PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 37 NO 30 JULY 21 – JULY 27, 2018
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36 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Seattle mayor picks Ousted DOL Carmen Best as new director has a new job police chief By Sophia Stephens NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo courtesy of SPD Photo Unit
Pat Kohler, who angered immigration groups earlier this year, has been rehired by the state. During her tenure as the director of the Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL), Kohler oversaw the sharing of driver’s license applications and other sensitive information with federal immigration enforcement. On May 10, Kohler announced her resignation. In spite of widespread calls for Kohler to not return to public office, Kohler has been re-hired by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board (WSLCB) as its deputy director. Kohler was the Board’s director prior to her position at the DOL.
Carmen Best (at the podium) with Mayor Jenny Durkan (center), and Best’s husband, Larry (left).
By GENE JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS SEA.TTLE (AP) — On July 16, the mayor of Seattle picked interim Police Chief Carmen Best to lead the department on a permanent basis as it tries to sustain reforms designed to eliminate biased policing and unnecessary force. Best is the first Black woman to lead the department, and if confirmed by the City Council, she would replace Kathleen O’Toole, who stepped down at the end of last year. “The community support shown for the Seattle Police Department, especially over the last few weeks, has been inspiring,” Best told the Northwest Asian Weekly. “I’d like to harness this energy and channel it into ways we can all work together for a safer Seattle, with equitable police services for all. I look forward to working with the Asian Pacific Islander community to achieve that end.” Despite her popularity with officers and community leaders, Best was initially passed over by a search committee that named three finalists from outside the department. After an uproar, Best’s name was
“I have no question that Carmen Best is the person to lead our City’s police department ... For everyone who knows Chief Best, they have seen her deliver results. They have seen her lead. They have seen her commitment to public safety, to lasting reform, and to community policing.” — Mayor Jenny Durkan added when another finalist, former Pittsburgh Chief Cameron McLay, withdrew from consideration. “It’s been a whirlwind,” said Best. The other finalists were Ely Reyes, an assistant chief in Austin, Texas, and Eddie Frizell, an inspector with the Minneapolis Police Department. see BEST on 15
Mineta joins fight to challenge citizenship question on Census By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Four Japanese Americans incarcerated during World War II asked a New York federal district court on July 10 to prevent the government from including a citizenship question on the 2020 Census. Former Secretary of Transportation and Commerce Norman Y. Mineta and three sisters, Sharon Sakamoto, Eileen Yoshiko Sakamoto Okada, and Joy Sakamoto Barker argue that the citizenship question will cause
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distrust, undermining the Census’ sole and essential purpose of counting every person, regardless of citizenship. They are joined by the Korematsu Center for Law and Equality at Seattle University School of Law and the Council on American Islamic Relations-New York. “When I was 10 years old in 1942, my family and I were forcibly taken from our home in San see CENSUS on 13
MOVIES REVIEWS » 7
Pat Kohler
“It is with great disappointment that a governor whom I thought I could trust to look out for the most vulnerable residents in our state, has rehired Pat Kohler… a person who has put the lives see KOHLER on 12
THE LAYUP DRILL » 8
PICTORIAL » 9
BLOG » 10
Chairman of China’s HNA Group dies in accident in France The Associated Press BEIJING (AP) — The cochairman of HNA Group, a conglomerate that operates Hainan Airlines, China’s fourthlargest airline, and racked up tens of billions of dollars in debt as it went on a global buying spree, died in an accident while on a business trip in France, the company said. Wang Jian, a co-founder of the company, suffered “severe injuries” in a fall in Provence in southern France and died on July 3 at age 57, said an HNA Group statement. Various media sources in Taiwan stated that Jian will be buried in Seattle. “Together, we mourn the loss
Wang Jian
of an exceptionally gifted leader and role model, whose vision and values will continue to be a beacon for all who had the good see HNA GROUP on 15
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