cisc-seattle.org If you are in need of mental health support, please contact ACRS: (206) 695-7600.

We, as a social justice organization, need to support our Brown and Black brothers and sisters. We need to unite the ‘beloved community’ against all forms of violence, white supremacy and xenophobia.

Once again, our deepest condolences to these victims’ families and friends.

Photo provided by Mukai Farm & Garden

Clean City funds have enabled business associations and business districts to increase their efforts to clean up trash, address graffiti, and clean streets and sidewalks since February.

The Clean City Initiative provided additional funding for Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) and other BIA’s in the city.

Through Clean City, CIDBIA got a boost of $30,000.

This is in addition to the $112,000 for cleaning from a Seattle Office of Economic Development and Seattle Public Utilities grant.

Clean City also provides these services through city employees: • 50 block litter route, serviced Mondays and Thursdays, Clean City added an additional two hours of service per week to this route; • Trash pick up from encampments at 10th & Weller, South King Street, 4th & Yesler, Donnie Chin Park, under I-5 between ID and Little Saigon, Hing Hay; • Added needle box in Little Saigon

YOUR VOICE

■ WORLD NEWS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

5

No Oscars or sensitive art spark Hong Kong censorship fears

By Zen Soo THE ASSOCIATED PRESS HONG KONG (AP) — Decisions in Hong Kong not to display a politically sensitive photograph in a museum exhibition and not broadcast the annual Academy Awards for the first time in decades have prompted concerns that Beijing’s crackdown on dissent in the city is extending to arts and entertainment.

Hong Kong authorities have taken a tougher stance on opposition following Beijing’s imposition of a national security law on the city, arresting prominent prodemocracy activists and participants in anti-government protests in 2019.

The twin announcements on the Oscars and the photograph came as China’s top legislature began deliberating a revamp to Hong Kong’s election laws that would put more power in the hands of a committee dominated by Beijing loyalists.

Henry Tang, head of the city’s West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, said at a news conference on March 29 that there are no plans to exhibit a photo at the opening of the city’s new M+ museum by dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei showing him holding up his middle finger at Tiananmen Square in Beijing.

The decision prompted concern that the security law will not just be used to silence dissent but also to intervene in freedom of art and expression.

Tang dismissed suspicion that the museum was under pressure to remove the photo, saying there never were plans

to include it.

“We have never planned for that photograph to be included in the opening exhibition, so there is no question that we have retracted it, or we have succumbed to pressure and have changed it,’’ Tang said.

“If any of our works or any of our actions contravenes any such law, I’m sure the law enforcement agencies will get in touch with us and we will co-operate fully with them,’’ he said.

Ai, the artist, was not immediately available for comment.

Earlier this month, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam said authorities were on “full alert’’ to ensure that exhibitions in the city do not violate the national security law. ProBeijing lawmakers have said that some of M+’s artwork is politically sensitive and could be in breach of the legislation.

Separately, public broadcaster TVB confirmed that it will not air this year’s Academy Awards ceremony for the first time in decades.

A report by local newspaper The Standard suggested that earlier critical comments about mainland China

by Chloe Zhao, the Beijing-born director of nominated film “Nomadland,” as well as the nomination of a short documentary about the 2019 protests in Hong Kong could be linked to the decision not to broadcast the ceremony this year.

“TVB does not have the broadcasting rights for The Oscars 2021. It was purely a commercial decision that we decided not to pursue the Oscars this year,’’ TVB said in a statement.

Old comments by Zhao in which she was perceived to be criticizing mainland China sparked outrage in the country.

Searches for “Nomadland’’ were blocked on the Chinese internet, which is heavily censored and filtered to scrub content deemed politically sensitive by the government.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Awards, which presents the awards, could not immediately be reached for comment.

In Beijing, proposed changes to Hong Kong’s electoral system were submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress at the opening of its session on Monday, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Under the proposals, the make-up of a committee that chooses the leader would be changed, and the committee would be given the power to pick a large share of the legislature. The changes are expected to reduce the proportion of lawmakers elected by direct vote, though details have not been released yet. 

■ NATIONAL NEWS ‘Captain Underpants’ spin-off pulled for ‘passive racism’

By MARK KENNEDY AP ENTERTAINMENT WRITER

NEW YORK (AP) — A graphic novel for children that was a spinoff of the wildly popular “Captain Underpants’’ series is being pulled from library and book store shelves after its publisher said it “perpetuates passive racism.’’

The book under scrutiny is 2010’s “The Adventures of Ook and Gluk’’

by Dav Pilkey, who has apologized, saying it “contains harmful racial stereotypes“ and is “wrong and harmful to my Asian readers.’’

The book follows about a pair of

friends who travel from 500,001 B.C. to 2222, where they meet a martial arts instructor who teaches them kung fu and they learn principles found in Chinese philosophy.

Scholastic said it had removed the book

from its websites, stopped processing orders for it and sought a return of all inventory. “We will take steps to inform schools and libraries who may still have this title in circulation of our decision to withdraw it from publication,’’

the publisher said in a statement.

Pilkey in a YouTube statement said he planned to donate his advance and all royalties see CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS on 14

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asianweekly northwest

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

39 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Community Project Funding requests

The Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce is helping to advocate for Community Project Funding requests—also known as appropriations or “earmarks”— that benefit communities, small businesses, and workers.

Reach out to the Congress member who represents the district where the community project is located.

Prepare to provide the following information: • Will the project have a direct impact in that Congress member’s district?

• Is the project benefitting a state, local, or tribal government; a publicly-owned entity (e.g., a port or college); or a nonprofit entity with a quasi-government purpose (e.g.

Special Districts)?

• Does the project create sustained job growth and

economic opportunity?

• Does the project address imminent threats to public health, safety, or the environment?

• Does the project promote equity and inclusion for underserved populations?

• Would additional funds fulfill unmet federal obligations, including treaty and trust responsibilities to Native American tribes?

• What is the physical location of the project or program?

• How much funding is being requested?

• What is the total cost of the project or program? How much has been funded already and what amount remains unfunded?

• Have federal funds previously been awarded to this project or program?

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR APR 2

HUGO LITERARY SERIES: DEATH WITH REBECCA MAKKAI, LAYLI LONG SOLDIER, AND LUCY TAN 6 p.m. hugohouse.org

6 THROUGH MAY 11 6 SESSIONS CLASS: OUT OF THE BLUE, A METEORITE: WRITING WITH SOUTH ASIAN BHAKTI POETRY WITH SHANKAR NARAYAN Register at http://bit.ly/3cFU0YA

8 THE MEETING FOR VIETNAMESE AND CHINESE COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH DUC TRAN, VIETWAH MARKET OWNER 6 p.m.

Zoom meeting: https://bit.ly/3rC0Qns

• How would the requested funds be spent?

• Once completed, will the project or program require continued funding to maintain operation? If so, where will that funding come from?

• What is the timeline for the project or program? Would funds be used this year?

• What federal agency would administer this funding?

• Who else supports this project?

• Are there any known or anticipated community concerns associated with this project or program (e.g. conflict with land use, neighborhood concerns, etc.) that could prevent it from moving forward?  If you have any questions, contact markhamm@seattlechamber.com.

PATROLS from 3 and detectives of Asian descent, was created to make victims feel more comfortable so they would move forward in the judicial process to hold perpetrators accountable.

A reporter attending the news conference from a Chinese-language newspaper told police officials that she

has gotten calls from readers who were frustrated that the police dropped their case. She said those readers wondered if they should carry around a stick or knife to protect themselves instead.

Ng said using a weapon could cause more harm and recommended that people experiencing verbal abuse or violence to get themselves to a safe place and call police immediately. 

MAY 4 DEBUT NOVEL, “THINGS WE LOST TO THE WATER” BY ERIC NGUYEN Virtual event at Elliott Bay, Seattle More info at elliottbaybook.com

Want free yummy dog treats made of salmon?

Send a self-addressed-stamped envelope to:

SEA NATIVE USA INC. 745 S. MYRTLE ST., SEATTLE, WA 98108

The stamp amount should be $6.14 to hold the 5 oz. treats.

Offer expired on May 18, 2021.

For other info, email at rick@seanativeusa.com

View the solution on page 14

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article.

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YOUR VOICE

■ WAYNE’S WORLDS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

7

The content of their character indeed

By Wayne Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

“…they will not be judged by the color of their Wayne Chan skin but by the content of their character.”

—Martin Luther King Jr. With the current rise of violence against Asian Americans, I keep going back to this famous quote by Dr. King. The first time I heard that famous speech, the beauty of his words just seemed to soar in the air. Honestly though, I didn’t really consider the message he was trying to send.

That all changed in college.

To be sure, I had first-hand experience with the racist jokes and taunting that seemed to be coming from all directions in my youth, and I remember a few times turning my back on these bullies with tears in my eyes thinking, “Why do they hate me so much?” As just about the only Asian student in my school, maybe I should have seen it coming. But that was mostly in elementary school and junior high. It died down considerably by the time I got to high school.

But in the fall of 1983, in the wealthy enclave of La Jolla, California, as a budding economics student at UC San Diego, I realized that racism, at least for some, never really goes away—it just changes forms.

I was excited by the start of my college experience. But first things first, I had to find a place to live for the next year. I went to the on-campus housing department, and as this was before the internet existed, I walked around the department where they had posted “for rent” flyers all over the room. I was looking to rent a room in a home near campus. Each of the flyers had a phone number, and students could call right from the department to set up a visit with a landlord.

I immediately found one that worked. It was in my budget and it was a short 10-minute bike ride from campus.

I called the number listed to set up a time to take a look. A woman answered and sounded pleasant enough. She told me that the room was available, and I could drop by right then to take a look. I accepted her invitation and told her I would be right there.

I got on my bike, and sure enough, I was standing at the front door of the house in less than 10 minutes. I parked my bike, walked up to the door, and knocked.

The door opened part way, and a woman poked her head out. I introduced myself and told her I had just called. She glanced at me, looked up and down.

In a very short tone, she said, “The room has been rented.

It’s not available.”

I said, “Ma’am, I just talked to you 10 minutes ago and you told me it was available.”

She said, “It’s not available,” and shut the door.

I turned back towards the street, and I stood there for a moment, considering what had just happened. I felt a combination of anger and bewilderment. The first thought in my head was, when I called her, if I spoke with any discernible accent, would she have even told me the room was available?

You might ask whether this one experience still bothers

“The Story of Seattle Chinatown International District Murals” youtube.com/watch?v=VE9BA7KkbKc produced by northwest asian weekly & seattle chinese post funded by

me. I’d say, the fact that I still remember it happening vividly 38 years ago probably means that it does.

It just brings me back to the brilliance of Dr. King’s quote. Not only did my would-be landlord not consider the content of my character before turning me away, but seemed to determine that I had some unacceptable flaw through some apparent clairvoyant “ability” she possessed based purely on observing the way I looked.

Based on the way I looked, she couldn’t possibly know that I was born in Michigan. She wouldn’t know that my favorite dessert is apple pie or that I loved Batman so much that as a kid I would jump off my parent’s bed with a towel as a cape just to see how far I could go. She couldn’t possibly know that my adolescence was filled with cultural references to “The Fonz,” “Hawkeye and Trapper,” the moonwalk, “the force,” and Indiana Jones.

The truth is, being judged is just a part of life. Whether you’re trying to find a room to rent, applying for a mortgage, or just finding a friend, being evaluated is a necessary requirement for living in this world. It comes with the package.

There’s a reason why I’m being judged. Maybe I’m a person who has no honor. Maybe I don’t show respect to the elderly. Maybe I’m self-serving and greedy. Maybe I’m simply a mean person.

If that is what someone is wondering, fair enough.

But whether I’m from Michigan or mainland China, my contention is that no one can determine that simply by looking at my face.

The phrase “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is exactly right. The cover is just what you see on the outside. It’s the content the cover holds inside that counts.  Wayne can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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39 YEARS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG Walking with Durkan in Chinatown

Photos by George Liu

What the mayor saw and missed

From left: Security, Mayor Jenny Durkan, Tanya Woo (back) and Police Chief Adrian Diaz on S. King St.

From left: Michael Itti, Mayor Jenny Durkan, Tanya Woo and Chief Diaz on 12th Ave. S and Jackson

By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY

of BLM showed up at Maynard Avenue, blaming Durkan for police brutality during the downtown BLM protest. Although Durkan invited the group to chat with her afterwards, and said she would investigate what happened, the activists kept yelling.

She cut her visit short. Shouting serves no purpose. It gets nothing done.

This time, Durkan’s walk started from Danny Woo Garden to Jackson Street, passing through King Street and 7th

Mayor Jenny Durkan had planned to speak at Gov. Jay Inslee’s press conference in Chinatown to denounce anti-Asian hate on Mar. 22. It didn’t happen. API Chaya announced that a rally would be held on the same day, time, and place as the governor’s event a few days prior.

To avoid the conflict, the governor’s office quietly sent out a press release to change its venue to Renton City Hall, two days before the event. It didn’t make sense for Durkan to drive 12 miles away from Seattle, to a smaller city, in size and population, to condemn racism towards Asian Americans when Seattle has the largest Asian population (over 125,000 in 2019) in the state. Seattle is about seven times bigger than Renton in population.

The missed opportunity probably made the mayor eager to find a way to do something meaningful for the Asian community.

NIGHT WATCH INVITED DURKAN Enter Community Night Watch, a volunteer group who patrols the Chinatown-International District (ID) from 9 to 11 p.m. three times a week, reached out to the mayor for an ID visit recently. Tanya Woo, one of the leads for many community watch groups, told the Northwest Asian Weekly she wanted Durkan to see for herself the ID’s public safety issues and the need for resources, including social workers to deescalate crises with the homeless in the neighborhood.

The mayor and her team arrived on March 25, three days after Durkan was supposed to speak at Hing Hay Park. The last time Durkan showed up for an official visit to the ID was the day after splinter groups from the Black Lives Matter protest looted the area last May. She brought her

department heads, including the police chief, to meet and support nonprofit organizations. So much has changed since then! The community has been struggling even more.

The ID’s ordeal began as early as January 2020, before the City’s COVID lockdown in March. The public’s fear of the virus (with its origin from Wuhan, China) kept crowds away from Chinatown, and businesses have suffered since then. Racism in different forms, such as vandalism and antiAsian graffiti, were smeared on several buildings.

The pandemic and lockdown have taken a toll on the once vibrant community. Durkan witnessed it in her walk and talk with the community members.

And the year has been hard on the mayor, too, as the city wriggled through turmoils with Cal Anderson Park being seized and many City Councilmembers pressuring her to defund the police department, resulting in Chief Carmen Best’s resignation. Durkan announced last December that she was not going to seek a second term, citing that she couldn’t deal with both the pandemic and a re-election campaign.

Despite the challenges, Durkan said one of her burdens has gone—no more Trump. The former president had threatened to defund Seattle from federal grants, and constantly criticized Durkan.

The city will provide over $1 million in grants to community organizations, services, and programs aimed at addressing antiAsian hate and violence.

THE MAYOR’S VISIT This time, Durkan’s visit was low-key compared to the one before. Its security and staff, including Michael Fong, senior deputy mayor, and Adrian Diaz, the new police chief, outnumbered community members who went along with her. The mayor roamed through a boarded up neighborhood with tarnished storefronts of graffiti, closed businesses, homeless camps, and trash.

Last time, Asian American supporters

Avenue, exiting back to Jackson, and to Little Saigon.

ACTION FOLLOWED THE WALK Fong summed up the community’s needs—“Several areas of ...focus: Jackson and King under I-5, lighting throughout the ID, and the overall need for more activating public spaces and supporting see BLOG on 15

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YOUR VOICE

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■ COMMUNITY NEWS Favorite Lunar New Year costume Readers sent in photos of their Lunar New Year attire and you chose your favorites!

Congratulations to the following: Northwest Asian Weekly award • First — Heidi Luu • Second — Ella H. Nguyen • Third — Kristen Xu People’s Choice Award • First — Deng Xiao Feng family • Second — Helen F. • Third — Pia Suwannakatesakul Family Award • Dr. Philip and Alice Louie • Yu-Eng Cheng and Jac Chen Sisterhood Award • Sy Sisters

Honorable Mentions • Annalise Lam • Jasmine and Jayden Wong • Chau Phuong & Bich Nguyen • Nguyet Kinsey and granddaughters • Baby Hunter and Hayden Landau • Grandma Sy and grandchildren • Pia Suwannakatesakui and her twins • Ben & Amelia Hui • Ananaya Bezbanuah • Sharon Yoon • Amy Wu and group • Justin Lam

The Northwest Asian Weekly will email all winners with details on how to claim their prize. Some prizes are courtesy of MUFG Union Bank. 

350 votes

First — Heidi Luu

Second — Ella H. Nguyen

Third — Kristen Xu

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People’s Choice Award: Third — Pia Suwannakatesakul

People’s Choice Award: First — Amy Wu and group

■ ON THE SHELF

Comic, Netflix staple Jo Koy talks race, rejection in memoir

By TERRY TANG ASSOCIATED PRESS Like many famous comics, Jo Koy had early struggles at comedy clubs. But, unlike them, the half white and half Filipino comedian could only seem to book spots on ethnic theme nights like “Wonton Wednesdays’’ and “Asian Invasion.’’

“There’s a lot of comics that had to do it. I’m not just saying Asians—Black people, Latinos, anyone that was ‘other’ had to do these themed shows. And it sucks,’’ Koy recalled recently.

Segregating comics may sound bizarre and offensive in today’s world but that underlying racism “baked into“ the comedy club circuit was acceptable in the early 2000s, according to Koy. How he went from there to being a Netflix darling and having a movie deal with Steven Spielberg is part of the career journey Koy, 49, tells in his new memoir.

“Mixed Plate: Chronicles of an All-American Combo,’’ released on March 23, is an ideal companion to Koy’s stand-up with its humorous—and at times painful—origin stories behind some of his most popular bits. The book shows how Koy’s mixed-race background ultimately shaped his brand of comedy and his determination not to give up on his childhood dream.

“I’m not trying to pat myself on the back. It was a long road,” Koy said. “And when I finally got to this point in my career, I just looked at my manager. I was like, ‘Man, I would really like to tell people, you know, this struggle, and how hard it was to really get here.’’’

With the help of a writing partner, Koy, born Joseph Glenn Herbert, lays bare how he grappled with his mixed-race identity as a child growing up

in Tacoma, Washington. He doesn’t shy away from deeply personal topics including an older brother with violent schizophrenia and a father who left when he was only 12 years old. (The book also documents their

reconciliation.)

“I’ve always been open to just letting people be inside my life,’’ Koy said. “So when I said I was going to write a book, of course I’m going to tell them everything. Or else, you’re not going to really know the story of how I got there.’’

Koy, who’s sold out stadium shows, has aspired to make people laugh since age 11. He didn’t “speak school’’ and was never interested in conventional pursuits like college. For him, earning $5 doing stand-up on an open mic in a coffeehouse was more thrilling. By the 1990s, he followed his mother and stepfather to Las Vegas and started doing comedy contests and small clubs there. In 2001, he decided to make the big move to Los Angeles.

The comedy club circuit wasn’t exactly receptive to his bi-racial appearance.

“You come to Hollywood, and they have no idea what they’re looking at—as horrible as that sounds,“ Koy said. “’What’s your story? We don’t get it. Where do we put you?’’’

Koy took whatever gigs at clubs like The Improv and the Laugh Factory—even the ethnic “theme nights.’’

Meanwhile, he juggled as many as three part-time jobs.

By 2003, he also had to factor in his newborn son.

In the book, he recounts performing at the Laugh Factory while a then-unknown Tiffany Haddish would be off to the side watching his son.

“We had that little bond of ours, you know, that we both had seen struggle,’’ Koy said. “I love Tiffany, that she was there during that process. She still is in my life to this day, which is even more amazing.’’

Seeing his toddler son play with his mother, it hit Koy see KOY on 13

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39 YEARS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

■ COMMENTARIES

JPMorgan Chase exec addresses recent anti-Asian violence

By Phyllis Campbell JPMORGAN CHASE CHAIRMAN OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST

Phyllis Campbell

As the world confronts the current pandemic, our society finds itself dealing with another alarming issue: COVID-19related biases that are leading to attacks on the Asian community.

The global pandemic is tearing through

diverse communities across the country, fueling hate crimes against Asian and Pacific Islanders (API). Since the start of the pandemic, countless violent and verbal attacks have occurred. In our streets and neighborhoods, in many Asian-owned small businesses, and online, we are seeing physical assault, verbal harassment, and refusal of service.

Those of us in the Asian community have been unfairly targeted and blamed by many for COVID-19 since the virus was first detected in China. The spike in xenophobic attacks and discrimination against Asian Americans and references to COVID-19 as the “Wuhan Virus” or “China Virus,” have further racialized the pandemic. I am deeply saddened that even more vulnerable populations are being targeted—youth, elderly, and women are experiencing the brunt of the attacks.

These events are impacting our families, friends, colleagues, and community. Real lives are impacted by these acts. As a financial institution invested in serving our communities, we have a role and responsibility in stopping these horrifying incidents. It’s our responsibility to do

something about it, given the role of banks in the financial health of the communities we serve.

These racist acts are personal to me.

My grandfather, and aunts and uncles were incarcerated during World War II, as Japanese Americans living on the West Coast. As Americans, they were hardworking citizens whose only “crime” was that they were of Japanese ancestry and therefore were suspected of conspiring with the enemy. We must take action to end anti-Asian and all racism by creating a culture focused on respect and inclusion.

This crisis has sparked an outpouring of corporate support for Asian Americans, and we’ve seen numerous examples of companies stepping up to make concrete changes to the way they do business to advance racial equity around the world. I’m proud of the fact that at JPMorgan Chase, we partner with a variety of local nonprofits supporting Seattle’s Asian community. As part of the firm’s COVID-19 response in Seattle, we recently contributed over $1.25 million to Craft3, Rainier Valley Community Development Fund, and

Seattle Chinatown International District PDA. Additionally, we provided relief to API small businesses that were deeply impacted by the pandemic, in part due to xenophobia.

As the largest bank in the United States, it’s time for JPMorgan Chase to own its part in creating economic opportunity and inclusion for API communities that have been historically marginalized. Racism is a tragic part of America’s history and anti-Asian racism dates back as far as the 1850s when the first wave of Asians immigrated to the United States. It’s a congenital defect of our society that we still confront. Systemic racism continues to negatively impact marginalized communities across virtually every walk of American life: wealth, homeownership, educational outcomes, health care, and life expectancy.

At JPMorgan Chase, we will continue to condemn hatred and discrimination in any way, shape, or form—and we share a common hope that civility, humanity, and empathy will prevail and make us a better society as a whole. 

The legacy of anti-Asian racism today

Bruce Harrell with late mom, Rose Kobata

By Bruce Harrell This piece originally appeared in the Seattle Times.

My mother, Rose Kobata, was 9 years old in 1942 when U.S. government agents seized the thriving Seattle flower shop that sustained my grandparents and their eight children. The agents informed the

family that they were to serve out the remainder of World War II in a Japanese incarceration camp.

This chapter of American history— the sanctioned hatred and scapegoating of Asian American citizens—was part of my upbringing that wasn’t often discussed, but never forgotten, in my home and throughout Seattle’s large

and vibrant Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community.

It is through this lens of family trauma, and with both alarm and sadness, that I view the current vitriol and hatred unleashed against Asian Americans, fueled by a racist ex-president, his political allies, and a venomous rightwing media. Once again sanctioned by officials in high office, this hate speech is bringing renewed trauma, violence—and death—to AAPI Americans today. We are a nation that often turns a blind eye to history, but we cannot, and must not, allow our legacy of racial hate to manifest once again.

My grandfather arrived from the village of Kumamoto, Japan, in 1918—15 years old and speaking no English. He got a job as a house boy for a family in the gated residential community Broadmoor in Seattle, saved his money, started a family, and focused on his American Dream.

My mother, the youngest, was named after his favorite flower, and after years of hard work and sacrifice, he and my grandmother founded Cherry Land Florists on Jackson Street. The store grew to cover a full block in a vibrant Asian business district. My mom and her siblings all had jobs in the store— and they even lived behind a tarp in the back. It was close quarters for a family driven to succeed, but they lost it all due to hateful stereotyping codified in government action.

Cherry Land, like so many businesses then and now, was a hub of community and culture—so much so that the FBI singled out my grandfather, viewed as a “community leader,” and therefore a

potential threat.

When my family returned to Seattle following Japanese surrender, it was time to regroup and rebuild. Proud and fiercely independent, they eventually opened Cherry Land II, in a section of the old store, only a fraction the size.

That was all that was returned from the government seizure.

My grandfather died young, age 53, from a life of backbreaking work, the pain of profound loss, and no doubt the emotional scars of the incarceration. The nation that held such promise for him as a young man turned on him—and the people he loved—so quickly.

I think of his experience and that of my young mother—and I mourn for the children and families today who are victimized by hate and fear, blamed for a virus that harms AAPI and other communities of color disproportionately.

I am redoubled in my focus and drive never again to allow hatred and bigotry to spiral out of control in this community, or this nation.

More than ever, we need individuals at all levels of government committed to the fundamental human rights denied to too many Americans, at too many times, throughout our complex and often painful history.

Seattle should be a place where hate is never tolerated, where we unite to protect, nurture, heal, and love one another. It’s what Rose would want for our city.  Bruce Harrell is a Seattle native, former Seattle City Council president, and 2021 candidate for Seattle Mayor.

YOUR VOICE

■ COMMENTARIES

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

11

Asian Americans’ awakening

By Y.P. Chan FOR NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY The ruthless and senseless killing of eight people— including six women of Asian descent in Georgia on March 16—touched the nerves and ignited deep anger inside Asians in the Y.P. Chan U.S. Through heavy rain, 3,000 people attended the Stop Asian Hate Rally in Seattle just four days after the shooting. The full spectrum of society arrived to show solidarity against all forms of racism and hatred. The turnout was unprecedented for an event organized by Asians in Seattle’s history. According to the nonprofit United Chinese Americans, more than 100 organizations in over 30 cities across the country brought over 100,000 people to stand together in vigil against violence and discrimination against Asians. This was a watershed moment that has shattered the “model minority” stereotype.

Asians in the U.S. have faced a long history of discrimination, beginning back when my ancestors from Taishan, Guangdong came to work as coolies in the Gold Rush to build railways in the 1850s. In 1882, the Chinese

Exclusion Act was passed and was repealed only in 1943. During WWII, about 120,000 Japanese Americans were incarcerated in concentration camps. In the 1950s, many Chinese American scientists were persecuted or discriminated against during the era of McCarthyism, leading to an exodus of top Chinese scientists returning to China. The Detroit murder of Vincent Chin in 1982 was a result of auto industry fueled, anti-Japanese sentiment. In the past year, Trump’s “China Virus” rhetoric has brought tremendous amounts of hatred and violence against Asians.

Countless Asian Americans and Asian-owned businesses have been subject to xenophobic discrimination and hate crimes. This most recent heinous shooting reflects a rising public crisis and is an act of terrorism against all Asian Americans. Anti-Asian hate crime in 16 of America’s largest cities increased by 149% in 2020, according to the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino.

Enough is enough! Asian Americans are fighting back!

When 76-year-old grandma Xie from San Francisco’s Chinatown was assaulted by a racist, she struck back, sending her attacker to the hospital after she was punched in the eye. The editor of Vogue Teen was forced to resign after her anti-Asian racist tweets surfaced. Anti-Asian politicians can only wait for the other shoe to drop.

These events have stirred Asians across America. We realize that “hate is a virus.” We have been treated like

second class citizens in the U.S. for too long. The challenge is finding a way to convert our suppressed feelings of anger into a sustainable movement that can guarantee the basic human protection we deserve. More importantly, how can Asians continue the journey of political engagement and find themselves in government for true representation?

On top of this, Asians are the most socio-economically polarized demographic in America, with the success of highly educated and skilled workers overshadowing the large population of undereducated Asian immigrants who are struggling.

Moving forward, Asian communities need to exercise our political power at the ballot box, support and donate toward politicians who represent Asian interests, and demand accountability. The 22 million Asian residents in the U.S. can be a powerful voice in a highly polarized political system. Better yet, Asian Americans need to groom and support the next generations of Asian political leaders and activists who can continue to build a coalition with others against all forms of racism and discrimination.

The “model minority” Asians are waking up, and it is time for real political action.  Y.P. Chan is a principal of Chanden Inc., an advisory board member at UW Bothell Business School, and a visiting executive lecturer at Darden Business School.

Words matter

Statement on anti-Asian hate from Mukilteo’s police chief

By Cheol Kang FOR NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY My family and I emigrated from Korea a little over four decades ago.

I spent my childhood growing up in the eastside of Tacoma, always being the only “Asian kid” at school Cheol Kang and in the neighborhood. I faced many challenges of bullying and name calling because of my race. A generation later, I truly believe that as a society, we have evolved beyond the challenges I faced as a child. We’ve grown more culturally competent and learned to respect one another based upon the content of our character, and not judge others by the color of our skin.

However, since the outbreak of the pandemic, there has

been a noticeable national increase of racially biased speech and even hate fueled actions by close-minded individuals who want to place blame on people of Asian descent for the global pandemic.

Racist speech, crude comments, and racially motivated microaggressions have no place in our society, let alone our community. Mayor Jennifer Gregerson and the Mukilteo City Council affirmed that the City of Mukilteo is a “safe, welcoming, and diverse community for everyone.” Almost 20% of our population are of Asian descent.

While we have not had any specific racially motivated crimes reported, that does not mean that they aren’t occurring. Any hate crime based on a person’s race, gender, religion, or sexual orientation is a crime committed against that entire group. Don’t hesitate to report hate crimes.

Encourage those who experience or witness acts of hate to make a report. Share safety tips with friends and family.

For more information, please visit stopaapihate.org.

Words matter. What may be perceived as a joke by one person is the fuel to ignite the racially motivated hate for another to do harm. It is everyone’s responsibility to let others know when words are culturally insensitive or hurtful. These are the tough conversations that we need to continue having to break the perpetual cycle of bias, discrimination, and racism that passes down from generation to generation.

We all have a responsibility in this process to eradicate racism and bias, much like we all have a part to eradicate COVID-19. We are an amazing community and I truly believe we will move forward safely and prosper together.

I thank you for your support and commitment to stay Mukilteo strong!  Cheol Kang is Police Chief at Mukilteo Police Department.

■ NATIONAL NEWS

Donations for Asian American groups surge after killings

By HALELUYA HADERO AP BUSINESS WRITER

Donations and contribution pledges to Asian American and Pacific Islander groups have spiked since the March 16 shooting in Atlanta that killed eight people, including six women of Asian descent, and brought renewed attention to violence against Asian Americans.

About $25.8 million has been pledged for such groups or causes by nearly 30 philanthropic donors in the aftermath of the shooting, according to a preliminary analysis that the philanthropy research group Candid shared with The Associated

Press. By comparison, only $595,000 had been committed this year before the attacks.

For all of 2020, the group’s latest data shows that about $54 million was directed to Asian American groups or causes.

Candid’s analysis does not include small donations given to organizations or other contributions that are made directly to the families of victims. Instead, it reflects sizable pledges and donations by philanthropists and other donors to organizations representing Asian Americans.

Most of them, the group says, have been corporate commitments falling under $500,000. The largest came from

the telecommunications company Verizon at $15 million, of which $5 million is committed to the civil rights group Asian Americans Advancing Justice; the advocacy group National Council of Asian Pacific Americans; and the Asian/Pacific Islander American Chamber of Commerce and Entrepreneurship, which advocates for the business interests of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The pledges coincide with numerous calls on social media and other channels to donate to groups representing Asian American communities. Some brands, including PlayStation, Tarte Cosmetics and Sephora, have said they will provide

financial support but haven’t specified how much. Others say they’ll donate portions of their proceeds from sales.

In several major cities, including New York and Los Angeles, police reported an uptick in Asian-targeted hate crimes between 2019 and 2020, according to data collected by the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. And Stop AAPI Hate, a California-based group to which several companies have pledged donations, says it’s received reports of nearly 3,800 hate incidents—from verbal see DONATIONS on 15

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asianweekly northwest

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

39 YEARS

■ WORLD NEWS

WHO report: COVID likely 1st jumped into humans from animals

By KEN MORITSUGU and JAMEY KEATEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS BEIJING (AP) — A joint World Health Organization-China study on the origins of COVID-19 says that transmission of the virus from bats to humans through another animal is the most likely scenario and that a lab leak is “extremely unlikely,’’ according to a draft copy obtained by The Associated Press.

The findings offer little new insight into how the virus first emerged and leave many questions unanswered, though that was as expected. But the report does provide more detail on the reasoning behind the researchers’ conclusions.

The team proposed further research in every area except the lab leak hypothesis — a speculative theory that was promoted by former U.S. President Donald Trump among others. It also said the role played by a seafood market where human cases were first identified was uncertain.

The report is being closely watched since discovering the origins of the virus could help scientists prevent future pandemics— but it’s also extremely sensitive since China bristles at any suggestion that it is to blame for the current one.

Matthew Kavanagh of Georgetown University said the report deepened the understanding of the virus’s origins, but more information was needed.

“It is clear that the Chinese government has not provided all the data needed and, until they do, firmer conclusions will be difficult,“ he said in a statement.

Last year, an AP investigation found the Chinese government was strictly controlling all research into its origins. And repeated delays in the report’s release have raised questions about whether the Chinese side was trying to skew its conclusions.

“We’ve got real concerns about the methodology and the process that went into that report, including the fact that the government in Beijing apparently helped to

ATTACK IN NY from 3 “Our union is working to get further details for a more complete account, and urges the public to avoid a rush to judgment while the facts are determined,” SEIU 32BJ President Kyle Bragg said in a written statement. He condemned the attack as “yet another example of the unbridled hate and terror” against Asian Americans.

Police Commissioner Dermot Shea called the attack “disgusting.”

“I don’t know who attacks a 65-yearold woman and leaves her on the street

HAIKU from 4 the name, contact information, and age (optional) of the author.

Entries will be on display at the Mukai Farm & Garden throughout the month of May. Visitors may vote for their favorite haiku for the People’s Choice awards from April 24–30. Vote online or at the Mukai

write it,’’ U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a recent CNN interview.

China rejected that criticism.

“The U.S. has been speaking out on the report. By doing this, isn’t the U.S. trying to exert political pressure on the members of the WHO expert group?’’ asked Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian.

Still, suspicion of China has helped fuel the theory that the virus escaped from a lab in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the virus was first identified. The report cited several reasons for all but dismissing that possibility.

It said that such laboratory accidents are rare and the labs in Wuhan working on coronaviruses and vaccines are wellmanaged. It also noted that there is no record of viruses closely related to the coronavirus in any laboratory before December 2019 and that the risk of accidentally growing the virus was extremely low.

The report is based largely on a visit by a WHO team of international experts to Wuhan. The mission was never meant to identify the exact natural source of the virus, an endeavor that typically takes years. For instance, more than 40 years of study has still failed to pinpoint the exact species of bat that are the natural reservoir of Ebola.

In the draft obtained by the AP, the researchers listed four scenarios in order of likelihood for the emergence of the new coronavirus. Topping the list was transmission from bats through another animal, which they said was likely to very likely. They evaluated direct spread from bats to humans as likely, and said that spread to humans from the packaging of “cold-chain’’ food products was possible but not likely.

That last possibility was previously dismissed by the WHO and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but researchers on this mission have taken it up again, further raising questions about the politicization of the study since China has long pushed the theory.

like that,” Shea said on TV station NY1.

Shea recently said the agency would increase its outreach and patrols in predominantly Asian communities.

According to a report from Stop AAPI Hate, more than 3,795 incidents were reported to the organization from March 19, 2020, to Feb. 28. The organization, which tracks incidents of discrimination, hate and xenophobia against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in the U.S., said that number is “only a fraction of the number of hate incidents that actually occur.” 

Farm & Garden kiosk.

Vashon’s Mukai Farm & Garden is a place that nurtures awareness of AsianPacific culture and history. The former strawberry farm has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places as one of the few surviving Japanese farmsteads in the United States. 

Bats are known to carry coronaviruses and, in fact, the closest relative of the virus that causes COVID-19 has been found in bats. However, the report says that “the evolutionary distance between these bat viruses and (COVID-19) is estimated to be several decades, suggesting a missing link.’’

It said highly similar viruses have been found in pangolins, which are another kind of mammal, but scientists have yet to identify the same coronavirus in animals that has been infecting humans.

The AP received the draft copy on March 29 from a Geneva-based diplomat from a WHO-member country. It wasn’t clear whether the report might still be changed prior to release, though the diplomat said it was the final version. A second diplomat confirmed getting the report too. Both refused to be identified because they were not authorized to release it ahead of publication.

“All hypotheses are on the table and warrant complete and further studies from what I have seen so far,’’ said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus at a news conference.

The report is inconclusive on whether the outbreak started at a Wuhan seafood market that had one of the earliest clusters of cases in December 2019. Research published last year in the journal Lancet suggested the

market may have merely served to further spread the disease rather than being its source.

The market was an early suspect because some stalls sold a range of unusual animals—and some wondered if they had brought the new virus to Wuhan. The report noted that animal products—including everything from bamboo rats to deer, often frozen—were sold at the market, as were live crocodiles.

As the virus spread globally, China found samples of it on the packaging of frozen food coming into the country and, in some cases, have tracked localized outbreaks to them—but has never published convincing data to prove that link.

The report said that the cold chain, as it is known, can be a driver of long-distance virus spread, though the risk is lower than through human-to-human spread. Most experts agree with that.

While it’s possible an infected animal contaminated packaging that was then brought to Wuhan and infected humans, the report said the probability is very low.

“While there is some evidence for possible reintroduction of (COVID-19) through handling of imported contaminated frozen products in China since the initial pandemic wave, this would be extraordinary in 2019 where the virus was not widely circulating,’’ the study said. 

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received by the King County Procurement Services Section through the County’s E-Procurement system for the following listed bids.

Instructions on how to submit a bid electronically, view any current bid opportunities, express interest, communicate with the Buyer via Message app and/or successfully submit a bid through the E-Procurement system prior to the Close date and time indicated in the solicitation are provided on the County’s website or by following this link: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/ registration King County encourages minority business enterprise participation. King County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its programs, services, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

KC000149 OPENS: 04/20/2021 Doors, Frames, Locks, Keys and Other Related Door Hardware KC000104 OPENS: 04/20/2021 Bird Control Services Pre-Proposal Conference 4/2/2021 at 9:30 a.m. via Microsoft Teams Conference Call: 1-425-653-6586 Conference ID: 518 262 070#

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

asianweekly northwest

13

Predictions and advice for the week of April 3–9, 2021

By Sun Lee Chang Rat—Rather than risk your credibility, check your facts to make sure the information you have is accurate.

Dragon—You relish the chance to apply what you have learned. As you move forward, new inspiration will take hold.

Monkey—An unexpected surprise could brighten your week, as you had anticipated something else entirely.

Ox—Despite the many roles that you play, there is one that stands far above the others in your heart.

Snake—It’s not in your nature to settle. Instead, you are at your best when you explore all possibilities.

Rooster—There are rumblings that you are finding hard to ignore. Don’t be afraid to take a closer look.

Tiger—Although you may not be on point at the beginning, steady practice should improve your skills.

Horse—A major decision should not be made on a whim. Consider all the angles before making a choice.

Dog—Too many things to do today? Take a moment to list what needs to be done and what can wait.

Rabbit—After a period of hesitation, you are now fully committed to forging ahead with your plan.

Goat—Keeping an open dialogue with a loved one isn’t always easy, but well worth the effort.

Pig—It won’t be immediate, but you will see gradual improvement if you stick with the changes you have made.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

LE from 1 the fact that he was shot in the back in any of the subsequent reports filed about the shooting. It also never mentioned that Le was likely falling to or on the ground when Molina shot him. Moreover, the KCSO’s initial press release falsely claimed that Le had a knife “or some other sharp object.”

The KCSO also claimed that when deputies arrived on the scene, that Le began “advancing” on them. It is unclear how Molina could have shot Le in the back if Le had been coming towards Molina when Molina shot Le. So, in 2018, the Le family launched a civil suit against King County and KCSO Deputy Cesar Molina, in which they said Molina deprived Le of his civil rights.

Thanks in part to apparent delay tactics by the defense, that suit dragged out for four long years. But on March 24, 2021, the Le family and their lawyers announced in a press conference that they had reached an out-of-court settlement for $5 million. This settlement, Le family lawyer Jeff Campiche, of Campiche Arnold, PLLC, said, is remarkable in that it shows “a degree of culpability” on both King County’s and Molina’s part.

But it appears that the KCSO continues to cling to the narrative that Tommy Le posed a threat, and does not appear to agree with what the settlement suggests— namely, the “degree of culpability.”

On the afternoon of March 24, a couple hours after the press conference, the Emerald received an internal email to KCSO employees from KCSO Sheriff Mitzi Johanknecht.

In it, Johanknecht said that “this case is not a reflection of how I view the actions of Deputy Molina in this incident” and that she “just spoke with Deputy Molina.”

“He made the tough decisions that sometimes must be made in our profession. Deputy Molina attempted using other means of protecting the civilians who called for help, before he fired his weapon that day,” Johanknecht said. She did not mention that Molina shot Le in the back and that he did so within minutes of arriving on the scene.

Of her talk with Molina, Johanknecht said, “I shared my

KOY from 9 that family life could be funny fodder. While mimicking his mother’s accent and mannerisms is now classic Koy, he initially hesitated for fear of being labeled “the Filipino comic.’’ But he saw that all audiences seemed to find anecdotes involving his mother relatable.

“That’s when I knew. I was like, ‘Oh, I got something good here. I know how to do it now,’’’ Koy said.

His Filipino roots shine brightly in the book. Koy may be the first comic with a memoir that’s part recipe book.

There are instructions on how to make Filipino dishes like lumpia and chicken adobo. He wants to keep being “an ambassador for Filipino food’’ and culture.

appreciation of the difficulty of decision (sic) and actions he had to take. I also appreciate the teamwork all contributing members made that night to protect the residents of that neighborhood and the following investigative work.”

Johanknecht did not mention the fact that an independent investigation commissioned by the Office of Law Enforcement Oversight raised several red flags about this “investigative work” and took the KCSO to task in the way it handled the shooting and subsequent internal investigation.

Instead, she continued, addressing the email’s recipients: “I will remain steadfast in support of all of you.”

Johnaknecht also said that “[t]here was a willingness by our Risk Manager and Prosecutors to try this case in a court of law. The decision to proceed to trial is made in collaboration with the County’s Risk Management team and the Executive. We have to be mindful of the current public discussion on policing and how that critical evaluation could have a significant impact on any police trial, including this one.”

“Proceeding to trial at this time runs the risk of a verdict based on emotion, rather than facts,” she said, again appearing to disregard the many facts turned up since the shooting, as well as the fact that the KCSO originally put out false information, as referenced earlier in this story.

“I appreciate the ability to bring closure to this dispute.

Most importantly for those of us involved in the mediation was insisting Deputy Molina be dismissed as a condition of the settlement,” Johanknecht said. She did not address this further, but appears to have been referring to the fact that “King County Sheriff’s Deputy Cesar Molina was dismissed from the lawsuit as a named party as a condition of the settlement,” according to a brief, three-sentence press release from the KCSO. Johanknecht continued: “Rather than engage in a trial over the coming weeks, we can turn to the important work of continuing to provide excellent service to our community when they need our help.”

Shortly after the press conference, in a one-on-one

interview with the Le family, Le’s older brother Quoc Nguyen said that the settlement certainly means that “the County has accepted some level of fault,” but it also brings his brother’s case “to light again.”

“Whether or not we can move on with some actual change in the King County [Sheriff’s Office], I think that will have to rely on the community for support. We are just one little family fighting for our brother’s justice,” Nguyen said. “In terms of having more transparency and better reform for police and accountability for their own fault— we need more people. We need the whole community.”

“These past four years, we’ve endured a lot,” Nguyen continued.

After a pause, he said: “It’s bittersweet, a little bit refreshing that we can kind of take this weight off our shoulders for a little bit.”

And just because the case is closed, in terms of a settlement, does not mean the Le family will let Tommy Le fade away, either at home or in the community.

“He is always a part of our home, within our hearts,” Tommy Le’s aunt Uyen Le said. “I think with the settlement … [we will make] some donations to what his passion was, and that will help him live on in memories and in honor of his name.”

One of those donations, Uyen Le said, will likely be to South Seattle College’s College Career Link program.

“He really enjoyed his time there. That is helping other kids, students—they could be his classmates—through that program, which we think is great: an alternative for kids who didn’t enjoy the traditional high school setting,” Uyen Le said.

Uyen Le also said that the family would continue to stay informed, and that she herself had received messages from police accountability activists and groups.

“We will continue to take part in that and stay in the fight for pushing for these changes. I know it is a big undertaking, and it takes many cases and, unfortunately, a family like ours, to bring this issue to light,” Uyen Le said. “Right now, times are changing, and there is actually more scrutiny.” 

With three Netflix comedy specials under his belt in the last four years, including one filmed in Manila, Koy said people often think that the streaming service discovered him. But like other times in his life, he was rejected by them for their 2017 comedy slate.

Determined to give them a reason to say yes, Koy put on his own special. He booked a theater in Seattle and paid for a high-quality crew to film it. The final product was enough to elicit an offer from Netflix.

Since then, Koy has built a reputation as an indemand comedian. With plenty of on-screen experience including being a panelist on Chelsea Handler’s old E! talk show, “Chelsea Lately,’’ Koy seems one sitcom or film away from the next level of stardom.

One of his Netflix specials got Spielberg’s attention. The director’s production company, Amblin Entertainment, is producing a starring vehicle for Koy, “Easter Sunday.’’ Based on Koy’s own experiences, the movie comedy follows a family gathering on the titular holiday.

Even with all these opportunities, Koy’s mother sometimes asks him if he’ll drop stand-up for a regular job “with benefits.’’

“I don’t think about retiring. I’m gonna die on that stage,’’ Koy said. “That’s kind of hard to explain to an immigrant parent. They don’t understand that. But you know what? We’re all enjoying this.’’ 

14

asianweekly northwest

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

39 YEARS

KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY * 700 ANDOVER PARK WEST * TUKWILA, WA 98188

CLASSIFIEDS

ADVERTISEMENT KING COUNTY HOUSING AUTHORITY * 700 ANDOVER PARK WEST * TUKWILA, WA 98188 ADVERTISEMENT

( Insertion Order )

( Insertion Order ) KCHA- Maintenance ORIGINATING DEPT: PUBLICATION: Northwest Asian Weekly Contracts Request for proposals for Workforce Recovery planning KCHA- Maintenance employment employment Danielle Munroe / Management The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) proposals ORIGINATING DEPT: PUBLICATION: Northwest Asian Weekly ORDERED BY: INSERTION DATE: ASAP w/is2requesting week run Contracts Analyst from firms to assist PSRC staff with Workforce Recovery Planning WoK CHeF

Building engineer 2 & 3

Danielle Munroe / Management Budget: Not to exceed $120,000. Insertion Under ‘Legal’ PHONE NUMBER: INSERTION 206-574-1200 SPECIAL INSTRUCTION: / 206-832-3775 chefASAP for upscale ORDERED BY: DATE: Need wok w/ 2 resweek run Analyst Due: All statements must be received by 4:00pm (PDT)listed April below 20, DATE ORDERED: ADVERTISING SIZE: taurant.

Little English is fine. Good 03/26/2021 See ‘Insertion Information’ Urban Renaissance Group is a Seattle-based commercial real estate company committed to diversity and 2021 more Info: https://www.psrc.org/about/request-proposals or PHONE NUMBER: SPECIAL INSTRUCTION: 206-574-1200 / 206-832-3775 Insertion work ethnic. Team work. Under Good ‘Legal’ inclusion in our DATE workforce.

We are looking for a Building Engineer 2 or 3 to provide building maintenance NOTE: PROOF of Publication or Tear Sheet must contact Jakala at 360-473-7807 or pjakala@psrc.org.

ORDERED: ADVERTISING SIZE: Pay. Full healthcare, vacation and 03/26/2021 See ‘Insertion Information’ listed Patty below PUBLICATION INFO: of all mechanical and electrical areas of our Class A buildings.

Basic plumbing such as installation, adjustaccompany ALL BILLINGS Statements will be subject to PSRC’s review and selection process. bonus. Call 206-227-8000. ment and repairNOTE: of plumbing equipment as wellofasPublication HVAC building maintenance PROOF or Tear Sheet mustis required. Mentoring and PSRC PHONE promotes in the evaluation BUSINESS #: equal employment opportunity 206-223-0623 PUBLICATION INFO: supervision of team members is a strong need asALL well. BILLINGS Contact Jackie Johnson at jackiej@urbanrnegroup. accompany and award with applicable Data 78189 technician PURCHASE ORDER #: BUSINESS FAX:of consultant contracts, and complies 206-223-0626 com for further information.

BUSINESS PHONE #: 206-223-0623federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and procedures.

CONTRACT ACCOUNT #: EMAIL ADDRESS: N/Aseeking a Data Puget Soundjohn@nwasianweekly.com Regional Council PSRC is TechniPURCHASE ORDER #: BUSINESS FAX: 206-223-0626 78189 Senior Building engineer 1011 Western Ave Ste 500 cian for the Transportation PlanINSERTION INFORMATION LISTED BELOW: CONTRACT ACCOUNT #: EMAIL ADDRESS: N/A Seattle, WA 98104 ning Division. john@nwasianweekly.com Please see our job Urban Renaissance Group is a Seattle-based commercial real estateFOR company to diversity KCHA:committed EXAMPLE AS HOW TO and PREPARE THIS AD FORat THE VENDOR FOR VENDOR: ACTUAL AD LISTED BELOW Phone: 206-464-7090, Fax: 206-587-4825 www.psrc.org announcement https://www.psrc.

INSERTION INFORMATION LISTED BELOW: inclusion in our workforce. We are looking for a Senior Building Engineer to provide minimal supervision org/about/careers. PSRC is an of team and supporting theEXAMPLE maintenance andTOhousekeeping mechanical, electrical, plumbing and FOR VENDOR: ACTUAL AD LISTED BELOW FIRST PUBLICATION FOR KCHA: AS HOW PREPARE THISof ADallFOR THE VENDOR Equal Opportunity Employer. work areas of our Class A buildings. The SE will also support the implementation and documentation of all King County Housing required safety programs as well as engineering standards. Contact Jackie Johnson at jackiej@urbanrne- FIRST PUBLICATION Authority (KCHA) group.com for further information.

King County Housing

maintenance technician

ENTER: Landscape Term Contract

Authority (KCHA)

Landscaping Services (North) -

ENTER: Term Contract Urban Renaissance Group Landscape is a Seattle-based commercial real estate company committed to diversity ENTER PROPOSALS and inclusion in our workforce. We are looking for a Maintenance Technician toEITHER: provide maintenance andDUE 04/09/2015 Task Order Contract upkeep of our Class A buildings. This will also entail coordinating the ENTER procurement of andREQUEST maintaining EITHER: FOR PROPOSALS PROPOSAL ENTERparts, EITHER: DUE 04/09/2015 inventories of necessary supplies,PROPOSALS and equipment from approved vendors. Contact Jackie Johnson 04/16/2021 DUE DATE: at jackiej@urbanrnegroup.com for further information.

KCHA WILL ACCEPT: sealed proposals from qualified, licensed ENTER EITHER: REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

Landscaping Services (South) Task Order Contract

PROPOSAL DUE DATE:

04/16/2021

KCHA is soliciting bids for Landscaping Services for commercial and residential

Landscape contractors and materials to provide landscaping KCHAfor islaborsoliciting bids for Landscaping ENTER: apartment properties located south King services at King County Housing properties for a period of three (3) property manager KCHA WILL ACCEPT: sealed proposals from qualified, licensed Services for commercial and residential years.

Landscape contractors for labor and materials to provide landscaping County. Women and Minority owned ENTER: apartment properties located north and services atcommercial King Countyreal Housing properties for acommitted period of three (3) Urban Renaissance Group is a Seattle-based estate company to diversity SCOPE OF WORK: Provide comprehensive landscaping services years. Manager is responsible for the day to day operations of an east King County. Women and Minority companies are strongly encouraged to and inclusion in our workforce. The Property including but not limited to, mowing, weed eating, hard edging, line assigned portfolio of properties, including tenant and client relations, asset integrity, financial performance, submit proposals. Proposals are due edging, fertilize, pruning, repair/replacement along with SCOPE OF WORK: Provide comprehensive landscaping services owned sprinkler companies are strongly encouraged capital projects, and administration of including lease documents.

In addition, preparing monthly and quarterly shutdown/startup, debris removal, pest control (exterior), pressure Friday, April 16th, 2021. Proposals are but not limited to, mowing, weed eating, hard edging, line financial reports, including executive summary, variance comments, narrative, and reforecasting as shrubs, to submit proposals.

Proposalsbarkare washing, trees, groundcover, replace/install and due edging, fertilize, pruning, sprinklerAR repair/replacement along with plant available at th well as preparing and presenting annual operating budgets be partpest of responsibilities.

Commercial remedial cleanup, arborist for residential shutdown/startup, debriswill removal, control (exterior),gravel, pressure Friday, and April 16services , 2021.

Proposals are Real Estate experience is required for washing, this role.plant Contact Jackie at jackiej@urbanrnegroup.com kcha.org/business/construction/open or via shrubs, trees,Johnson groundcover, replace/install apartment bark and buildings, multifamily, and single family properties. The available at for further information.

Landscape service will be expected to provide periodic support from gravel, remedial cleanup, and arborist services for residential email March 26, 2021. Contact Danielle kcha.org/business/construction/open or via property offices scattered through King County apartment buildings, multifamily, and single family properties.

The management Munroe at KCHA (206) 574-1200 or property Accountant including limited to Sedro Woolley and Olympia properties.

Landscape service will be expected to provide periodic support frombut notemail March 26, 2021.

Contact Danielle daniellem@kcha.org All Landscape service requests will expect a response within 48 hours property management offices scattered through King County Munroe at KCHA (206) 574-1200 or Urban Renaissance Group is a Seattle-based commercial real to estate committed diversity or two (2)and business days. including but not limited Sedrocompany Woolley and Olympia to properties. inclusion in our workforce. The PropertyAll Accountant responsible towill assist the aAccounting, Property Man- daniellem@kcha.org Landscape is service requests expect response within 48 hours PRE-BID CONFERENCE: Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at 2:00 P.M. agement and Construction Teams in the accounting or day two to (2)day business days. of an assigned portfolio of properties, as at the KCHA well as preparation and submittal of state & local excise and business taxes. In addition, responsibilities willCentral Office, Contractors are encouraged to attend; attendance is not mandatory. Please check in at the PRE-BID CONFERENCE: April 1, 2015 athowever, 2:00 P.M. include general ledger review; monthly journal entries; accruals for Wednesday, expense and capital items; managing at 600 Andoverwants Park West, Tukwilayour 98188 at theentries KCHA Central Office,rent.

Contractors are encouraged toreceptionist attend; 4Culture to support creative work with a lease administration processes and posting for deferred Commercial Real Estate experience however, attendance is not mandatory. Please atDUE the DATE: April projects Grant.

Now offering grants in arts, heritage, 2nd, 2015 at 2:00pm is required for this role. Contact Jackie Johnson at jackiej@urbanrnegroup.com for check furtherininformation. receptionist at 600 Andover Park West, Tukwila 98188 and preservation. Deadline: Wednesday, April, 28.

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DONE RITE

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CARPET CLEANING

206-487-8236

WEB SITE INFO: www.kcha.org

BONTA from 1

PROJECT MANAGER and/or PHONE or EMAIL: Al Khalaf; alk@kcha.org authored legislation aimed at

If he is confirmed as expected by the Democratic-led Legislature, Bonta would replace Xavier Becerra, who was confirmed recently as health and human services secretary in the Biden administration. It’s also a stepping stone to higher office; in addition to Becerra, Vice President Kamala Harris and former Gov. Jerry Brown both held the job.

Bonta has authored laws to phase out private prisons, automatically expunge marijuana convictions and end the cash bail system, though voters rejected the bail change last November. He also authored legislation that requires the office he’s set to run to conduct independent investigations of police shootings where an unarmed person dies.

The Prosecutors Alliance of California, which supports criminal justice reform, applauded the choice. The more traditional California District Attorneys Association did not immediately comment. In a statement, California Republican Party Chairwoman Jessica Millan Patterson said Bonta “may be tough on sugary drinks, but he’s soft on criminals.’’ Bonta

CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS from 5 from the book’s sales to groups dedicated to stopping violence against Asians and to promoting diversity in children’s books and publishing.

“I hope that you, my readers, will forgive me, and learn from my mistake that even unintentional and passive stereotypes and racism are harmful to everyone,’’ he wrote. “I apologize, and I pledge to do better.’’

The decision came after a Korean American father of two young children started a

PROJECT MANAGER and/or PHONE or EMAIL: Al Khalaf; alk@kcha.org

stopping soda companies from offering coupon discounts for their drinks.

Kent Scheidegger, legal director of the Criminal Justice Legal Foundation that has typically opposed previous Democratic attorneys general, said Bonta is “fully on board with the fundamentally wrong direction that California criminal justice has been taking in recent years.“ Newsom’s choice gives him a powerful ally as he faces a likely recall election this year. It also comes amid rising attacks against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, which prompted AAPI elected officials to call on him to tap Bonta.

California has more than 6 million people of Asian descent.

“From his unique life and lived experience we have someone that doesn’t need to be educated on these things,’’ Newsom said.

Bonta’s nomination was announced at the International Hotel-Manilatown Center, a San Francisco site rich with Filipino history. He was born in the Philippines to missionary parents, but the family returned to California when he was 2 months old. They settled in

Change.org petition asking for an apology from the publisher and writer.

It also follows a wave of high-profile and sometimes deadly violence against Asian Americans nationwide since the pandemic began.

Earlier this month, the estate of Dr. Seuss said six of his books would no longer be published because they contained depictions of groups that were “hurtful and wrong,’’ including Asian Americans. The move drew immediate reaction on social media from those who called it another example of “cancel culture.’’ 

California among the farmworker activist community led by Cesar Chavez.

“It made me want to become an attorney to fight for people who’ve been wronged, who’ve been hurt, who’ve been harmed, who’ve been mistreated, and to be their champion,’’ Bonta said. “And it’s that fight for justice for all Californians that continues to motivate me.’’

Bonta said he’ll use the bully pulpit that comes with his role to protect people, and he said he supports efforts to create a 24/7 hate crime hotline in the AG’s office. He criticized former President Donald Trump for contributing to the “reductionist devaluing of Asian Americans throughout this nation’’ with racist language and slurs regarding the coronavirus.

Bonta’s nomination comes at a time when progressive prosecutors have been winning seats—and facing pushback—in some of California’s biggest cities.

Newly elected Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascon was sued by his own deputies and faces criticism from other state district attorneys and an effort to recall him from office after he promised not to seek the death penalty or prosecute juveniles as adults and told

prosecutors to stop seeking cash bail for lesser offenses.

In San Francisco, public-defenderturned-District Attorney Chesa Boudin took heat in January after a man who had been put on parole struck and killed two pedestrians.

While Becerra’s tenure overlapped with Trump’s, when more than 100 lawsuits were filed against his Republican administration, Bonta said he hopes to look inward for reforms now that Joe Biden is president.

Before he was elected to the state Legislature in 2012, Bonta served one term on the Alameda City Council and as a deputy city attorney in San Francisco.

He is married with three children.

The timeline is tight for Bonta, who would face election in 2022, potentially against a field of eager Democrats with more statewide name recognition.

Minutes after the announcement, Bonta posted a campaign-style video on Twitter with details about his parents’ history of activism and his legislative record.

Bonta told reporters: “My theme in any election has been the voters will decide, but I will never be outworked.” 

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

YOUR VOICE

businesses and residents as we begin to move into recovery from the pandemic.”

He said Durkan is “committed to making more City resources available ...immediately,” including initiating “efforts to make $1 million in grants to community organizations, services, and programs aimed at addressing anti-Asian hate and violence.” The mayor’s office sent out a press release to confirm its commitment for community funding on March 30.

Fong said the City will be increasing our funding to the ICHS PACE (Program for AllInclusive Care for the Elderly) Center by an additional $500,000 (on top of $1 million secured for the project at the end of 2019) to help build the nation’s first aging-in-place program for the API community on North Beacon Hill.

WHAT DURKAN DIDN’T SEE The mayor could never know of all the tragedies. One occurred not far from where her group gathered before the walk. Blood was splattered on the street three days before. A man ended his own life by jumping out of a balcony.

We may never know why, but neighbors suspected that the deceased suffered from depression due to the pandemic and his illness. (The Asian Weekly, following Associated Press ethics guidelines, does not report on suicides unless it involves someone well-known or unusual circumstances.)

In 2020, several businesses suffered from breakins, not just once. One nonprofit organization in Little Saigon was targeted seven times, even with double locks. All the computers were stolen, along with donated gifts.

Numerous restaurants are fighting to survive.

Even though the state has allowed them to open at 25% dine-in capacity, they haven’t done so.

“We can’t open until all people get innoculated,” one restaurateur told me. “We can’t afford the risks.” For some restaurants that open for takeouts, they close more days than not. “The business is not there. We don’t have the traffic we used to.”

More than 10 businesses have closed for good.

One was Ambrosia, the first bubble tea shop in Washington state which opened in 1997. Half of Uwajimaya’s food court restaurants have vanished, including Saigon Bistro that had been with Uwajimaya since it moved to its new headquarters in 1998.

The good news is, many new restaurants have opened on South King Street, and most of them are located inside Louisa Hotel.

Perhaps the best news is the lower number of COVID cases in the ID. (Seattle continues to

DONATIONS from 11 harassment to physical assault— since March 2020.

Many activists have argued that the rhetoric of former President Donald Trump, who repeatedly referred to COVID-19 as the “China virus’’ and “kung flu,’’ contributed to the increase in anti-Asian hate crimes.

A bulk of the commitments to Asian American groups are for a GoFundMe page that is raising money for 14 organizations, including the Georgia chapter of the nonprofit National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum. Sung Yeon Choimorrow, executive director of the group’s national

Photo by George Liu

BLOG from 8

Mayor Jenny Durkan walking side by side with Senior Deputy Mayor Mike Fong in the ID.

record the lowest cases of COVID-19 and one of the lowest spread, compared to the other top 30 major cities.) Those who have been infected with COVID residing or working in the ID, which I am aware of, have recovered. Most people wear masks and follow social distancing guidelines.

Many seniors are still isolated, and afraid to walk out of their apartment. Nonprofit organizations have been doing substantial work in reaching out to seniors for education and vaccination. More and more seniors are getting vaccinated each day.

REACTIONS AFTER THE WALK Police Chief Diaz, who accompanied Durkan, said, “The walk provided insights to the impacts of hate and bias that have affected our AAPI community. The Seattle Police Department will work to hold those accountable for bias crimes.

We stand with our AAPI community, there is no place for hate.”

“The ID has faced enormous challenges over the last year,” said Michael Itti, CISC Executive Director. “During the walk, we talked about ideas to improve public safety and promote the neighborhood. Addressing these issues over the long-term will require robust conversation with community and city leaders to develop community-based solutions.”

“It‘s always good to be down here and walk around,” said Durkan. “It has been a hard year…

We have a lot of work to do. The whole city has got to commit to improving things. We need to have a grand opening, get people down here, close the streets, help the businesses, take the boards down, and have everybody out at once... and music... We have to be super creative... This is our generation’s task, we have to come back and be stronger and preserve what’s important.

This community has been through a lot for many, many generations.“ What a great idea! Mayor, please join us on our grand opening day. 

asianweekly northwest

15

Proposed $1.5 million investment for AAPI community SEATTLE — Mayor Jenny A. Durkan and the Seattle City Council are proposing $1.5 million to support older adults and address the increase in hate crimes and bias aimed at the Asian American and Pacific Islander community in Seattle.

Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda said the funds “must be part of the ongoing response for actions, not just words, as we work towards systematically uprooting racism, xenophobia, and hate from our city.”

The councilmembers and Durkan are proposing to provide funds to community organizations that offer counseling and mental health support, support community coalition building, and develop innovative strategies that support community and combat hate. Grants will be available for youth-led projects that focus on issues of racism, discrimination, and bias. The City also proposes to provide support to businesses impacted by anti-Asian hate, along with funding toward crime prevention work.

“Chinese Information and Service Center (CISC) joined the Coalition Against Hate and Bias in mid-2020 in response to the rise in anti-Asian racism. With the underreporting of hate incidents and crimes, we wanted to provide linguistically and culturally appropriate services for community members to report their experiences and seek assistance,” said Michael Itti, executive director of CISC. “In addition to reporting, the coalition members can advocate together and develop community-based strategies in response to hate and bias incidents. Resources to strengthen and expand the coalition are needed to support capacity-building and the inclusion of more languages and ethnic groups.”

Additional funds will go to strategies to support community wellness and community safety, including bystander training and a public safety campaign.

“This investment will help continue to help our communities heal and move towards action,” said Maiko Winkler-Chin, executive director of Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda).

The City is also proposing to provide an additional $500,000 to AiPACE, a partnership started by International Community Health Services (ICHS), to construct a new senior care facility on North Beacon Hill.

ICHS Foundation Executive Director Heidi Wong said, “As AAPI elders continue to experience disproportionate impacts of the pandemic, compounded by anti-Asian violence which has plagued our community for generations, ICHS is committed to addressing their immediate needs while developing a long-term solution through the AiPACE project. 

Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.

chapter, told the AP that it has received a surge in donations, with an average contribution of $58.

A spike in donations often follows a highprofile event, like the Atlanta killings, that captures national attention. What remains to be seen is whether it will continue.

For Red Canary Song, an advocacy group made up of Asian and Asian American sex workers, contributions have already started to drop off, said Yin Q., an organizer with the group.

“Typically, emergency-response donors are not sustainable donors,’’ said Choimorrow, of the Women’s Forum.

“They’re generous in the moment and then move on.’’

HATE CHARGES from 3 her 10-year-old daughter to try to take a cellphone photo of the man. The woman, identified by KIRO-TV as Pamela Cole, posted about the incident on social media and a friend’s husband identified Hamner as a possible suspect.

The second woman who was accosted had a dashboard camera in her vehicle that captured the license plate of the other car, which is registered to Hamner, according to court documents. The police detective investigating the case reviewed the video and determined the

“Our challenge, not only in fundraising but across our programmatic work, is to keep interest in our cause high,’’ she added.

“This is the first time Asian American and Pacific Islander women are being heard, and we don’t want to relinquish that megaphone.’’

Sustainability in donations is particularly important for these groups because they serve an array of diverse communities, which don’t receive much philanthropic funding.

Though Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders make up nearly 6% of the U.S. population, a recent report by the advocacy organization Asian Americans/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy found that just

women’s assailant “was clearly Hamner,’’ according to the charges.

Cole, who said she identifies as part Chinese and part Malaysian, told KIRO-TV she felt like “a sitting duck’’ when Hamner approached her car, hitting his fists together and screaming at her to “Get out! Get out!’’ while spewing profanities about her Asian heritage.

“I was in complete shock. Are you talking to me?’’

Cole told the station.

“He jumps out of the car, and he’s charging at us,’’ she said. “That was the scariest part for me.“ In San Francisco, Ron Tuason, an Army veteran of

0.2% of grants from U.S. foundations went toward its communities in 2018, the latest year for which the group has adequate analysis of awarded contributions. Nearly 500 philanthropy leaders have since signed a letter calling for more support.

Patricia Eng, CEO of the group, suggested that the communities have been underfunded because of “public misconception that all Asian Americans are doing well.“ “But there is a huge wealth gap between Asians at the top and bottom,’’ she added.

In New York City, for example, the poverty rate for Asians was close to 22% in 2018, according to the city’s poverty measure. 

Filipino, Chinese and Spanish descent, told the Chronicle he was at a bus stop in the city’s Ingleside neighborhood on March 13 when Brown approached him, yelling “Get out of my country’’ before using a racial slur meant to denigrate Asian people. Tuason said Brown also said, “It’s because of you there’s a problem here.’’

Tuason, 56, said he believes Brown was referring to the coronavirus. Brown punched him multiple times, he said, knocking him to the ground. He suffered a black eye and a swollen cheek as a result of the attack and said he’s also experiencing memory loss.

Police found Brown shortly after Tuason called 911. 

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asianweekly northwest

39 YEARS

APRIL 3 – APRIL 9, 2021

to pay her tuition.

Now secretary of the Washington state chapter of the National Association of Minority Contractors (NAMC), she wanted to make sure that other immigrant and minority construction workers could continue working during the pandemic.

So she teamed up with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to distribute masks, hand sanitizers, thermometers, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) to them.

“There were sites opening back up, and without the PPE, they couldn’t go back to work,” she said.

Schiantarelli represented just one of dozens of Black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) organizations that worked with the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce to distribute PPE during the pandemic. The distribution was part of a pivot by the chamber to expand its support for small businesses while bolstering its services to minority-owned businesses.

Charlene Ung, owner of Phnom Penh Noodle House, told a local television station that the face masks had helped her save money while reopening.

During the pandemic, the chamber provided pro bono accounting services for businesses needing to tackle the complicated hurdles of obtaining federal aid through such programs as the payroll protection program (PPP). The free service is continuing and is open to BIPOC-owned businesses as well.

Other services, such as providing access to capital and loans, as well as technical support, will be “significantly” expanded in the near future with an emphasis on minority-owned businesses, said Rachel Smith, president and CEO of the chamber.

“During the pandemic, it was all hands on deck doing everything we could to help businesses stay afloat, so that everyone could come to work safely. For recovery, it is about focusing on BIPOC and minorityowned businesses,” she said in an interview.

The chamber will hire a new position to

GRANTS from 1 Award amounts will vary and will take into account previous Working Washington awards received from the Washington State Department of Commerce or affiliated partners.

The Department of Commerce opened applications for the grants on March 29 and Lori Wada of the Seattle-Washington Korean Association said they received over 60 calls on that day.

There have been three previous rounds of grants and Wada told the Northwest Asian Weekly that the Association helped 470 business owners out of more than 700 inquiries.

“When I think about it, I get very emotional,” said Eydie Forte, who is of Korean and Chinese descent, and owns Atomy Center. She was almost seven months behind in rent and had very little income.

“You feel helpless but there’s an opportunity where people are saying, ‘We’re here for you… oh my goodness, I’m so grateful to Asian Cultural Pacific Center (APCC).”

Like Seattle-Washington Korean Association, APCC is a Commerce Small Business Resiliency Network member organization that helps business owners with

Courtesy of Seattle Chamber

SEATTLE CHAMBER from 1

On July 1, Seattle Chamber staff celebrated the launch of their distribution of Safe Start Supply Kits (masks, face coverings, and sanitizer) in SODO. From left: Michael McIntyre, director of engagement, Leigh Jacobson, events and programs manager, Gabriella Buono, senior vice president of member development, Cori Lumens, creative marketing manager, Sarai Childs, executive director of the Business Health Trust

oversee expansion of its program that helps businesses stay in the area.

“We will be posting a job description and starting the hiring process very soon,” said Smith in a follow-up email. It will also continue to work with policy makers to create an environment in which business can thrive.

“The goal is to make sure there is a continuum of support for businesses so that they survive, recover, and thrive in King County, especially BIPOC-owned businesses that have historically been under-resourced and faced barriers due to racism,” Smith said. “This new direction and way of organizing to help business remain and expand will require more resources, so we are also talking to public, private, and philanthropic funders.”

Initially, the chamber helped businesses in King County through one-on-one consultation, providing information and serving as a “matchmaker” with other businesses that could potentially supply financial or other resources. During the pandemic, it has also served as a grant administrator for emergency grants from the Washington State Department of Commerce.

grant applications.

Forte received $8,000 in grants. She said to other business owners, “You need to do this (apply for the grant). I have never got any help from anyone in my life.

There is a time that you need that help so you can rise up again.”

Lua Pritchard, executive director of the APCC, said a lot of the clients APCC deals with “aren’t educated about things” and they are overwhelmed with getting paperwork together to apply for their grants.

“For those who are willing to listen and have an open mind— we can explain things to them and help them through the process.” Pritchard added, “They get very excited once they realize they have a good chance of getting some money.”

Wada said at first, it took some convincing for business owners to apply.

“A lot of them are first generation immigrants—mom and pop operations—and in addition to language barriers, there were technology barriers. Using technology was not ingrained in their daily lives.”

Additionally, there was a lack of trust.

“We didn’t know who was out there, what issues they may have, why they were hesitant to ap-

The chamber also recently endorsed an increase in sales tax in King County that will create $65 million in revenue to help people experiencing homelessness by converting emergency shelters into long-term affordable housing and funding community organizations.

Smith, who has extensive experience in government and the nonprofit sector, recently co-authored an op-ed in the Seattle Times calling for an expansion of public transportation reaching downtown, a safer environment for Black residents of the city, and more help for people experiencing homelessness.

“The prerequisite for reopening is a broader environment,” she said in the interview. “This includes fighting racism and gun violence, as well as providing public safety.”

Last year, the chamber partnered with King County to distribute 25 million mostly-cloth masks, along with hand sanitizer, gloves, thermometers, and other PPE. Some of the organizations and businesses that obtained them included the African Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Minority Contractors,

ply—it was chaotic.” Wada said clients were not used to getting help and support from the government.

Sunset Kwon is a technical assistant at Seattle-Washington State Korean Association. She said it has been rewarding to witness business owners apply and succeed because “they never thought they could do it on their own. Through this experience, they were able to gain confidence and courage.”

After successfully submitting an application, Kwon said, “We shouted and celebrated the submission together on the phone by saying ‘Good job!’”

“Once we gained confidence from the business community, we were working seven days a week, 10 hours a day,” said Wada. She estimates around 5,000 businesses statewide are owned by Koreans.

“When the chances (resources) are available, [business owners] can take the opportunities, and strengthen their survivorship in these hard times,” said Kwon.

Jamie Lee, director of community initiatives for the Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda), said business owners in the Chinatown-International District (ID)

Washington Chapter, the Seattle Latino Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, SouthEast Effective Development (SEED), and Tabor 100, according to the Seattle Chamber. Many of these organizations then redistributed them to their own members.

For instance, SEED said it distributed them to multiple minority-owned businesses.

In some cases, the PPE may have made the difference between a business staying open or not.

Schiantarelli, the secretary of the Washington chapter of the NAMC, also heads a consulting firm, Schiantarelli and Associates, that focuses on equity and inclusion for the corporate world and government, as well as small business development.

When a local hair salon was at risk of closing down, she helped the owner apply for PPE. “She’s a single shingle like me, so the loss of income would have been devastating to her household,” said Schiantarelli.

With Schiantarelli’s help, the hair stylist arranged for the PPE to be delivered to her front doorstep.

“It arrived the next day,” said Schiantarelli.

The PPE was crucial because it allowed her to remain in compliance with the state’s guidelines.

Another, much larger salon in the neighborhood that apparently did not take advantage of the same program, closed down during the time, said Schiantarelli.  The Seattle Chamber is sponsoring accounting services for small businesses in need of Paycheck Protection Program and/or Employee Retention Tax Credit assistance. These services are available to any business in the region with 100 employees or less that needs accounting assistance for either of those two programs.

Interested businesses may email Leigh Jacobson at leighj@seattlechamber.com.

Mahlon can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

were also wary in the beginning.

SCIDpda works alongside Friends of Little Saigon and Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area (CIDBIA) in helping business owners apply for these grants.

So far, 81 ID businesses received grants in three previous rounds.

“We were able to offer language assistance and walk them through the process,” said Lee. “People are a little more used to it [by now], or have younger family members that are helping them apply for these grants.”

The Washington State Legislature approved $240 million for this fourth round of grants for businesses that were forced to close, lost revenue because of closure, or had added expenses to maintain safe operations and faced significant challenges to paying hard costs. Those hard costs include, but are not limited to, rent, utilities, payroll, or personal protective equipment.

The Department of Commerce—which manages the grants—will determine awards amount based on the size of the business and lost revenue. They will distribute funds equally across the state, focusing on historically underserved and disadvantaged populations. To ensure equitable distribution,

the Department of Commerce will consider businesses in rural or low-income communities or ones that are owned by women, veterans, minorities, or members of the LGBTQ+.

Businesses must apply the grant award toward expenses incurred between March 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. Successful awardees will be notified via email by mid-May. Over the last year, Washington state has provided small businesses throughout the state with more than $125 million in grants to address the economic outfall of COVID-19.  Business owners can find information about the program and a link to the application portal at commercegrants.com.

The deadline to apply is 5 p.m. on April 9.

You can call (206) 333-0720 for assistance in Mandarin, Tagalog, or Vietnamese from 9 a.m.–2 p.m., 3–7 p.m. Monday–Friday, and 1–6 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Call (855) 602-2722 for English.

Ruth can be reached at editor@nwasianweekly.com.