PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 36 NO 36
SEPTEMBER 2 – SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
FREE 35 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Still no justice for Donnie Chin Police: This is not a cold case By Irfan Shariff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Photo by John Liu/NWAW
[see DONNIE on 12] Richard Mar of the IDEC (left) and Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos
A-pop!
At the movies
Publisher’s blog
Names in the news, who’s doing what in the Asian community. 2
A rom-com with Asian leads, a revamped Village People with a hot Asian guy, and many more! 8
Birth of the Dragon review: A Bruce Lee story, through the eyes of a white guy. 9
Stunning concert halls, a thriving waterfront, Publisher Ng takes us through Hamburg, Germany. 10
Skrein exits ‘Hellboy’ after whitewash backlash Actor Ed Skrein has given up up his role in the new “Hellboy” reboot after complaints of “whitewashing” due to the fact that the character he would portray is Asian in the comic books. “Last week it was announced that I would be playing Major Ben Daimio
in the upcoming Hellboy reboot,” Skrein wrote in a statement. “It is clear that representing this character in a culturally accurate way holds significance for people . . . Therefore I have decided to step down so that the role can be cast appropriately.” Daimio is Japanese American in Mike Mignola’s “Hellboy” comics
and his heritage is central to his backstory. Daimio’s grandmother was a Japanese Imperial assassin in World War II. Skrein, who played the villain in “Deadpool,” claimed he wasn’t aware of the character’s ethnicity when he took the role. Some on social media had claimed Skrein was taking
Tinder has come under fire over a Hong Kong login video that shows a white woman swiping right on all the men who show up on her feed, except the one Asian. Critics say the dating app is perpetuating the stereotype that Asian men are unattractive. [see TINDER on 12]
API activist Emma Catague joins Police Commission
Community
ASSOCIATED PRESS
By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
“Justice for Donnie is justice for the whole community,” said Seattle Police Department (SPD) Deputy Chief Carmen Best, at the fourth community update on Donnie Chin’s murder investigation held on Aug. 23. More than two years after Chin’s murder on July 23, 2015, there is still no resolution for the Chinatown International District (CID) community. Best said that no arrests have been made over the course of the investigation.
INSIDE
Tinder swipes no on Asians?
a role away from an Asian colleague. The backlash followed previous cont roversies including the castings of Emma Stone [see SKREIN on 5]
By Jason Cruz NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Emma Catague
Above: Ben Daimio, in “Hellboy” comics Left: Actor Ed Skrein
A vigilant member of the community for years, assisting Asian Pacific Islander (API) victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking, has been appointed to the Seattle Police Department’s Community Police Commission (CPC). Emma Catague hopes to continue to provide a voice for the API community. She would like to address police response issues to the [see CATAGUE on 13]
PeaceTrees Vietnam co-founder Cheney dies By Staff NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Rae Cheney
■
The founding board member of PeaceTrees Vietnam died on Aug. 14. Rae Cheney was 97 years old. For 22 years, Cheney dedicated her life to transforming sorrow into service, building trusting
friendships with the Vietnamese people, handwriting thousands of thank you notes, and speaking frequently with Vietnam veterans. Her son, U.S. Army helicopter pilot Dan Cheney, died during a rescue mission in Vietnam. At age 90, Rae traveled to Quang Tri Province, Vietnam to dedi-
cate the Mothers’ Peace Library and Dan Cheney Kindergarten in honor of her son. She was greeted warmly by a Vietnamese mother who lost her two sons when the war passed by her village. In Cheney’s words, “The moment Ms. Ho Ti Moan and I embraced each other in love and un-
derstanding, I asked myself, ‘Who could have ever dreamed this exchange of forgiveness would be visible for the world to see?’” On its website, PeaceTrees said it had lost a shining light. “Rae was our moral compass and an [see CHENEY on 12]
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