PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 34 NO 33
AUGUST 8 – AUGUST 14, 2015
No more whispers
FREE
COMMUNITY Crackdown on hookah lounges » P. 10
33 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Murray’s move surprises the Asian community Donnie Chin’s death triggers change
Photo by George Liu/NWAW
Doris Jeong raises awareness of little people in our community
Bruce Harrell; Bob Santos addresses audience at council meeting; Mayor Ed Murray, and John Okamoto
By Assunta Ng Northwest Asian Weekly Photo by Nina Huang/NWAW
If there was any lasting impact residing from Donnie Chin’s murder (aside from permanent sorrow), it would be the city’s decision to shut down Seattle’s hookah bars with a new ordinance. It will be an ordinance that affects all 11 hookah bars in Seattle (smoking lounges—see page 10).
That’s not what the Asian American leaders were initially asking of Mayor Ed Murray. The Asian community just aimed specifically at Kings Hookah Bar, on 8th Ave. S. and S. Lane St. Chin was shot and killed near Kings. Accompanied by police, the Asian leaders had led two protests there since Chin’s death on July 23. But {see MURRAY cont’d on page 15} See related story on page 10.
Doris Jeong
By Nina Huang Northwest Asian Weekly When Doris Jeong was four years old, the doctors diagnosed her with “unknown skeletal dysplasia,” which is the medical term for dwarfism. Today, she is 26 years old and 3’8”. Jeong was born in South Korea, but her parents immigrated to the Pacific Northwest when she was six months old. She grew up in a “traditional and typical” Korean American household, and described her parents as very traditional, but liberal at the same time. “I never experienced the scary Asian parents, they weren’t crazy strict and they didn’t expect less or different from me,” she said.
She hopes to see a geneticist soon to find out exactly what she has so she can learn more about the potential complications. Currently, Jeong can control some of her pulmonary complications with an inhaler and regular medication. Interestingly enough, Jeong’s younger brother is 5’11”, and she said that her family is considered tall for Asians. But height aside, Jeong is a regular young professional who has friends who are average height. She goes to work, comes home to eat, watches Netflix and on the weekends, she’ll go out to parties and hang out with her friends. {see JEONG cont’d on page 13}
Poof! Alibaba likely not settling in Seattle By Jason Cruz Northwest Asian Weekly Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba will not make its U.S. headquarters in Seattle according to a recent report. Despite the company shopping for space in Bellevue, a company spokesperson indicated that it would not be moving its U.S. headquarters which is currently Jack Ma located in San Mateo, California. The company’s founder, Jack Ma, has a fondness for Seattle because he first discovered the internet during a trip to the city. Alibaba leased space in offices in downtown Seattle and sent out feelers for openings in the Seattle office, thus, the belief that Ma
would move his company to the Pacific Northwest. Alibaba may still have offices in the area as does Facebook, Google, and other tech companies. The Seattle office, which currently employs around 25 people, intends to be small and focused on data science and technology. The U.S. headquarters in San Mateo has about 80 employees, mainly in business development, marketing, human resources, and engineering. It also has a San Francisco office with 25 people in international corporate affairs, investor relations, and investments. The Alibaba {see ALIBABA cont’d on page 12}
The Inside Story NAMES People in the news » P. 2
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FOOD Korean pancakes! » P. 5
A&E Hell on Wheels » P. 8
EDITORIAL Should we be allowed to criticize ourselves? » P. 11
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