PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 40 NO 29 JULY 17 – JULY 23, 2021 FREE 39 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Seattle set to release $30M into BIPOC communities By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “It’s a really exciting time for our city,” said Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan as she answered questions on July 6 about the City’s Equitable Communities Initiative (ECI) and the recent recommendations made by the ECI Task Force (ECITF). The City Council is set to vote on July 20 on approving those recommendations and $30 million in investments to improve disparate outcomes for Seattle’s Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities. “When I came in as mayor, we saw a growing disparity between the new
innovation economy and the old service economy, and that was making it almost impossible for people to live in Seattle— it’s becoming expensive. We saw the impacts mostly in the communities of color.” Durkan said the pandemic highlighted the extent of those disparities. The ECITF was set up, she said, after “listening to people who said we want a voice at the table… People who have experience with and are tied to the BIPOC community and know the solutions the community needs, to build a more just and equitable community.” see BIPOC on 10
Credit: IDO
Photo by George Liu
Company aims to Remembering solve problem of Bill Lee vetting contractors
Bill Lee (left) and Marcus Clark at the 2019 Pig Roast. Tien Ha
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Rick Satori worked on a construction project a decade ago with a neighbor. Last year, he built a deck on his house. But when his roof needed repair, he asked for
bids from three contractors. In the end, there were so many issues involved— insulation, mold, wiring, and others—he gave up trying to evaluate the quality of the projected work. see HA on 11
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY A beloved volunteer of the Danny Woo Community Garden, Bill Lee, will be remembered on Saturday, July 16 at noon—fittingly at the same garden where he spent so much time.
Lizzy Baskerville is the garden manager at Danny Woo. “[Bill] was the first person to show me the ins and outs of that garden, and he loved it with his whole heart. Even after he stopped working at see LEE on 9
THE INSIDE STORY
NAMES IN THE NEWS Volunteers restore CID mural 2
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PUBLISHER’S BLOG Everything is expensive, even lemons! 5
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT “Our Culture, Our Voice”: an exhibition to showcase art by local Asian American high school students 6
ON THE SHELF Life never turns out how you expect it 7
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