PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 36 NO 49 DECEMBER 2 – DECEMBER 8, 2017 FREE 36 YEARS YOUR VOICE
SIMON YU » 3
Seattle swears in Durkan, first woman mayor since the 1920s
Photo by John Liu/NWAW
CHINESE SHRINE » 7
LANTERN FESTIVAL » 9 Jenny Durkan being administered the oath of office by U.S. District Judge Richard Jones.
By LISA BAUMANN, Associated Press
BLOG » 10
SEATTLE — The first woman mayor since the 1920s has taken the helm in the booming progressive city of Seattle. Former U.S. Attorney Jenny Durkan was sworn in on Nov. 28 at an
Ethiopian community center, 91 years after the city elected Bertha Knight Landes as mayor. “We must remember that our common bonds, our common purposes see DURKAN on 11
No landmark status for building constructed by Benjamin Woo
Feds threaten to sue Harvard over Asian American admissions
By Ruth Bayang NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
see BEACON HILL on 16
Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
Seattle’s Landmarks Preservation Board voted on Nov. 15 against giving landmark status to the H&K Foods building on Beacon Hill. Designed by Seattle architect and social activist Benjamin Woo, the building (7118-7144 Beacon Avenue South) was built in 1957. It was one of Woo’s earliest solo projects. A landmark designation would have meant that the building could not be demolished unless the owner could demonstrate there is no reasonable economic use. Landmarks cannot be significantly altered without a permit from the board. Assunta Ng knew Ben Woo personally. In a letter to the board, Ng said that Woo shied away from any personal accolades or attention. “Ben was invested in community and people, not in buildings. He supported the advancement of those around him. In fact, he and his wife Ruth rejected naming any buildings in their honor.” Monisha Harrell, a consultant brought in to help the owner prevent 7118 Beacon Avenue South
Asian American officers sue LA suburb for discrimination SAN GABRIEL, Calif. (AP) — Five current and former Asian American police officers are suing the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel, alleging they are subjected to a hostile work environment and passed over for promotions. The Los Angeles Times reported on Nov. 23 that the officers claim their colleagues frequently mock them by speaking in fake Asian accents and promoting racist stereotypes. The lawsuit says when there’s a car-crash Asian American officers are
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often told their “people” are bad drivers. A Vietnamese American officer says he was told dogs fear him because they think he will eat them. Another officer says he was passed over for a promotion after reporting a colleague used the N-word. San Gabriel spokesman Jonathan Fu says officials are reviewing the lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages. Sixty-two percent of the city’s 40,000 residents are Asian. ■
COLLIN BINKLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS BOSTON (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has threatened to sue Harvard University to obtain a trove of records as part of an investigation into the school’s admissions practices following a lawsuit from a group of Asian American students. A Nov. 17 letter from the department gives Harvard until Dec. 1 to turn over a variety of records that Justice officials requested in September, including applications for admission and evaluations of students. The department said Harvard has pursued a “strategy of delay” and threatened to sue if it doesn’t meet the department’s deadline. see HARVARD on 11
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