PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 40 NO 23 JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE
CID leaders desperate SPD’s first for action to protect AAPI assistant residents, businesses chief demoted
Photo provided by Tony Au
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
CID community leaders and SPD’s Alternative Response Team met on May 12 to discuss safety issues in the neighborhood.
By Becky Chan NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Deng Zuolie’s award-winning painting on the charred wall looked submerged in moving water. The molten glass frame swirled like a wave obscuring the
serene watercolor scene along a river. The April 27 fire began outside the door of his shop on King Street, burnt through the entrance and caused a wee hour evacuation of residents housed above in the Gee How see CID on 12
Photo by Becky Chan
National Day of Solidarity against AAPI hate
When a Seattle police officer reached out and grabbed a pink umbrella from a protester last summer, it triggered a cataclysm of events that changed the nature of the protests. At that moment, officers released tear gas and pepper spray on the crowd. Steve Hirjak Omari Salisbury, a journalist on the ground live-streaming the events, said, “Before that, the protests had been against systemic racism, of which the Seattle police was a part. But after that, the protests were against see SPD on 11
Osaka steps out of French Open Grand Slam leaders pledge to address concerns
Fenglan Yi-Cline and husband Christopher Cline of Renton, and their children, Jackie and Anabel, were among the dozens who attended a May 31 Bellevue rally against AAPI hate.
THE INSIDE STORY
Naomi Osaka
By JIM LITKE
NAMES IN THE NEWS AAPI Heritage Night at T-Mobile Park 2
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT #AZNxBLM 6
TECHNOLOGY Ambert Yeung 8
EDITORIAL Parking discrimination? 9
Most athletes are comfortable talking about injuries, so long as they can point to a bruise, a bandage, a cast or a spot on an X-ray. Some will even venture an educated guess at how long they might take to heal. Their mental see OSAKA on 4
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39 YEARS
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
■ NAMES IN THE NEWS
Kahealani Sharpe, member of the Mariners Hometown Nine, introduced the Mariners and Rangers players over the PA during the first inning. Before the game, the Mariners presented a $2,000 check to the founders of Our Stories Are Your Stories— Mari Horita, Katherine Cheng, Betti Fujikado, Mimi Gan, and Maya Mendoza-Exstrom.
Photo by George Liu
AAPI Heritage Night at T-Mobile Park
The Paper Tigers
Hosted by James Wong, the lunch for mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell and community leaders was held at the Hong Kong Bistro on May 30. Photo by Jerry Lee
was acting mayor for five days in 2017, when Mayor Ed Murray resigned. His next fundraising event will be held at China Harbor Restaurant on June 30.
Paper Tigers cast and crew at one of the premieres. Veteran Gene Moy, 104, and friends at a suite at T-Mobile Park. Katherine Cheng, Lorena Moy, Mimi Gan, Lisa Cheung, Andrea Nakata, and Charlene Lee.
The Seattle Mariners hosted Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Night at T-Mobile Park on May 27, and spotlighted contributions of AAPIs in our region, including World War II veteran Gene Moy. The 104-year-old is among the oldest living Chinese American veterans. He served in the U.S. Army from 1941-1945 and was recently awarded a Congressional Gold Medal. Dr. Helen Chu, associate professor of medicine and public health at the University of Washington, was honored as a “Hometown Hero.” She is credited with first identifying the presence of the COVID-19 virus in Washington state. Nathan Chan, Seattle Symphony assistant principal cello, played the national anthem; Mari Horita, vice president of Community Engagement for the Seattle Kraken, threw the game’s ceremonial first pitch; and
The Paper Tigers movie, shot in Seattle, is still available to view in theaters and major digital platforms. Their premiere weekend last month was a multi-city reunion party full of lion dances and drive-ins. Purchase tickets at thepapertigersmovie.com, and continue to support and share your experiences on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and tag with #ThePaperTigers.
Luncheon for Bruce Harrell
More than 20 people attended a lunch for Seattle mayoral candidate Bruce Harrell at Hong Kong Bistro Restaurant on May 30. The former City Council president and member for three terms shared his thoughts with business and community leaders on fixing problems for both the city and Chinatown-International District. Harrell, of Japanese and Black descent, is the only Asian candidate running for the Seattle mayor seat. He
Maneki gets $40k grant
Maneki, the 117-year-old Japanese restaurant in Japantown, received $40,000 last month from a program called Backing Historic Small Restaurants. The money will go toward creating more outdoor seating and other upgrades. Since early on in the pandemic, Maneki, for the first time ever, created an online ordering system and offered takeout. In July, it launched a GoFundMe to help raise some cash. Maneki also received a loan from the federal Payroll Protection Program, in addition to a small grant from the City of Seattle and help from Puget Sound Energy on a new HVAC system.
Fully Vaccinated?
What the CDC Says You Should and Shouldn't Do Now How do I know if I am fully vaccinated? A person is fully vaccinated two weeks after you have received the second dose of the two-shot Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna
COVID-19 vaccine or a single dose of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
New recommendations for fully vaccinated
What should I do after being fully vaccinated?
It is acceptable for fully vaccinated individuals to visit your children, grandchildren or friends within a single household who are at low risk for a severe case of coronavirus without wearing a mask or needing to social distance. Fully vaccinated individuals may also visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without masking or social distancing. Quarantining or getting tested after contact with someone who has COVID-19 is not necessary, as long as no symptoms are exhibited.
Do continue precautions that have been in place during most of the pandemic. When fully vaccinated people are visiting unvaccinated people from more than one household and/or are around people who are at high risk of getting severely ill from COVID-19, they should: • Wear a well-fitted mask • Stay at least 6 feet from people they do not live with • Get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms • Follow guidance issued by individual employers
Learn more about COVID-19 vaccination at aarp.org/vaccineinfo Scan here to download free COVID-19 vaccine handbook
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
YOUR VOICE
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■ COMMUNITY HEALTH
WASHINGTON STATE COVID NEWS, UPDATES, RESOURCES AND SERVICES
COVID-19 vaccination
The COVID-19 vaccine is available to people 12 years and older. Visit vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov to find and schedule an appointment. Schedule your appointment and follow any clinic instructions. Call the hotline at 1-833-VAX-HELP (833-8294357), then press #. Language assistance is available. You can also text your zip code to 438-829 (GET VAX) or 822-862 (VACUNA) for vaccine locations near you.
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Will I Be Charged for the Vaccine?
No. You should not be charged out-of-pocket costs, or receive a bill from your provider or from the vaccination facility. This applies to people who have private insurance, have Apple Health (Medicaid), have Medicare, or are uninsured. If you get other services while you are at your provider to get vaccinated, you may get a bill for an office visit. To prevent this, you can ask your provider beforehand about cost.
What to Do If You Were Charged or Received a Bill for the COVID-19 Vaccine
If you have health insurance, contact your insurance plan first. If this doesn’t address the issue, you can also file a complaint with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. If you do not have health insurance, providers may not charge you for the vaccine and may be violating the requirements of the COVID-19 vaccine program. Please email covid.vaccine@doh.wa.gov if you get charged.
Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to get the vaccine?
vaccine. That means you do not need a social security number, or other documents with your immigration status, to get the vaccine. Some vaccine providers might ask for a social security number, but you do not have to give one. The Department of Health recommends that all people ages 12 and older get vaccinated.
What does “fully vaccinated” mean?
You are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks after you get your second shot if you had to get two doses (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or two weeks after you get a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen).
No, you do not need to be a U.S. citizen to get the
156 affordable homes designed for families break ground SEATTLE — Seattle Chinatown International District Preservation and Development Authority (SCIDpda) and Community Roots Housing have closed on the construction financing for Yesler Family Housing, a new home designed for
families at the intersection of 13th Avenue and East Yesler Way. Financing for the project, a mixed‐use building with 156 units of affordable apartments and childcare, closed on May 15. The project broke ground on May 19,
2021 and will be completed in early 2023. The Denise Louie Education Center will operate the 8,400 square‐foot childcare and early learning center on the ground floor. 2,500 square‐feet of retail space will be held for community‐based businesses
in the Central Area (Little Saigon, Yesler, Central District). “We are excited to break ground on a project that will foster a community of see HOMES on 12
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asianweekly northwest
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR JUN 5&6
PAGDIRIWANG PHILIPPINE FESTIVAL Seattle Center
1 p.m. festalpagdiriwang.com
9
NISEI” Via Zoom 5:30-6:30 p.m. Pre-registration required https://bit.ly/3eYYzQ612
A BOOK TALK WITH AUTHORS DR. LISA HOFFMAN AND DR. MARY HANNEMAN, “BECOMING
OSAKA from 1 health is a different story. Or at least it was before Naomi Osaka ended a damaging standoff with top tennis officials by withdrawing from the French Open, citing concerns for her well-being. It marked the first time a major star walked away from a major tournament without a visible injury. “When someone tears an ACL, it’s 6-8 months, we know the time frame. And like with everything else in life, we want a finite number. But that’s not how mental health works,” said Dr. Wendy Borlabi, a Chicago-based performance psychologist who works with pro, Olympic and college athletes. The leaders of the four Grand Slam tournaments reacted on June 1 to Osaka’s stunning withdrawal by promising to address players’ concerns about mental health. The pledge came in a statement signed by the same four tennis administrators who threatened the possibility of disqualification or suspension for Osaka if she continued to skip news conferences. The four-time major champion and No. 2-ranked player was fined $15,000 when she didn’t speak to reporters after her first-round victory at Roland Garros on May 30. The following day, Osaka pulled out of the tournament entirely, saying she experiences “huge waves of anxiety” before meeting with the media and revealing she has “suffered long bouts of depression.” Osaka, a 23-year-old who was born in Japan and moved with her family to the U.S. at age 3, said she would “take some time away from the court now, but when the time is right I really want to work with
39 YEARS
the Tour to discuss ways we can make things better for the players, press and fans.” “On behalf of the Grand Slams, we wish to offer Naomi Osaka our support and assistance in any way possible as she takes time away from the court. She is an exceptional athlete and we look forward to her return as soon as she deems appropriate,” a June 1 statement from those in charge of the French Open, Wimbledon, U.S. Open and Australian Open said. “Mental health is a very challenging issue, which deserves our utmost attention. It is both complex and personal, as what affects one individual does not necessarily affect another. We commend Naomi for sharing in her own words the pressures and anxieties she is feeling and we empathize with the unique pressures tennis players may face.” Mental-health specialists who work in sports remind the rest of us that the visibility afforded athletes is both a blessing and a curse. There’s precious little privacy, and every doctor’s note seeking time off scrutinized like a tax return. Imagine having a bad day at work and then sitting down in front of a dozen microphones to explain in detail how and why it happened, over and over. That’s why those same specialists note that by the time an athlete is acting out, the injury has already occurred. “That’s the challenge with mental health in sports,” said Dr. Ross Flowers, a San Diego based sports psychologist whose client list also includes Olympians and several pro and college teams. “Athletes get attention precisely because they’re above average, and sometimes it’s easy to forget they’re humans first. They’re supposed to be
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HAIKU CONTEST IS OPEN TO ANYONE ANYWHERE For details, go to japanfairus.org/haiku-contest Deadline is June 12, 11:59 p.m.
VIRTUAL TOMODACHI GALA Online via youtube.com/user/JCCCWA 7-7:45 p.m.
dominant and not show vulnerability, yet in most cases we don’t learn they’re struggling until it shows up in their behavior,” he added. “That’s why what Naomi did was brave. She was proactive. She recognized something was holding her back and said, “I want to be at my best and I can’t be that at the moment.’” Whether Osaka’s example and a growing public awareness about mental health issues encourage athletes facing similar problems to more forcefully speak out, the people running sports would do well to prepare.
While most of Osaka’s contemporaries defended the requirement that players engage with the media to help grow the game, no more than a handful actually enjoy the give-and-take dynamic. And right on time came further proof that media obligations can be damaging to a player’s health. No. 11 seed Petra Kvitova, herself a two-time major champion, announced she, too, had withdrawn from the tournament after falling and twisting her ankle on the way back from—what else?— “my post-match press requirements.”
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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. Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission. 412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com
YOUR VOICE
■ PUBLISHER’S BLOG
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
asianweekly northwest
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b jo r u o y ’ in v lo r e m Sum OR INTERNSHIP
By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
My first culture shock in America happened while working my summer jobs. I was an international student from Hong Kong. My experiences could be lessons for youth hunting for summer jobs. Last April, unemployment rates hit 6.1% (9.8 million unemployed) nationwide. This month, most businesses are hiring although the unemployment numbers are not out for June 2021. This is great news for the general population, especially the younger generation. Summer jobs should not be hard to find. The issue is, many young people view jobs differently from my generation. They expect not just a job, but meaningful internships with good pay, and possibilities to grow and meet interesting and important people. There’s nothing wrong with being goal-oriented. But you are missing out on a lot if you set your mind only on building your future through financial reward and networking opportunities. Some just set their sights on office jobs, and wouldn’t even consider manual labor jobs.
The interview
I never had a job interview before I came to America. The interview helped me to think on my feet. Some business owners asked, “Do you have experience?” I would lie. Yes, I sold clothes in a Hong Kong department store. Yes, I was a waitress in Hong Kong. No one would have the time to verify my life in Hong Kong. Over five decades ago, we were not required to fill out a job application. I was grateful to many of these restaurant managers who hired me because some of them knew they were hiring a novice. “Have you carried heavy things before?” “Yes, no!” I fumbled in my response. They trained me how to hold a large tray with eight plates by practicing with two phone books on one hand. “Do you know how to serve cocktails?” Not very often. The truth was, no. I had never served drinks. Then, came the hard question. “Are you over 21?” No, I didn’t want to lie because I could get caught. I was surprised the restaurant owners were willing to take the risk. “When those people (liquor investigators) came for your I.D.
(identification card), hide,” was the advice. Serving liquor is a must to earn higher tips. Most diners tip according to the check amount. I was shocked to learn how much someone can drink—three to four beers, or three to four glasses of wine and other hard liquor without batting an eyelid. All waitresses were entitled to a free drink every night after work. Did I take advantage of it? My colleagues said I was dumb for not doing so. No one appreciated my innocence and character. Greed was not my desire. Waitressing has its own benefits, despite the hard work, especially when the restaurant is packed. All the tips I counted every night delighted me so much that the pain in my feet from standing so much faded. The amount of tips I made every night proved that I was a really great waitress. My customers always enjoyed their meals with my service. The people I worked with were friendly. Sometimes, they bullied me by having me serve the stingy customers who wouldn’t tip. But I did my best to charm these misers with my great service, so they tipped me. It might be just a few quarters, but it gave me satisfaction and the confidence I needed to deal with difficult people. And the free meals the restaurants provided were a bonus. Every penny I saved, paid for the new school year. In my first summer in America, I had six different jobs. My first job was working 15 hours a week at a department store’s fountain. I sold ice cream and milkshakes, and had to wash the fountain machine before closing the store. It was not a fun job, even though I could eat free ice cream. I didn’t mind the work. But the schedule was lousy, working only five hours a day and riding the bus for 40 minutes to get to the store. I quit after two weeks when I found other jobs.
focus on waitressing jobs—working at two different restaurants at two split shifts—I worked one during lunch hours and the other for dinner. I was also lucky I found an American host family who paid for my room and board. I saved a lot of money during my first summer in America.
I was so happy to have jobs. I didn’t mind manual labor at all. The whole summer, I learned more about work ethic, people skills, team spirit, and managing my finances. It was a proof of independence with the ability to handle my own money. One restaurant chef-owner treated me like his daughter. He cooked me a piece of steak when the other four wait staff and hostess left. It was the first time in my life I realized someone outside my family treated me special. If you are the boss and see someone doing a great job, how do you make that person feel special?
see BLOG on 10
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My life revolved around sleeping and working so I didn’t have time to spend money. The most underpaid job was being a babysitter, $1.25 an hour. I took care of a baby. It was not an easy job and more employers had taken advantage of childcare workers by underpaying them. I wasn’t prepared to clean up that much poop in one day. And I didn’t think the parents appreciated me as much as the other employers. It was my least favorite job during the summer. After that experience, I decided to
Another lesson for college students is to respect the contributions of the working class. Elitists often categorize physical laborers as the lower rank of society. Well, without them, there would be no one to wash dishes, cut and toss salads, or cook in restaurants. Think about the chaos it would bring if their dishwashers and other kitchen personnel quit. Likewise with hotels without the housekeeping and maintenance staff. My American host family owned a lumber yard, and my host father required his 11-yearold son to work in his yard during the summer in 1971. He paid him $1 an hour (equivalent to $6.95 now) for sweeping the floor. Every evening, the little guy was exhausted and his face was sunburnt from working outdoors all day. He never complained and felt proud of his contributions. Knowing that he was the boss’ son, he had to set an example. You might say the father was mean. The father was simply teaching his son to appreciate the value of hard work. It’s a characterbuilding tool. I met other youth doing fun jobs with little pay in my first summer. One was building a road in a national park. She said she didn’t make a lot of money, but she got to work in nature. Job satisfaction is a wonderful benefit.
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asianweekly northwest
39 YEARS
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
#AZNXBLM TWO MINORITIES UNITE IN ART AND ACTIVISM By Andrew Hamlin NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Kristin Leong
Getting Blacks and Asian Americans to come together, in art and in activism, isn’t the easiest thing in the world. But Seattle’s Kristin Leong, an author, activist, and KUOW radio producer, has a long history with both practices. She felt a cultural and political need for the two sides to come together, to complete the collection of works she calls “#AZNxBLM.” The resulting collaborations will roll out through the Slants Foundation website, theslants. org/aznxblm, #AZNxBLM—The Slants Foundation; and also Leong’s own website, RockPaperRadio.com. “When I published the call for #AZNxBLM proposals, we were one year into surging anti-Asian hate crimes
Boston-based family band Shimokita Bam Bam. From left: Junko Harris, Kari Harris, and Philip Harris. For #AZNxBLM, they produced an original song and music video. Photo credit: Junko and Philip Harris
around the world, and one week ahead of the Atlanta spa shooting in March,” said Leong. “I was feeling like I had been shouting in the wind for a year trying to draw attention to the fact that our Asian community— especially our elders—were facing real fear and danger in the wake of the then-president’s ‘Kung Flu’ and ‘China Virus’ rhetoric.” She learned a few painful truths from interviewing
her own father. “My dad’s a tough guy—he was a boxer and prone to fights and troublemaking in general in his youth. So it was especially heartbreaking to interview him, and learn that he was feeling afraid for himself when he went grocery shopping, and also for me because much of my public-facing work is focused on race and equity.” Leong was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, to a Chinese father and a white mother. Moving to Washington state in elementary school proved quite a culture shock. She wasn’t used to a mostlywhite suburb. Her sister and herself made two of the very few biracial kids in the
entire community. She was the first in her family to graduate from college, completing her undergraduate at Sarah Lawrence college in Yonkers, New York, and a graduate degree at Seattle’s Antioch University. Settling in Seattle, she see #AZNXBLM on 10
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
YOUR VOICE
■ ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
asianweekly northwest
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Silk Sonic being heartthrobs and Sandra Oh repeatedly crushing the dreams of suburban moms! A-POP! ASIAN-Y POP CULTURE NEWS FOR INQUISITIVE MINDS! By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
in California to a Korean mom who also has Black heritage. (He also happens to be married to a Korean American woman.) So cool, right? Off the top of my head, I just cannot think of another Asian American music act with this kind of influence of clout. I also just love how they represent the diversity and breadth of the Asian American identity.
It’s almost the summer of the Covid vaccine, and I’m real excited for it. It’s gonna be the summer of real sexy bangers because we can go outside now! It’s gonna be the summer where Sandra Oh just murders it while making us laugh. And it will also probably be the summer of the same ol’ sinister low-key racism that happens every day in pop culture. But first, here’s the good stuff.
Meet Silk Sonic: new Asian duo for the most ardent fangirl inside of you Undoubtedly by now, you must’ve heard “Leave The Door Open” on the radio or streaming station or from your kid’s iPad or however you get clued in on the latest jams—and I know you, like I did, swayed along nostalgically to Bruno Mars’ buttery smooth vocals the first time you heard it. “Leave The Door Open” is a collaboration between Mars and his pal,
OMG, give it up, suburban moms—Sandra Oh is not coming back to your show Anderson .Paak, a singer, songwriter, rapper (and more). With their powers combined, they created a yet-to-bereleased album and became Silk Sonic. It’s that classic American story of two wildly talented people of color coming together to create something even greater than themselves. But did you also know that Silk Sonic is basically an Asian American music duo! Like, for real, I did the math for us. Fun facts! Mars was born in Hawaii to a Puerto Rican and Jewish dad and a Filipina mom. Anderson .Paak was born
Once upon a time, Sandra Oh was doing a lot of interesting work on the indie circuit before she scored a role as a hyper-achieving, ultra-competitive BAMF on a super popular medical show based in Seattle. Then after a billion seasons doing the same ol’ thing on “Grey’s Anatomy,” Oh decided it was time to move on and do different stuff, like winning Golden Globes. A lot of “Grey’s Anatomy” fans can’t get over it because they like consistency and for people to be frozen in time and to never grow or something—because
Oh constantly gets asked if she will come back to a show that she left nearly a decade ago. It’s gotten to the point where she had to constantly lay down real talk. On the LA Times’ Asian Enough podcast, Oh stated, “In some ways, you do your work as a bubble and you let it go. I left that show, my God, seven years ago almost. So in my mind, it’s gone. But for a lot see A-POP on 9
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asianweekly northwest
39 YEARS
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
■ TECHNOLOGY Former Stanford gymnast creates platform to view meets during pandemic By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Ambert Yeung
Ambert Yeung grew up in New Jersey, born to parents that moved to the United States from Hong Kong. Coming from an immigrant background, sports was not in his parents’ mind, but he found success in gymnastics. In light of the shutdown of live events, he spearheaded an online platform, Virtius, that gives fans the ability to see gymnastics performances. “My parents were classic immigrants,” said Yeung regarding the priorities in a young child’s life. “Education was number 1, sports were cool but that was number 5 behind education (again) as 2 and 3, and music.” In addition to a focus on academics, Yeung played the violin. He recalled that he started out in gymnastics at the YMCA. With the recognition that he was good at it, Yeung focused on gymnastics as a youth. However, he quit the sport at age 17 after an injury and focused on college. He went west to Stanford and still wanting to be a part of gymnastics, Yeung enrolled in an adult gymnastics class. The head gymnastics coach at the time noticed that Yeung was not like the other people taking the class, and offered him a nonscholarship roster spot on the Stanford men’s team. Yeung was able to compete during his junior and senior years. “It left a big impression,” said Yeung of his stint with the Stanford gymnastics team. He was able to travel and compete and eventually received a scholarship as a result. Yeung earned a bachelor of science and master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Stanford. Throughout the course of his career, he spent time as an engineering project manager at Apple and worked in China. He started his own business developing state of the art computer software and applications. With the pandemic shutdown in 2020, Yeung recognized that the return to sports, specifically gymnastics, would create unique obstacles for family, friends, and fans that would want to watch. “There are a lot of these sports that don’t have the resources that can capture the video and show it.” Yeung advised that filming gymnastics would be easy with minimal movement of cameras. As a result, Virtius was created. The online competition software, provided to the NCAA and GymACT (Gymnastics Association of College Teams), gave
the ability to compete virtually from their respective home gyms. This would address the concern over traveling as none of the athletes would have to leave home. During the pandemic, the head gymnastics coach at Stanford asked Yeung about ways to help the program. Notably, Stanford cut 11 athletic programs due to the lack of funding. Yeung believes the only reason that gymnastics was not cut was due to the fact that they were National Champions the year prior. But there was a concern that the shutdown would allow for institutions to put an end to athletic programs like gymnastics. Yeung, who had been ‘playing around’ with filming sports using an iPhone or iPad, believed that he could do something for gymnastics. He believed that he could produce a product for gymnastics. The concept was to use iPhones to shoot gymnastic performances that occurred in separate venues due to COVID-19. All of the performances would be shown and accessed through the platform’s web site. “I made this mock up,” Yeung said about Virtius, he was told by his coach that if he could film the meets, he could. “There was no budget,” Yeung said of his idea-turned reality. He spent three months prior to the start of the gymnastics season doing heavy engineering. Teams stream their gymnastics routines utilizing the platform, and compete in the same lineups as they would in any traditional meet. Judges would score the routines live from anywhere in the country, and immediately submit it in real time. Each team had an in-person meet referee present to ensure all competition standards were met. The scores and results of these meets hold the exact same weight as any in-person competition. There was no charge for viewing the competitions. There were some obstacles at the beginning. Without an actual crew on site, an individual had to be in charge of placing the iPhone in the correct area. There was detailed pre-planning for every event and they have modeled sites in CAD (computer-aided design) to ensure that they were aware of the space they will be shooting. Still, practical issues persisted, including people bumping into the iPhone, knocking it away from the action, and batteries running on empty. But the product was fine. “We used iPhone 11s on everything and the picture quality was amazing in video,” the former Apple employee said. “We wanted to simplify and standardize the stream. Quality and consistency of angles were important, as well as the reliability of the stream.” Personal iPhone 11s were used at each venue and despite the reliance on a personal cellular phone, they were never hard to find. They attached the phones to consumer grade tripods and told the person at the venue to just hit record and let it go. The extremely low-budget endeavor produced quality content and was wellreceived by those that viewed the stream. They were able to get gymnastics experts to come onto the stream and talk about what they saw after an event, which added to the content.
Virtius in action in a recent international competition.
Past the pandemic, Yeung sees the company continuing with streaming, and hopes the platform can facilitate live scoring, streaming, and judging. “Virtius for the future will be focused on delivering high quality virtual based competitions by introducing new formats of play and by expanding to other parts of the sport that could benefit from the increased opportunity for competition.”
Yeung said, “Virtius is open to continuing to pilot with [the NCAA], and to evaluate more broadly how our product and service benefits each sport in their entire ecosystem, not just at the collegiate level.” Visit Virtius at virti.us. Jason can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
YOUR VOICE
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
asianweekly northwest
■ EDITORIAL Parking discrimination?
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It felt like a step toward normalcy in a post-pandemic world. Visitors swarmed the Chinatown-International District (ID) over the Memorial Day weekend, bringing crowds that have been missing for a better part of a year, since COVID-19 arrived in Washington state and the U.S. Those crowds—a welcome sight for local businesses that have been struggling to stay afloat—were spared the hike in on-street parking rates—which increased on June 1. The ID has the most expensive rate at $2.50 per hour in the afternoon, higher than any other neighborhood in the city. Despite the Seattle Department of Transportation saying that parking prices will remain below prepandemic levels, this feels discriminatory.
The communities in the ID have been historically marginalized and excluded by discriminative laws, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1882 and Japanese incarceration. ID businesses saw a dramatic drop in business as early as last January, even before the first coronavirus case was documented here. Business owners were fighting not just fear, but anti-Asian sentiment. Then came last summer’s police protests that spilled into the ID and splinter groups causing more damage, and there’s the ongoing issue of encampments and visitors having to navigate their way through trash, needles, and human waste, if they want to patronize a business here. We are a vital part of the Seattle community and the City should reconsider the parking rates for our district. Since the pandemic, we appreciate that SDOT has
designated several spots for restaurant and retail curbside pick-up. Ethan Bergerson, a spokesperson for SDOT, told The Seattle Times that ideally, parking should be expensive enough so that there are one to two open spots on every block, but not so expensive that nearby businesses are hurt. Businesses in the ID will be hurt. People who want to visit the ID will be turned off by the parking fees— which are higher than all of Seattle. We need all the help we can get and we urge the City to re-think its policies. We need thoughtful planning, programs, and budgeting to reduce disparities and achieve equitable outcomes for all populations—especially marginalized populations like the ID.
A-POP from 7
In a few interesting ways, you’d think that voice acting would be a good industry for BIPOC performing artists to get into because in voice acting, the artistry and work is concentrated in the voice, which means there doesn’t need to be racist conversations about an actor’s mainstream appeal or marketability to American audiences. However, notable animated voice roles nearly always get taken by bigger name white actors, even when the characters are not white. “As far as we can tell, it’s not moving anymore product,” Yu told IndieWire. “No one went to go see ‘Ponyo’ because Miley Cyrus’ little sister was in it.” “I have my foot in the door now,” Gann said. “[But] it’s still a hard push to make myself a permanent fixture amongst that group. … You just have to earn that trust and a lot of the time it’s harder for BIPOCs and women to make that leap.” It’s sad. It sounds like this arena is also rife with the same ol’ BS that permeates just about all other industries.
Johnson, who is Samoan American and also Black. Fourteen! That’s nearly a third of all the movies! “There just aren’t enough roles for [Pacific Islanders] and Asian actors in general,” Yuen told NBC News. “And that’s why we see The Rock so many times. We don’t see anyone else, because it’s coming from behind the scenes. It’s the storytellers, the people who are greenlighting the
of people, it’s still very much alive. And while I understand and I love it, I have moved on.” Instead of coming back to “Grey’s,” Oh is starring in stuff like “The Chair,” an upcoming Netflix comedy series airing Aug. 27. It’s about a Korean American professor who becomes the first woman and person of color appointed to be chair of the English department. And obvs she’s going to deal with some real white shit in her new job, with hilarious aplomb. (That’s not in any synopsis I read, I’m just extrapolating like a wizard who can see into the future.) About her new work, Oh has this to say about it: “Please come with me to ‘Killing Eve’ and on to ‘The Chair’ and on to the other projects. Come see the characters that I’m playing that are much more deeply integrated in … the Asian American experience.” You heard her! Go with her!
Why are white people still voicing all the anime? Ingrained societal racism! That’s why! This might shock you, but did you know that white people are still taking everything? Even stuff that’s originally made by Asians? IndieWire ran a really interesting interview with Emi Lo, Apphia Yu, and Shawn Gann—three voice actors who work for Funimation, an anime entertainment company who dubs and distributes media from East Asia.
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OMG, can’t believe I’m saying this, but we need to see less of all-around amazing person Dwayne Johnson Okay, two smart people, Nancy Wang Yuen and Stacy L. Smith, did a study that showed that only 3.4% of Hollywood movies feature an Asian American or Pacific Islander lead over a 13-year span—that’s 44 movies. And Yuen and Smith said that of those 44 movies, a whopping 14 of them starred Dwayne “The Rock”
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson
projects.” When Yeun says it’s coming from behind the scenes, she means that only 3.5% of directors from the past 13 years were AAPI—and of that, only three were women. Additionally, only 2.5% percent of producers were AAPI and only 3.3% of casting directors were AAPI. That’s bleak. But also, we can kind of comfort ourselves with the fact that Hollywood movies hemorrhaged money in 2020 because of a pandemic and also because it’s just an old fossil—and that more and more often, young people are grabbing their entertainment and media from social media and smaller streaming outfits, places where we are seeing more diversity in representation. Stacy Nguyen can be reached at stacy@nwasianweekly.com.
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JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
39 YEARS
CLASSIFIEDS EMPLoyMENT
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BLOG from 5
Use a career counseling service
In Hong Kong, my only summer job was tutoring. I took shorthand classes and learned typing on my own, while thinking about becoming a secretary. The role models around me were housewives, secretaries, teachers, and nurses. There was nothing in my environment inspiring me to dream differently. Although my high school was one of the most prestigious then, there were no careerpreparation classes or counselors to help students chart their future. Anyone in Hong Kong who wanted to have career counseling or study overseas for college had to pay thousands of U.S. dollars for those services. Even now, many Asian countries, including Hong Kong, do not provide career counseling in their education system. American kids have taken these free programs for granted in their high schools. Some never take advantage of career programs. Sad! There was no one (except my 4th grade teacher) asking us, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” She asked us to write an essay on the topic because the conventional thinking for girls was to get married, not careers. Girls were not perceived as leaders during my youth. Now, girls are doing amazing things to
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taught for seven years, joined Town Hall Seattle as curator and residency program manager, then went to KUOW as a producer. The #AZNxBLM project started off with funding from a surprising source, to Leong, at least. “I found out in early February that I was one of 300 people from seven different countries who had been selected by TED (Technology, Entertainment, and Design Conferences) to receive $10,000, no strings attached, as part of their ‘Mystery Experiment.’ “I knew from the start that I wanted to use a significant part of this money to give back to the community, and support values I believe in. Amplifying underrepresented voices is at the heart of all of my work, and I knew that a creative community can always accomplish more than any individual, so developing a project that brought together artists around a shared mission made sense to me... I was determined to use my voice and these resources, to try to make the world a little safer—not just for individuals experiencing fear, discrimination, and racism, but also safer for complex conversations around solidary and equity.” The project mission statement Leong created reads, “#AZNxBLM is calling for solidarity and collaboration between members and allies of our Asian community and the Black Lives Matter movement. We are pro-community and anti-racist. We believe in the power of art and the insights of outsiders. We are cautiously but fiercely optimistic.” The finished results gather together artists from all across America, but local faces include writer Mellina White, visual artist Sophia Trinh, mixed media artist Moses Sun, communication designer Tân Nguyen, radio producer Diana
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prepare themselves to lead. As leaders, you have to understand the people working for you, including the janitors, plumbers, construction workers, and even garbage workers, to understand a full picture of your organization. How can you motivate them to use their full potential to support your goals? How can you keep your people long-term? If you had done some of those jobs in your early career, those experiences might help you to manage your workforce better. When the pandemic hit, many businesses shut down and laid off many of their employees. Now, COVID is almost over and businesses are starting to reopen, and they don’t enough workers. One of my business Findhave NWAW on Find NWAW on friends social lamented that he couldn’tsocial fill media his openings. media on on And heFacebook, blamed Twitter the government forFacebook, giving too much in Twitter Instagram! unemployment benefits, so people are Instagram! not keen to return to work. It could be true for some of them, but not all. Last March, I could have laid off some employees during the pandemic. Half of our advertisers left. I decided to cut down the newspapers’ size instead of laying off people. I hate to say, it did affect our printers, who had to lay off 20% of their staff as other papers eliminated their print version for months. It’s challenging to face the pandemic, and lose jobs simultaneously. As an employer now, we worked hard to
#AZNXBLM from 6
KING CoUNTy DISTRICT CoURT STATE oF WASHINGToN EAST DIVISIoN, BELLEVUE CoURTHoUSE Khaled Youssef Ali, Petitioner Julie Renee Novak, Respondent No. 21CIV22286KCX oRDER oN MoTIoN Having considered the motion, pleadings, record in this case, and any arguments of the parties, the Court finds: The requirements of RCW 26.50.085 have been met. Law enforcement has been unable to complete service because there is no addresss for the Respondent that is known to law enforcement. Petition has stated valid reason to believe Respondent is hiding to avoid service. There is no known address for Respondent, so the server cannot deposit the summons and order in the post office. It appears, based on Petitioner’s testimony regarding service of process, and on the petition, that reasonable grounds exist to believe Repond is concealing herself to avoid service, and that future attempts at personal service would be futile. Accordingly, it is oRDERED: Petitioner is authorized to serve by publication per RCW 26.50.085 - Judge Michael J Finkle 5/28/21
keep our people during the last 15 months. While some businesses now have the headache of finding workers, we are one of the few businesses who don’t have that problem. We have the same team before and after COVID. Our employees are committed to producing newspapers with great content—print and online. With remote work, my employees enjoy their jobs more than ever with the freedom, flexibility, and time to do what they want. I hate what the pandemic has done to the world, but it does present many of us with unusual gifts under devastating circumstances. For those of you looking for jobs now, you have a lot more choices and perhaps better pay and benefits. For kids who are over 16 that play all summer, and do nothing, are spoiled. Just playing video games all day isn’t a solution for youth to spend the summer. Now the pandemic is almost over, young people should look for volunteering opportunities or learn new skills, even if they don’t have a summer job. Cultivate a purpose during the long break and make it fun to achieve your goals. Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
Opong, photo essayist B Merikle, and writer/ photographer/editor Shin Yu Pai in collaboration with poet and musician Ibrahim Arsalan. Asked about the future of such collaborations, Leong elaborated, “My hope is that this first round of 14 #AZNxBLM projects for 2021’s Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, is just one part of the start of a much larger conversation about Asian and Black solidarity. My hope is also that this project ends up supporting not just the #StopAAPIHate and #BlackLivesMatter movements, but also that it serves as an invitation and entry point into active
allyship for people who are not part of our API or Black communities. “I believe in the power of art to bring people together around hard conversations. I also believe that those hard conversations are the first step to taking action.” Andrew can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 4.
YOUR VOICE
■ ASTROLOGY
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
asianweekly northwest
11
Predictions and advice for the week of June 5–11, 2021 By Sun Lee Chang
Rat—It can be difficult to change gears quickly. If possible, ease in gradually rather than rushing it.
Dragon—A strategic move is not always the best one. There are other considerations that might mean more to you.
Monkey—Limited experience could be holding you back. Search out opportunities to learn what you lack.
Ox—An old idea has resurfaced, but this time around, you have the resources to turn that concept into reality.
Snake—Tempted by the options available to you? A relatively basic one could end up being the most satisfying.
Rooster—The sweet taste of success can be quite intoxicating. There is a price to pay if you continue on.
Tiger—Your unsolicited assistance could be perceived as interference. Despite your good intentions, ask first before stepping in.
Horse—Are you and your partner approaching the same issue from different angles? Thankfully, it is actually a blessing in disguise.
Dog—Sorting through the noise to find what matters can be a challenge. Start with listening to your own inner voice.
Rabbit—Even though there are outward similarities, don’t assume that carries over to what lies under the surface.
Goat—Although you are eager to push the conversation forward, avoid interrupting the speaker in order to do so.
Pig—With an eye toward the future, focus on the long-term results as opposed to immediate gains.
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, 2021 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.
SPD from 1 the police itself.” Now, another casualty from that day is Steve Hirjak, then assistant police chief, now demoted to captain. As cries for police accountability have rung around the country, different narratives have emerged about who precisely was responsible for the escalation of violence. Was it the officer who grabbed the pink umbrella? Was it the lieutenant on the scene who apparently gave the order to disperse the crowd using tear gas and pepper spray? Or was it Hirjak, the incident commander who, according to others, may have been the one ultimately responsible for overall tactics? The Office of Police Accountability, whose investigators are primarily police officers that rotate in for relatively short-term assignments, dismissed charges against the officer who actually pulled the umbrella. Although the OPA found that the incident apparently triggered the escalation, its investigation determined that because the officer did not presume that his actions would have that effect, he should not be held accountable. “He told OPA that, based on prior experience at the protests, he did not expect the seizure of the umbrella to provoke the level of crowd response that it did. He further stated that, on several prior occasions, officers under his command were able to seize and, at times, destroy umbrellas without any comparable crowd reaction,” said the report. Instead, the OPA found the lieutenant on the scene responsible, faulting his decision to disperse a crowd that was on the whole not bent on violence against the police. But last month, Chief Adrian Diaz chose not to act on its recommendation. (The OPA may issue recommendations, but the SPD is not required to accept them.) Instead, Diaz chose to demote Hirjak. In an interview with the Asian Weekly, Diaz said he was looking at the totality of the events that happened
that weekend, which included the destruction of the ChinatownInternational District. “We are committed to making sure our CID community is safe, we really hope all our people are engaged in the community.” Diaz said he was not trying to scapegoat anyone but was responding to nationwide calls for reform. “This is not about me as a chief, but it’s about a cultural shift, it’s about holding people accountable at the highest level.” When Hirjak was elevated to assistant chief in late 2018, the Asian American Pacific Island (AAPI) community celebrated him as the first AAPI to reach that level in SPD history. Hirjak’s mother was Korean. At the time, community leader Frank Irigon wrote an email to then police chief Carmen Best, thanking her and saying that the late community leader Al Sugiyama “is very happy and giving high fives in heaven.” Contacted by the Asian Weekly, Irigon said he had not been aware of Hirjak’s demotion. But he suggested that in the end, the outcome was due to the outsize influence of the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild (SPOG), which comprises officers and sergeants. “I was surprised that it happened. My question was why Diaz reversed an OPA decision to hold one officer responsible then put that on Steve’s shoulder. As if Steve was responsible for Capitol Hill and the CID. What about [former Police Chief] Carmen [Best]? Diaz and the rest of the officers? Why was Steve being sacrificed? It’s time for a change. It appears SPOG is still in charge of the SPD,” he said in an email. Hirjak, in an interview with Asian Weekly, was unable to comment directly on the situation. “Unfortunately I can’t defend myself because of department policy,” he said. Several days after being demoted, Hirjak said he attended a function at the African American Community Advisory Council and shared a story about when he first arrived at the
academy. “Some of my classmates said I was just another EEOC [Equal Employment Opportunity Commission] hire, but I had out tested many of them.”. “There are stereotypes that Asians are more accepting of structure and willing to go along with their role,” Hirjak said. “This does result in treatment I’ve experienced, for instance when someone says, ‘give it to Steve, he’ll do what he’s told, he won’t rock the boat.” The son of an Air Force meteorologist, Hirjak and his family moved around the country as he grew up, living in Maine, Arizona, Hawaii, Virginia, Las Vegas, L.A., and Atlanta. When he joined the Air Force himself, he was stationed in Southern California and then in Nevada. He experienced his share of racism, but nowhere was it as bad as in Seattle, he said, despite its reputation for being a progressive city. “When I was promoted to assistant chief, other departments around the country had had Asian command staff since the 1970s,” he said. Hirjak described himself as someone who advanced through hard work and being willing to tackle anything. While he was in the Air Force, he applied for early release to join the SPD, but was required to stay because of his skills to help fight computer hackers. “But I wanted to be a cop. I had a strong sense of wanting to be a protector,” he said. When his mother died, in Las Vegas, he was both dealing with the aftermath of a major shooting in which a dozen officers were investigated and in the middle of contract negotiations for the city seeking multi-million-dollar data analytics support. “I was on the team, if something had gone wrong, it would have given grounds to the bidders to file a lawsuit if they didn’t get it.” Hirjak chose to stay and handle the complex situations rather than go to his mother’s funeral. In uniform, he has experienced countless incidents of racism, but it has
been his experiences out of uniform that have seemed the most appalling. Standing in line at a Fred Meyer recently, the checkout clerk let three white men simply swipe their credit cards and pass through. But when it came to a Black man, just in front of him, she checked his ID, required he show his credit card, and eyed him with suspicion. Hirjak faced the same treatment. But his 27 years on the force have left him with a feeling of satisfaction. He was given an award for rescuing a kidnapped mother and child. He arrested murderers, helped stop gang violence on Aurora Avenue, and said he was especially good at finding kids who had run away from home. “I’ve had a career that no matter what happens, when I’m at the end of my time, I can say I’ve truly helped people.” Mahlon can be contacted at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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39 YEARS
JUNE 5 – JUNE 11, 2021
Photo by Becky Chan
Oak Tin Family Association building. Boarded up and awaiting insurance assessment, Deng’s art studio and gallery has been the target of at least three breakins since the fire. Each time, thieves pried open the plywood or broke a lock and took what was left. Deng spoke of his plight at a May 12 community meeting at Hong Kong Bistro in the Chinatown-International District (CID). The luncheon was sponsored by Hop Sing Tong and organized by a group of CID leaders out of desperation to protect their beloved neighborhood. The meeting united businesses, plus more than 20 fraternal organizations, family and benevolent associations to strategize for a solution. Officers from Seattle Police Department (SPD)’s Alternative Response Team attended and listened to the group’s concerns. A follow-up meeting at Hop Sing Tong on May 23 was attended by 50 community members. “We want to show our community that we care. We love our seniors, and we want to do something for them,” said Faye Hong, a senior himself who has spent 65 years doing business in Chinatown. He was also one of the organizers of the meetings. The new safety patrol will comprise students of the Mak Fai Kung Fu Dragon and Lion Dance Association and volunteers. Four or five patrol members will walk the blocks in Chinatown together. The focus beat is Chinatown center, which includes Fifth Avenue, King, Jackson, and Weller Streets, and up to I-5 every night, every hour from 5 to 9 p.m. Other areas such as Little Saigon and Japantown won’t be patrolled. Hop Sing Tong is donating 30 green and red “Chinatown Safety Patrol” vests. Not to be confrontational, the patrol will call 911 if appropriate. The pilot project beginning June 1 will test its effectiveness for two to three months. “[SPD] told us [the victims] to call 911. We used to call and 5 minutes later, somebody would show up. Now, when we call 911, we probably won’t even get anybody. Maybe half an hour later, we might get a case number,” said Hong, who wanted a more immediate response to those in need. The CID has suffered multiple setbacks that began with the pandemic, continued with the subsequent unrest in downtown that bled into CID, and persisted with the current rise in anti-Asian hate crimes. Many businesses are still boarded up, some permanently closed. With businesses shuttered, there is less pedestrian traffic. Fewer eyes are on the streets. On Feb. 25, Noriko Nasu and her boyfriend were brutally attacked with a rock-filled sock not far from Deng’s art studio near 7th and King. Despite Nasu being Asian and singled out by the perpetrator, the aggravated assault was not considered a hate crime. On May 18, SPD arrested a man involved in 14 purse-snatchings between April 8 and May 11, targeting elderly Asian women at Asian markets. Several
Photo by Assunta Ng
CID from 1
Artist Deng Zoulie boards up his studio every night to prevent break-ins.
occurred at Lam’s Seafood Market on King Street, which has since beefed-up security. Most victims, feared for their safety or inhibited by language barrier, waited sometimes too long to report to the police. “Chinatown is the window to Seattle. It’s not a Chinese city; it’s an American city. Ninety percent of the residents here are Americans,” Deng decried the antiAsian hate in a recent interview with Northwest Asian Weekly. He couldn’t say for sure if his studio fire was fueled by that sentiment. The magnitude of the damage caused him to believe that incendiary was used, besides the few newspapers stacked at the door. The Seattle Fire Department estimated the damage to be $80,000 and the cause was “undetermined.” The case has been referred to SPD’s Arson and Bomb Squad. “Thirty minutes later, the whole building would’ve gone up in flames,” said Deng as he pointed to the torn up, blackened ceiling inside his studio. The unimaginable for the community leaders is a fire in a residential building housing elderly people who lack mobility. “We’re law-abiding citizens, and we pay our taxes. We shouldn’t be afraid to walk around, and we shouldn’t be afraid that people are going to burn us out,” said Hong. Tsue Chong, the noodles and fortune cookie factory on 8th Avenue and King Street, escaped serious damage to a fire burning in the back of the building, thanks to quick reactions of witnesses who put it out. But the factory did suffer from several break-ins. So did Vuu’s Beauty School next door, according to Sue-May Eng, secretary of the Chong Wa Benevolent Association and attendee of both meetings. “We’ve been through this before so we can sense when things are getting bad. We can tell when it’s getting more dangerous,” said Eng. Eng made it clear that she’s not pointing fingers at the homeless population for the rise in crimes in CID but added, “The history of these encampments in Chinatown is that when they get
HOMES from 3 families near transit, jobs, healthcare, education, and cultural amenities in an area where many of the surrounding neighborhoods have been designated as high risk of displacement and high access to opportunity,” said Maiko Winkler‐Chin, Executive Director at SCIDpda. This development is made possible through
big, criminals use them to hide their activities. It’s no mystery that inside these large encampments, there’s open air drug dealing, stolen goods hidden, and unauthorized weapons.” A May 23 Seattle Times Project Homeless article reported that there were 78 people living at an encampment underneath an overpass in CID last year. That encampment may be the one behind Tsue Chong, separated by a wire fence where someone snipped a hole for passage. The article also mentioned a 50% increase in tents in some hot spots since the pandemic. Those hot spots may include some in CID, which has had a long history of encampments. All agreed the encampments in CID need to be addressed. Dora Chan, who attended both meetings, considers Chinatown a second home. She helped her family run a friend’s restaurant when she was little. A marketing professional in the tech industry, Dora assists and volunteers with Nora Chan (no relation), the founder of Seniors in Action Foundation. The two handed out personal protection equipment and arranged vaccinations for restaurant workers in CID. In doing so, Dora is in touch with all the owners and workers, and heard many complaints about frequent disturbances at their businesses. “It hurts me,” Dora lamented on the current state of Chinatown. She’s also sad to see fewer seniors out walking around on a sunny day. Dora claimed there is a disconnect on messages presented to the Seattle government. A group called Chinatown International District Coalition submitted over 200 signatures to the City of Seattle, calling for the defunding of the police. “This group doesn’t represent Chinatown,” said Dora. “We want [the police]. We need them. And we want to partner with them together to create a safe environment for visitors, for those elders who live in Chinatown, and for all the business owners in the community.” The consensus from the two meetings was police defunding correlates with the rise in crimes in CID. The CID leaders
a partnership between the Seattle Housing Authority (the landowner and a project funder), Seattle Office of Housing, Seattle Human Services Department, the Department of Commerce’s Early Learning Facilities, and the development team of SCIDpda and Community Roots. Construction financing is provided by Capital One and JPMorgan Chase, and equity is provided by Hudson Housing Capital.
Deng Zuolie brushing soot off of the massive sign that hung in front of his studio.
have started a 600-signature collection effort to send to Mayor Jenny Durkan and the City Council, telling them that “community members in Chinatown, Japantown, and Little Saigon do not support defunding the police.” They are asking city leaders to provide additional police presence in the neighborhoods. Sgt. Randy Huserik of SPD Public Affairs, responding to an inquiry from the Northwest Asian Weekly, stated, “the greatest impact in the defunding effort is the number of officers leaving the department…SPD is down 200 officers from this time last year.” According to SPD’s online Crime Dashboard, the data for K3—the beat representing CID in the West Precinct— in 2019 and 2020 are comparable in violent crime and property crime. Numbers from the first five months of 2021 show those crimes are on course to be the same. In arsons, there had been three cases to date already, while there were 5 and 4 cases for all of 2019 and 2020, respectively. Both Eng and Dora agreed that many crimes go unreported, and the actual number of incidents may be higher. Attention avoidance, language barriers, and time are some of the reasons people don’t go to the police. If it’s minor, most just let it go. Deng tries to let it go. He said, “I can’t wash my face with tears.” As he brushed the soot off his studio’s massive mahogany sign, the three carved Chinese characters are barely visible and loosely translated as “House of joy in art/Seattle,” Deng said, “Life is filled with difficulties, the most difficult is to resolve.” The community leaders hope taking matters in their own hands will help resolve some of the difficulties in the neighborhood to provide a safe and welcoming place for all. Becky can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.
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