VOL 41 NO 31 | JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

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FREE 40 YEARS YOUR VOICE

Petition to remove encampment signals “system failure”

Photo by Ananya Mishra

Chinatown Seafair Parade

Provided by Sarah Cheng

VOL 41 NO 31 JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

A

fter a two-year absence due to COVID, the Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce hosted the in-person Chinatown Seafair Parade on July 24 featuring marching bands, drill teams, the Seafair clowns, Seafair pirates, and a dragon dance.

See pictorial on page 10.

Personal safety starts with the mind

A fire in a homeless encampment in April threatened the building.

By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Inside the Tsue Chong Company, a desolate floor of concrete reveals two pieces of oily paper. The first one says, “FINE CUT.” The second one, which also has Chinese writing, says, “EXTRA FINE CUT.” These are the final remains, in human terms, of the once-proud business that for over 100 years made noodles and fortune cookies and where students took tours.

Above, in cavernous rooms the size of garages, hang fans the size of houses and an air conditioning unit the size of a mountain, it seems.

“We once closed these doors and dried out noodles in here by creating a dehumidifying atmosphere,” said Tim Louie, whose great grandfather founded

the company in 1917 in a different location.

In April, a fire in a homeless encampment behind the length of the block threatened the building, which was built by Louie’s father and uncle in 1992. The fire burned straight upwards, consuming trees and a dumpster, according to a video shown to this newspaper.

In a petition started by neighbors and signed by Louie and circulating in the Chinatown-International District (CID), residents are asking the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), which manages the land, the City of Seattle, responsible for keeping those WSDOT lands that pass through the city safe, and the King County Regional Homelessness Authority (KCRHA) to clear the land.

“We, the undersigned residents, see FIRE on 15

THE INSIDE STORY

Photos by Kai Curry

HEALTH COVID-19 vaccines now authorized for young children under the age of 5  3

Kwon Moo Hapkido instructors. From left: Elaine Chang, Matt McDevitt, Grandmaster Chae Un Kim, and Scott Games.

By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Crime and violence against Asians increased in 2020 and 2021 due to COVID-19 scapegoating and long-held prejudices. In 2021, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) reported 112 racially based

■

Grandmaster Kim demonstrates how to use car keys as a weapon.

crimes against Asians in King County. Between March 2020 and March 2022, Stop AAPI Hate received reports of almost 11,500 hate-motivated incidents nationally. The battle is nowhere near over. A few days ago, Michael John Allen see SAFETY on 16

NATIONAL NEWS Sudden arena idea angers, unnerves Philadelphia’s Chinatown  8

SPORTS Aspiring female Yao: 6-10 Han Xu making mark in WNBA, China  9

NAMES IN THE NEWS  2

ON THE SHELF Jayatissa’s latest novel showcases Sri Lankan culture—with a dead body thrown in  7

412 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98104 • t. 206.223.5559 • f. 206.223.0626 • editor@nwasianweekly.com • ads@nwasianweekly.com • www.nwasianweekly.com

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■ NAMES IN THE NEWS

services, hate crime reporting, and citizenship assistance.

She earned a JD from Penn State Dickinson Law and a BA from the University of Virginia. 

WA students win at rocketry competition

Newport High School team. Photo provided by Aerospace Industries Association.

A 10-student team, from Newport High School in Bellevue, placed second at the International Rocketry Challenge held at the Farnborough International Airshow outside London on July 22. The team, who were representing the United States, finished behind Team Japan, with France and the United Kingdom placing third and fourth, respectively.

The Newport High School team includes Arthur Gwozdz, Samuel Chen, Rita Liu, Rose Liu, Brandon Luo, Ethan Luo, Kavin Manivasagam, Vanu Rao, Shreyas Subramanian, and Minghan Sun. The annual competition challenges middle and high school students to design, build, and launch model rockets to exacting requirements with the goal of inspiring students to pursue careers in aerospace and STEM. For more information, visit rocketcontest.org and find the contest on Twitter and Instagram. 

XBOT Robotics moves

XBOT Robotics founder and Executive Director Donna Yip-Lew received the Distinguished Service plaque while welcoming new Executive Director Naomi Takeuchi with

Consulate-General of Japan in Seattle

North American Post, Soy Source celebration

From left: Donna Yip-Lew, Tom Blank, Doug Landry, and Naomi Takeuchi

board member Tom Blank and Board President Doug Landry at a reception in her honor at Seattle’s Kubota Garden on July 23. 

NAPAWF welcomes Virginia Lucy

The National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) announced on July 26 that Virginia Lucy will be its new communications director.

“As a mother and Korean American woman, it’s an honor and privilege for me to work alongside the NAPAWF team in the fight for reproductive justice,” Lucy Virginia Lucy said.

Lucy brings more than 13 years of experience working in communications, public policy, and government relations. She is part of an active Asian and Korean American community in central Pennsylvania, helping to organize and deliver vaccination

Front (from left): Misa Murohashi; Seattle Deputy Mayor Kendee Yamaguchi; Tomio Moriguchi; wife Jenny Moriguchi; Elaine Ikoma Ko; Denise Moriguchi; and state Rep. Sharon Tomiko Santos.

Back (from left): KC Superior Court Judge Patrick Oishi, Joanne Harrell, Bruce Harrell, Bainbridge Island Deputy Mayor Clarence Moriwaki, and The Honorable Consul-General Hisao Inagaki.

Publisher Tomio Moriguchi (left) with Jenny Moriguchi. Tomio is holding a clock presented tohim by Misa Murohashi in celebration of the newspapers’ anniversaries.

(Photo by Lori Matsukawa)

Tomio and Jenny Moriguchi celebrated the North American Post’s 120th anniversary and Soy Source’s 30th anniversary on July 21.

It was held at the residence of Seattle’s Consul General of Japan Hisao Inagaki.

Approximately 100 people attended. 

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

YOUR VOICE

■ HEALTH

asianweekly northwest

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COVID-19 VACCINES NOW AUTHORIZED FOR YOUNG CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 5

By Theo Bickel ICHS Children 6 months old to 4 years old are now eligible for COVID-19 vaccines. Public health officials have evaluated the safety data and concluded that the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are safe for young children and effective at reducing COVID-19-related serious illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths in young children.

“This is a very exciting moment,” said Teresa Lee, a physician at International Community Health Services (ICHS). “Finally, families have a safe way to protect their children against the severe health risks of COVID-19.”

Parents of young children have been navigating the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic for over two years, forgoing normal daily activities to protect their children. And now, the authorization of COVID-19 vaccines for babies over 6 months and toddlers provides families greater freedom to participate in normal educational, social, and recreational activities.

“I have been eagerly waiting for the opportunity to get my 7-month-old daughter and 2-anda-half year old son vaccinated to protect them against COVID,” said Lee. “Vaccinating my kids can also help to protect my other vulnerable family members that they visit, like their great grandparents.”

COVID-19 vaccines protect young children COVID-19 vaccines remain the single-most important tool that we have to protect people against severe illness from COVID-19.

However, some still think that COVID-19 cases for children are always mild.

“There’s been a lot of misinformation about children and vaccines,” said White House COVID response director Dr. Ashish Jha. Some have suggested that COVID is not a ‘big deal’ for kids. But the truth is we know kids can get sick from [COVID-19].”

According to the American Medical Association, since the beginning of the pandemic, among

children in the U.S. aged 6 months to 4 years, there have been more than 2 million cases of COVID-19, more than 20,000 hospitalizations, and more than 200 deaths.

The CDC has reported that during the Omicron wave this past winter, children under 5 were hospitalized at five times the rate of previous pandemic peaks. More than half of hospitalized children ages 6 months to four years had no underlying conditions.

An acute COVID-19 infection is less life-threatening to children, although a significant number of children have died—over 1,000 in the U.S. alone. But a small number of children can develop a dangerous condition in which many of their organs become inflamed, known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) or pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome (PIMS), which can result in lasting organ damage if left untreated. Another concern is long-COVID. All of these conditions can be prevented with vaccinations.

Pediatricians and health provid-

ers are encouraging their patients with young children to consider their safety and wellbeing and have them vaccinated against COVID-19.

“Wearing masks and social distancing are often not possible for our youngest kids and babies,” said Lee. “Instead, having children vaccinated against COVID-19, like other diseases, is the best way to protect them.”

What parents can expect The FDA has authorized both the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines. The ingredients are the same as the adult and young adult vaccines, but are administered in “kid-sized” doses.

The Moderna vaccine is administered as a two-dose series, with doses given four weeks apart.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is administered as a three-dose primary series, with the second dose given three weeks after the

first dose, and the third dose given more than eight weeks after the second dose.

Like other vaccines, side effects are normally mild. The side effects most commonly reported are pain, swelling, or redness at the injection site, headache, fever, and fatigue. Symptoms usually occur one to two days after vaccination and are mostly mild and resolve after a few days.

COVID-19 vaccines are free and open to anyone regardless of insurance or immigration status.

ICHS offers COVID-19 vaccines for children six months to four years ICHS patients may call (206) 788-3700 to make a COVID-19 vaccine appointment with their care provider. Scheduled appointments are only available for ICHS patients. see ICHS on 16

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■ COMMUNITY NEWS

Man punched Asian woman, charged with hate crime Bail was set at $30,000 for Michael J. Allen, 40, who is charged with a hate crime.

Charging documents stated that on July 11, Allen assaulted two women without provocation in Seattle.

First, he struck Sofia Ellis-Curry in the back of the head, near 3rd Avenue and Union Street, yelling, “You fucking dumb b****, I hate you! F*** you, I hate you!”

The man then turned his attention to target two Asian

women, Wanglei Qin and Quinyu Wu, telling them to "Go back to China." He also punched Qin in the shoulder.

Allen was arrested and transported to the King County Jail. 

Hindus push for Diwali holiday in Seattle schools Hindus are urging all Seattle public, private, charter, and parochial schools to close during Diwali, which falls on Oct. 24 this year.

Diwali, the festival of lights, aims at dispelling the darkness and lighting up the lives and symbolizes the victory of good

over evil.

Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a July 19 statement, said that it was simply not fair with Hindu pupils in Seattle schools as they had to be at school on this most popular festival, while schools were closed around other religious days.

Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, stated that since it was vital for Hindu families to celebrate Diwali day together at home with their children, closing schools on Diwali would ensure that and would also display how respectful and accommodating these

schools were to their faith.

“If schools had declared holidays around other religious days, why not Diwali?” Zed asked. “Holidays of all major religions should be honored and no one should be penalized for practicing their religion,” Zed added. 

■ NATIONAL NEWS Jewish leaders upset over Niou photo Yuh-Line Niou— a former Seattleite who’s running to represent New York’s 10th Congressional District, which includes two Chinatowns—is coming under fire for a July 14 social media post.

In a photo posted on Twitter, Niou posed as if to take a big chomp out of a loaf of challah bread just days after coming out in support of the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement.

“It’s the height of chutzpah. It’s really insulting,” said former Brooklyn Councilman David Greenfield, in what pro-Israel Jewish activists are calling “Challah Gate.”

Niou, a Taiwanese American New York State assemblywoman, visited the home of a couple in Borough Park when the photo was taken and posted shortly after. Her district includes a considerably Orthodox Jewish population on the Lower East Side.

“Heated in the oven just a bit to make it fresh. Double butter

is right!!!” the tweet says.

“Best challah I’ve had in a long time. I could even put into words how perfect the inside was. Perfect crust. Soft with just a little density…Dreams,” the tweet said.

Adding insult to injury, Jewish activists said, is that SodaStream bottles are on the dinner table while Niou poses with the Challah bread. The Israel-headquartered sparkling water machine business, whose promoters have included actress Scarlett Johansson, has been subject of Palestinian boycotts.

The photo was taken down after Jewish leaders mocked and slammed Niou for exploiting the community just days after telling the Jewish Insider she backed the BDS movement against Israel.

Niou declined requests for comment and referred questions to a campaign spokesperson, who also declined comment, about her positions on BDS and “Challah Gate.” 

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO BIDDERS Sealed bids will be received by the King County Procurement Services Section through the County’s E-Procurement system for the following listed bids.

Instructions on how to submit a bid electronically, view any current bid opportunities, express interest, communicate with the Buyer via Message app and/or successfully submit a bid through the E-Procurement system prior, and more are provided on the County’s website: https://kingcounty. gov/procurement/registration King County encourages minority business enterprise participation.

King County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in its programs, services, and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

KC000630 OPENS: 8/18/2022 Fuel Station Inspection & Testing Pre-Proposal Conference: Thursday, 7/28/2022 at 10:00 AM via MS Teams

Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 Conference ID: 620 234 011# KC000635 OPENS: 8/12/2022 RFP-Evaluation of Jobs and Housing Program Pre-Proposal Conference: Thursday, 7/28/2022 at 10:00 AM via MS Teams Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 Conference ID: 222 275 352# KC000580 OPENS: 8/22/2022 On-Call Multi-disciplinary Treatment Planning Services Pre-Proposal Conference: Tuesday, Aug. 2nd at 10:00 AM / Proposals close time is 3:00 PM via MS Teams (audio only) Conference Call: 1.425.653.6586 Conference ID: 706 889 05# via Webex (video conferencing) kcsc@m. webex.com Conference ID: 111 322 925 4

YOUR VOICE

■ WORLD NEWS

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

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Authorities in south China apologize over COVID-19 break-ins

BEIJING (AP) — Authorities in southern China have apologized for breaking into the homes of people who had been taken to a quarantine hotel in the latest example of heavy-handed virus-prevention measures that have sparked a rare public backlash.

State media said that 84 homes in an apartment complex in Guangzhou city’s Liwan district had been opened in an effort to find any “close contacts” hiding inside and to disinfect the premises.

The doors were later sealed and new locks installed, the Global Times newspaper reported.

The Liwan district government apologized on July 18 for such “oversimplified and violent” behavior, the paper said. An investigation has been launched and “relevant people“ will be severely punished, it said.

China’s leadership has maintained its hard-line “zero-COVID” policy despite the mounting economic costs and disruption to the lives of citizens, who continue to be subjected to routine testing and quarantines, even while the rest of the world has opened

up to living with the disease.

Numerous cases of police and health workers breaking into homes around China in the name of anti-COVID-19 measures have been documented on social media. In some, doors have been broken down and residents threatened with punishment, even when they tested negative for the virus.

Authorities have demanded keys to lock in residents of apartment buildings where cases have been detected, steel barriers erected to prevent them leaving their compounds and iron bars welded over doors China’s Communist leaders exert stringent control over the government, police and levers of social control. Most citizens are inured to a lack of privacy and restrictions on free speech and the right to assembly.

However, the strict anti-COVID-19 measures have tested that tolerance, particularly in Shanghai, where a ruthless and often chaotic lockdown spurred protests online and in person among those unable to access food, health care and basic necessities.

Authorities in Beijing have taken a gentler

approach, concerned with prompting unrest in the capital ahead of a key party congress later this year at which president and party leader Xi Jinping is expected to receive a third five-year term amid radically slower economic growth and high unemployment among college graduates and migrant workers. A requirement that only vaccinated people could enter public spaces was swiftly canceled two weeks ago after city residents denounced it as having been announced without warning and unfair to those who have not had their shots.

“Zero-COVID” has been justified as necessary to avoid a wider outbreak among a population that has had relatively little exposure to the virus and less natural immunity. Although China’s vaccination rate hovers at around 90%, it is considerably lower among the elderly, while questions have been raised about the efficacy of China’s domestically produced vaccines.

Although China’s Fosun Pharma reached an agreement to distribute, and eventually manufacture, the mRNA vaccine made

by Pfizer and BioNTech, it still has not been cleared for use in mainland China, despite being authorized for use by separate authorities in Hong Kong and Macao.

Studies have consistently shown that inoculation with mRNA vaccines offers the best protection against hospitalization and death from COVID-19. Chinese vaccines made with older technology proved fairly effective against the original strain of the virus, but much less so against more recent variants.

Now health experts say the delay in approving mRNA vaccines is a consequence of placing politics and national pride above public health—could lead to avoidable coronavirus deaths and deeper economic losses.

China’s national borders remain largely closed and although domestic tourism has picked up, travel around the country remains subject to an array of regulations, with quarantine restrictions constantly in flux. 

World’s oldest male giant panda dies at age 35 in Hong Kong

By ZEN SOO ASSOCIATED PRESS HONG KONG (AP) — The oldest-ever male giant panda in captivity has died at age 35 at a Hong Kong theme park after his health deteriorated.

An An lived most of his life at Ocean Park after he and a female panda were gifted to Hong Kong by China in 1999. The female panda, Jia Jia, died in 2016 at age 38, making her the oldest-ever panda in captivity.

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Ocean Park mourned An An as a family member who grew with the park and built bonds with locals and tourists.

“An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments.

His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed,” Paulo Pong, chairman of Ocean Park Corporation, said in a statement.

An An had high blood pressure, a common condition among geriatric pandas.

Over the past three weeks, An An had been kept out of sight from visitors at the park

as his health worsened. He stopped eating solid food and was significantly less active in recent days.

Previously, hundreds had left comments on an Ocean Park post about An An’s condition, wishing him a speedy recovery.

He was euthanized to prevent further suffering on July 21 after veterinarians from Ocean Park and government authorities consulted the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, Ocean Park said.

“An An lived a full life that ended at the

respectable age of 35 - the equivalent of 105 years in human age,” the statement read.

Hong Kong was given another panda pair—Ying Ying, a female, and a male, LeLe —in 2007 to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the city’s return to China.

China commonly engages in “panda diplomacy” where the mammals exclusively found in China are leased to other countries as a sign of goodwill. 

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40 YEARS

■ COMMUNITY CALENDAR THRU FEB 19, 2023 EXHIBIT, “WE ARE CHANGING THE TIDE: COMMUNITY POWER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE” The Wing Luke Museum, 719 S. King St., Seattle Thu-Sun, 10 a.m.–5 p.m. wingluke.org/we-arechanging-the-tide

JUL 28

MICHAEL POLLAN WITH JANE C. HU, “THIS IS YOUR MIND ON PLANTS” Town Hall, 720 Seneca St., Seattle 7:30 p.m.

SEATTLE ASIAN AMERICAN NATIVE HAWAIIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER WOMEN ARTISTS UNITED IS A VISUAL CAMPAIGN TO

FIGHT THE TIDE OF ANTIASIAN VIOLENCE AND XENOPHOBIA Posters will be free to public JAMFEST 2022 Historic Canton & Maynard Alleys 5-8 p.m. wingluke.org/jamfest

30 CHIEF OF POLICE SEARCH: SURVEY & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES 7/30, 3-4:30 p.m.

Rainier Beach Community Center, 8825 Rainier Ave. S., Seattle 7/30, 5-6:30 p.m.

WebEx Webinar, Link TBA CELEBRATE CHINATOWNINTERNATIONAL DISTRICT HONG KONG BUSINESS

ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON AND CITY OF SEATTLE Hing Hay Park 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

AUG 2

EASTER SUNDAY ADVANCE SCREENING, “JO KOY EASTER SUNDAY” Downtown Seattle Pacific Place 7 p.m.

Tickets are first come first serve and will start seating at 6:30 p.m.

4 CLUB MEETING WITH TOM IM OF INTERIM 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

For zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail. com

6 C-ID SUMMER CINEMA RETURNS, MOVIE “YELLOW ROSE” Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle Free

13 C-ID SUMMER CINEMA RETURNS, MOVIE “BIG HERO 6” Hing Hay Park, 423 Maynard Ave. S., Seattle Free

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Lake View Cemetery Seattle’s Pioneer Cemetery Est. 1872 An Independent, Non-Profit Association

Featuring

Traditional Side-by-Side Monument Properties

EUGENIA WOO OF HISTORIC SEATTLE 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.

For zoom link, contact rotaryofseattleid@gmail. com

206-322-1582

1554 15th Ave East

(North Capitol Hill)

KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON NOTICE TO PROPOSERS Sealed bids will be received for KC000595, Interbay 36-Inch Force Mains Replacement; by the King County Procurement and Payables Section, via the E-Procurement system, until 1:30pm on August 25, 2022. Late bids will not be accepted. The public bid opening will only be conducted on-line following the Bid Close Date and Time; see Section 00 10 00-Invitation to Bid for details.

There is a 15% minimum Apprentice Utilization Requirement on this contract.

There is a 15% minimum requirement for King County Certified Small Contractors and Suppliers (SCS) on this contract.

Community Workforce Agreement (CWA): A CWA applies to this contract.

Priority Hire Apprentice Utilization Goal: 25% of the Contract Price

Priority Hire Journey Level Goal: 20% of the Contract Price.

Replace the Interbay twin 36-inch diameter steel force mains with 42inch ductile iron pipe and install a temporary bypass pipe which will be left in place.

Estimated contract price: 8,400,000 Mandatory Pre-Bid(s): Please see Section 00 10 00 - Invitation to Bid for details.

Prospective bidders can view more details at: https://kingcounty.gov/ procurement/solicitations Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/supplierportal

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The only weekly English-language newspaper serving Washington’s Asian community. The NW Asian Weekly has one simple goal: “To empower the Asian community.”

The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject any advertisement, letter or article.

Subscriptions cost $40 for 52 weeks of the NW Asian Weekly and $30 for 52 weeks of the Seattle Chinese Post. The NW Asian Weekly owns the copyright for all its content. All rights reserved. No part of this paper may be reprinted without permission.

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JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

YOUR VOICE

■ ON THE SHELF

asianweekly northwest

Jayatissa’s latest novel showcases Sri Lankan culture —with a dead body thrown in

By Samantha Pak NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY During her ninth birthday party, Amanda Jayatissa locked herself in the bathroom. She was in the middle of reading a book and wanted to finish one more chapter.

“I was a huge reader growing up,” Jayatissa said.

It all started when some older cousins visited her family, showing up with boxes of books for her. She was too young to read them at the time, but Jayatissa remembers touching the books, looking at the pictures, and dying to read them. And once she was old enough to do that, that’s all she would do—much to everyone’s alarm—she admitted with a laugh.

After reading so many stories, the next logical step for her

was to write her own stories, so around 8 or 9, Jayatissa picked up her pink gel pen and started writing. The first thing she wrote was a mystery story— admittedly, a ripoff of Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Secret Seven series, some of her favorite stories, which followed groups of children who went on adventures that often included solving mysteries.

“It was so bad,” she said, about that first foray.

But Jayatissa was not deterred. Whether it was more mysteries or the angsty poetry of her teen years (during which she once described her life to her brother as a “black abyss”), she never stopped writing.

And it’s all come full circle as Jayatissa—who previously

worked as a corporate trainer—now has a couple mystery novels under her belt. Her second book, “You’re Invited,” is set to be released Aug. 9 and tells the story of a wedding gone wrong when the bride disappears the morning of the big day.

‘WHAT IF WE THREW IN A DEAD BODY?’ The idea to set a mystery at a wedding came after Jayatissa attended a wedding where she caught a glimpse of the bride’s mother giving into her exhaustion for a second before smiling for the cameras again. This got

Jayatissa thinking about weddings and how, behind the shine and glamor, there are cracks— the perfect opening for someone who’s always thinking, “What if we threw in a dead body?” see JAYATISSA on 13

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■ NATIONAL NEWS Sudden arena idea angers, unnerves Philadelphia’s Chinatown PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Wei Chen wants people who visit Philadelphia’s Chinatown to look through the community’s gateway arch and see the residents chatting in Mandarin on the steps to the apartments above or the vendors selling traditional Chinese food to families walking by, not a giant Philadelphia 76ers arena a block away.

“These apartments are full of people who are low-income, who are elderly people, and people who are new immigrants,” said Chen, the community engagement director for Asian Americans United.

“You have to think about how Chinatown was created. We weren’t welcome in other neighborhoods.”

Chen, along with other organizers and members of Chinatown, said they were surprised by the Philadelphia 76ers’ announcement on July 21 of a proposal to build a $1.3 billion arena just a block from the community’s gateway arch.

They said neither the organization nor the property owner reached out for community input before the announcement.

AP Photo/Matt Rourke

By CLAUDIA LAUER THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pedestrians cross 10th Street in the Chinatown neighborhood of Philadelphia on July 22. Organizers and members of Philadelphia's Chinatown say they were surprised by the 76ers' announcement that they hope to build a $1.3 billion arena just a block from the community’s gateway arch.

A spokesperson for 76 Devcorp, the development company behind the arena, said in an emailed statement that the process is in its early stages—years from “anything changing”—and that the company

planned to work with the community to help shape the project and ensure it’s “done right.”

“We are very sensitive to the Chinatown community’s concern in light of prior Center City propos-

als and are committed to listening to and working with the community in a way that hasn’t happened before,” the statement read.

Those are promises many in Chinatown have heard before. After

decades of developments—like the Pennsylvania Convention Center, which took homes from 200 families; Interstate 676, also known as the Vine Street Expressway, which threatened to cut off parts of the community—and proposals for a jail, a casino and another sports facility that all were beaten back by the community, residents have a deep playbook of their own to choose from.

Across the country, there are fewer than 50 Chinatowns, some more vibrant and larger than others. Many took root in areas of cities that were thought of as red light districts. And as cities grew and changed around those communities, many Chinatowns have been under threat from gentrification or development.

Like others, the community in Philadelphia is just bouncing back after losing business during the pandemic, when Chinatown’s restaurants were shuttered for dining-in. Much of the senior population didn’t want to leave the neighborhood because of the fourfold increase since 2019 in hate crimes against people of Asian descent. see CHINATOWN on 12

YOUR VOICE

■ SPORTS

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

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Aspiring female Yao 6-10 Han Xu making mark in WNBA, China

By DOUG FEINBERG AP BASKETBALL WRITER NEW YORK (AP) — Han Xu understandably grew up idolizing Yao Ming, mesmerized by the giant shadow the 7-foot-6 Hall of Famer cast each time he stepped onto an NBA court.

Standing 6-10, Han would like to emulate Yao’s impact— including his influence on the sport in China. The New York Liberty post player wants to be a female beacon of basketball in her native land.

Han is on her way. Fans can’t seem to get enough of the 22-year-old budding star.

“Han and Li (Yueru) have been creating hype online and offline. Many girls have been inspired by Han and Li, and we have numbers to show that more girls have started participating in basketball on all levels,“ said China basketball analyst Michael Yuan, founder of Team Fountainhead. “We can also clearly see more news coverage and other kinds of user generated content on China’s social media platform.”

Han’s highlights have garnered millions of views on streaming platforms in China. Kuaishou, a global social media platform, recently hosted a livestreaming session with her that generated about 1.6 million views.

Han and the 6-7 Li, who is with the Chicago Sky, are the latest of a half dozen Chinese players to have spent time in the

WNBA. The first to have an impact in the league was Haixia Zheng, who averaged 8.9 points in two seasons with the Los Angeles Sparks in 1997 and 1998—starting 21 games her first year.

“Homegrown players like Han Xu and Li Yueru succeeding at the highest level drives interest among China’s passionate basketball fans and inspires Chinese youth to play the game,” said Jonathan Li, senior vice president of NBA China.

Chinese fans became aware of Han and Li Yueru during their stints with the Olympic team that finished fifth in Tokyo. But their fan base has grown since both were drafted in 2019—Han in the second round, Li in the third.

“I was very honored to be able to come here to make my dream come true in 2019,” Han said through a translator. “At that moment, I just wanted to grow up gradually, to learn from the veteran players who compete in the world highest-level basketball league.

“And I also hoped to be able to promote the sport in China with my influence here.”

Like her childhood hero: the 7-6 Yao. “He had a very successful career in NBA and he also promoted the culture of the sport in China so that now more Chinese people like to watch basketball,” Han said. “I hope I can also make some influence in WNBA and then transfer my influence back to my country and let more fans to see the performance from a Chinese player.”

Neither Han nor the 6-7 Li, who turned 23 in March, were born when Zheng was doing her WNBA thing in L.A. And neither have Yao’s skills — and they may never be as good, not many are.

The Houston Rockets made Yao the No. 1 overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. He has become an ambassador of the game in China and is currently a Chinese basketball executive.

Though Han and Li are still honing their skills, the players’ popularity is on the rise in China.

Han is averaging 9.2 points and shooting nearly 54% from the field see YAO on 14

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asianweekly northwest

■ PICTORIAL

40 YEARS

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

CHINATOWN SEAFAIR PARADE PHOTOS BY ANANYA MISHRA The Huayin Performing Arts Group 

 Seattle Chinatown Dragon Team



Spectators along the parade route

 An array of colorful cars!

 Seattle Chinatown Community Associations

 Parade Organizers: Greater Seattle Chinese Chamber of Commerce

Seattle Chinese Community Girls Drill Team 

 The Dolls & Gents Drill Team and Drumline

Seattle All City Marching Band 

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

YOUR VOICE

asianweekly northwest

11

■ WORLD NEWS Japan PM blames police for death of former leader Shinzo Abe

By MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida blamed inadequate police protection for the death of former leader Shinzo Abe, who was shot while giving an outdoor campaign speech.

Abe, one of Japan’s most influential politicians, was assassinated on July 8 in Nara in western Japan, shocking a nation known for its low crime rate and strict gun control. Photos and videos of Japanese Prime Minister the shooting show the gunman Shinzo Abe was able to approach Abe from behind, while security guards were focused toward the front.

“I think there were problems with the security measures,” Kishida said.

Officials at the National Public Safety Commission and National Police Agency are investigating what went wrong and will compile measures in response, Kishida said. A team of national police officials arrived at Nara prefectural

police headquarters for the probe.

“I urge them to carry out a thorough inspection and fix what needs to be fixed, while also studying examples in other countries,” he said.

Kishida also announced plans to hold a state funeral for Abe later this year, noting his contributions at home and in boosting Japan’s security alliance with the United States.

Abe’s nationalistic views drove the governing party’s conservative policies.

“By holding a state funeral in memory of former Prime Minister Abe, Japan will show its determination not to cave in to violence and to firmly defend democracy,” Kishida said. “Japan will also show to the world its determination to keep up its vigor and open a path toward the future.”

A smaller funeral ceremony was held at a temple in Tokyo on July 12. A state ceremony would be only the second for a prime minister since World War II, following one for Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida in 1967.

The use of tax money for a state funeral for the divisive leader received mixed reactions from opposition leaders.

Democratic Party for the People leader Yuichiro Tamaki said many condolences were received from abroad and the plan is understandable, but Ichiro Matsui, head of the Japan Innovation Party, said it would require too much public money.

Abe was giving a speech in support of a governing Liberal Democratic Party candidate in the parliamentary

elections when he was shot. The party and its junior coalition partner, Komeito, won a landslide victory in the polls, helped in part by sympathy votes for Abe. But his absence could trigger a power struggle in the wing of the party he led, shaking party stability.

A suspect was arrested immediately after the shooting and is being held for questioning for up to three weeks until prosecutors decide whether to press murder charges.

The suspect reportedly told police that he abandoned a plan to shoot Abe a day earlier at a speech in another city because of a requirement that bags be checked at the entrance.

Police and media reports say he told investigators that he killed Abe because of rumored links between the former prime minister and a religious group the suspect hated. The suspect, 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, was reportedly upset because his mother made large donations to the Unification Church that bankrupted the family.

The assassination has shone a light on links between the Liberal Democratic Party and the Unification Church, which is known for its conservative and anti-communist beliefs and its mass weddings.

The Japan branch of the South Korean-based church confirmed that Yamagami’s mother was a member and that Abe was not. Abe has appeared in video messages to groups affiliated with the church. 

New Sri Lankan president sworn in, police clear protest site

By BHARATHA MALLAWARACHI ASSOCIATED PRESS COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Veteran politician Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as Sri Lanka’s new president on July 21 to take charge of a nation bitterly angry that he will remain in power amid an unprecedented economic crisis.

Sri Lankans have taken to the streets for months to

demand their top leaders step down to take responsibility for economic chaos that has left the nation’s 22 million people struggling with shortages of essentials, including medicine, fuel and food. While the protesters have focused on the Rajapaksa political dynasty, Wickremesinghe has also drawn their ire as a perceived Rajapaksa surrogate.

The six-time prime minister easily won the secret ballot of lawmakers to finish the term of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who fled the country after protesters

stormed his residence and resigned.

His appointment received mixed reactions, with some supporters lighting firecrackers while protesters continued to demand that he resign.

Wickremesinghe, 73, has wide experience in diplomatic and international affairs and has been overseeing bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund. He won the see SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT on 13

Women mountain climbers from Pakistan, Iran reach K2 summit

By Munir Ahmed ASSOCIATED PRESS ISLAMABAD (AP) — A woman from Pakistan and another from Iran appeared to be the first from their countries to scale K2 on July 22, the world’s second-highest mountain and one of the most dangerous summits, a mountaineering official said. A second Pakistani woman scaled the summit minutes later.

Samina Baig, a 32-year-old from a remote northern village in Pakistan, was the first to hoist her country’s green and white flag atop the peak of the 28,250 foothigh K2.

Iran’s Afsaneh Hesamifard followed shortly after and was hailed for her achievement in Farsi-language posts on social media. According to Iranian media,

she became only the third woman to scale Mount Everest in May. The two were among several women to successfully reach K2’s peak on July 22, according to Karrar Haidri, chief officer of the Pakistan Alpine Club, which helps coordinate the climbs from the government side and responds in the event of an emergency.

Haidri said a second Pakistani female climber, Naila Kiyani, was among the team of women to reach the top of K2 but it appears that Baig had scaled the summit a few minutes earlier.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif congratulated both Pakistani women, saying they proved that women were not behind men in the sports of mountain climbing. The U.S. Embassy in Pakistan congratulated the Pakistani

women on Twitter while the Iranian diplomatic mission in Pakistan tweeted congratulations to Hesamifard.

K2, on the Chinese-Pakistani border in the Karakorum Range, has one of the deadliest records, with most climbers dying on the descent, where the slightest mistake can trigger an avalanche and become fatal.

Only a few hundred have successfully reached its summit. In contrast, Mount Everest has been summited more than 9,000 times.

Separately, Haidri said Afghan climber, Ali Akbar Sakki, died due to a heart attack while attempting to scale K2. He was part of the team of climbers who reached its summit on July 22.

Considered extremely difficult to climb, K2 is not only the second-highest mountain after Mount Everest, its ascent and descent

are considered much more challenging that the world’s highest.

K2 is also the coldest and windiest of climbs. At places along the route, climbers must navigate nearly sheer rock faces rising 80 degrees, while avoiding frequent and unpredictable avalanches.

The latest record comes a day after Nepalese climber Sanu Sherpa set a new mountaineering record for twice reaching the peak of each of the world’s 14 highest mountains.

In July, Pakistan’s military airlifted two Pakistani climbers, including the man who became the youngest to scale K2 to safety after the pair went missing during an expedition scaling Nanga Parbat, known as “Killer Mountain’’ because of its dangerous conditions. 

12

asianweekly northwest

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

40 YEARS

■ NATIONAL NEWS

Hollywood producer’s new nonprofit to boost diverse creators

By KAY DERVISHI of The Chronicle of Philanthropy CHRONICLE OF PHILANTHROPY

Dan Lin

Hollywood film producer Dan Lin—known for movies such as Disney’s live action “Aladdin” and “The Two Popes”—is launching a nonprofit with more than $1 million from the Ford and MacArthur foundations as well as

CHINATOWN from 8 “This is an ongoing struggle for Chinatowns and other downtown communities of color and of low income,” said historian John Kuo Wei Tchen, director of Rutgers University’s Clement Price Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience. “In the case of Chinatowns that play important symbolic roles for the cosmopolitan claims of the city, sport authority interests often trump such roles.”

The 76ers’ current home is in south Philadelphia, a few miles from downtown, along with most of the city’s other pro sports teams.

Many Chinatown residents and business owners are concerned that if a new arena is built, affordable street parking will disappear, traffic will increase, and holding traditional celebrations and festivals could become more difficult. But they are also worried that already-increasing property values could spike and force many who depend on the community to leave.

Debbie Wei is a founding member of Asian Americans United, started in Philadelphia in the 1980s to unite people of Asian ancestry to build the community and fight oppression.

She was also an organizer of the protests against a proposed Phillies baseball stadium that city officials wanted to place at Chinatown’s door in 2000.

“If it’s not a stadium, it’s a highway or a convention center. Seattle ... Detroit ... Chica-

several other philanthropies. His goal is to help more people of color create and produce film, television, digital, and audio projects.

“There’s no shortage of talented, diverse creators, artists, and entrepreneurs,” said Lin, founder and CEO of the film and television company Rideback. “The only scarcity is opportunity, the funding and the risk-taking that’s always existed at the center of this

go, Boston, and then Washington, D.C. I have friends who grew up in Chinatown in D.C. and it’s just been decimated,” Wei said.

The home of the Washington Capitals hockey team and the Wizards basketball team moved to D.C.’s Chinatown community in 1997. Economic development experts say the increased foot traffic and more desirable real estate brought revitalization, but for the Chinatown community it meant rising rents and chain restaurants forcing them out.

Census numbers show that in 1990, about 66% of the people who lived in the D.C. Chinatown area identified as Asian American.

That dwindled to 21% in 2010. And as of the 2020 census, that had dropped to about 18% in the two tracts that make up parts of Chinatown.

Wei described signs for chains like CVS and Starbucks appearing with Chinese translations beside them, calling it a “cosmetic illusion.” Chen fears the changes to D.C.’s Chinatown could happen to Philadelphia.

“If you go inside a restaurant or a business, the workers aren’t Asian anymore. The owner isn’t Asian. And a lot of the customers aren’t Asian,” he said. “So where is the Chinatown?

It’s not there anymore.”

But in Philadelphia, Chinese-speaking households have been one of the fastest-growing populations, according to the census. The community passed the 5% threshold recently, meaning Chinese languages became official ballot languages. Asian and other immigrant

Hollywood content machine. We’re really determined to break through these restricted access points, enlarge the funnel, and activate more creatives of color.”

Just three in 10 film directors are Black, Latino, Asian-American, multiracial, or Native American.

And only a third of film writers are people of color, according to a recent study by the University of California at Los Angeles.

communities contributed to the city reversing a decades-long trend of losing population in recent censuses.

Helen Gym, the first Asian American woman to serve on Philadelphia City Council and an at-large member, held up two T-shirts from previous fights against potentially detrimental developments wanting to come to Chinatown. The first says, “No stadium in Chinatown,” and the second crossed out the word stadium and replaces it with “casino,” for the 2008 proposal that hoped to put a casino near the current proposal for the arena.

Gym previously joined the fight against the stadium and said that now, as a council member, she is “extremely skeptical” of the 76ers proposal.

“To us, this is one of the most vital parts and neighborhoods and communities in the city of Philadelphia,” Gym said. “This side has been a community that has continued to invest in itself, in its people, in small businesses. And in fact, this side is the one that has grown the health and well-being of the city.”

Rideback Rise, the company’s nonprofit arm, which hopes to raise $2 million in total this year, will oversee a fellowship program for writers, directors, podcast creators, and other artists of color selected each year who want to launch a project.

Each fellow will receive a $50,000 stipend plus access to a see LIN on 14

After the stadium failed in 2000, Gym said, the community developed the nearby space north of the expressway to add a public charter school, a community center, extensions of the Chinese Christian Church, the first Cambodian arts center and other cultural organizations.

Wei was the first principal of that school, the Folk Arts Cultural Treasures charter school. She said the building’s owner turned down offers from developers who wanted to build condos.

“People don’t understand what Chinatown means to the people of this community, people all over the area who consider this their home,” Wei said.

“There are precious few communities, real communities, left in Philadelphia.

They are not just geographic; they are about relationships and memories. They are a place-based core that has been systematically destroyed not just in Philadelphia and the U.S.; but around the world,“ Wei said. “And once Chinatown is gone, it’s gone. You can’t rebuild it.” 

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Estimated contract price: $1,000,000.00 Prospective bidders can view more details at: https:// kingcounty.gov/procurement/solicitations Complete Invitation to Bid Documents, including all project details, specifications, and contact information are available on our web page at: https://kingcounty.gov/procurement/ supplierportal

YOUR VOICE

■ ASTROLOGY

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

asianweekly northwest

13

Predictions and advice for the week of July 30–August 5, 2022

By Sun Lee Chang Dragon—From strength to strength, the question isn’t what you can do, but rather what you want to do.

Monkey—A friend has been patiently waiting for you to reemerge. They will not be disappointed when you do so.

Ox—You do not hesitate to help others, but do remember that it is also important to take care of yourself.

Snake—Instead of trying to fit it all in one day, separate out that which you really need to get done.

Rooster—You can’t go back and change the past.

However, now that you know better, you can do better going forward.

Tiger—Just initiating the process isn’t enough.

Your obligation is not complete until you have carried it through to the finish.

Horse—Something you’ve tried to hold off has come up again. This is the time to finally tackle it.

Dog—Are you on track for a homecoming of sorts?

Don’t be surprised if things are exactly as they were before.

Rabbit —A recent change in perspective allows you to see things in a different light, which could alter your next move.

Goat—Between two tempting choices, which way do you go? Pick the path of least regret.

Pig—A soft landing has you feeling grateful for, and now wanting to make permanent, something you once took for granted.

Rat—Does it feel as if you are just going through the motions today? Perhaps you simply need a break.

WHAT’S YOUR ANIMAL SIGN? RAT 1912, 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020 OX 1913, 1925, 1937, 1949, 1961, 1973, 1985, 1997, 2009, 2021 TIGER 1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010, 2022 RABBIT 1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011 DRAGON 1916, 1928, 1940, 1952, 1964, 1976, 1988, 2000, 2012 SNAKE 1917, 1929, 1941, 1953, 1965, 1977, 1989, 2001, 2013 HORSE 1918, 1930, 1942, 1954, 1966, 1978, 1990, 2002, 2014 GOAT 1919, 1931, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015 MONKEY 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992, 2004, 2016 ROOSTER 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993, 2005, 2017 DOG 1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006, 2018 PIG 1923, 1935, 1947, 1959, 1971, 1983, 1995, 2007, 2019

*The year ends on the first new moon of the following year. For those born in January and February, please take care when determining your sign.

SRI LANKAN PRESIDENT from 11 support of 134 lawmakers in the 225-member Parliament.

They apparently considered him the safer hands to lead the nation through the crisis, despite public anger at Wickremesinghe as an example of the nation’s problematic political establishment. During demonstrations, crowds set his personal residence on fire and occupied his office.

After the July 20 vote, Wickremesinghe called for politicians to work together and pleaded for the country to move on. But protesters flocked to the presidential office instead, chanting, “Ranil, go home!”

Protest leaders told reporters that they don’t accept Wickremesinghe’s appointment and urged him to step down immediately.

Parliament’s selection goes against the “will of the people,” said Jeewantha Peiris, a protest leader and Catholic priest, adding that demonstrations against Wickremesinghe would continue.

“We are the people who sent Gotabaya home, and it’s not a difficult task for us to send you (Wickremesinghe) home,” said Tampitiye Sugathananda, a Buddhist monk and protest leader who was outside the presidential office.

A week before the vote, police and Sri Lankan soldiers dismantled structures near the protest site where

JAYATISSA from 7 While she does enjoy lighthearted reading that transports her to a “happier place,” Jayatissa is drawn to the idea that something should be solved in a story. She loves surprises, a good “ah-ha” moment and the types of big reveals and plot twists—like when the villain’s mask comes off in “The Scooby-Doo Show”—that lend themselves to mysteries more than other genres.

“You’re Invited” takes place in Sri Lanka, where Jayatissa was born and raised, and still lives. The story was a chance to highlight different aspects of her culture, such as the grand multiday affairs that are involved in Sri Lankan weddings. Sri Lanka isn’t a country many people hear about in mainstream media and as readers get a glimpse into the culture, Jayatissa hopes it piques their interest to learn more—or become intrigued to explore books set in different settings outside the United States.

One aspect Jayatissa particularly enjoyed writing about in “You’re Invited” was a group of gossiping aunties.

“It was really fun for me,” she said, adding that this was a reflection of her own social circles living in the Sri Lankan capital city of Colombo. It’s not so much six degrees of separation as it is two degrees—everyone knows everyone and there are certain people who just know everyone’s business.

THE PERKS OF BEING A WRITER For Jayatissa, ideas for new books have typically come to

demonstrators have gathered for the past 104 days. They arrested several protesters, and security forces were witnessed beating up at least two journalists.

A large number of army and police personnel arrived in trucks and buses around midnight, removing tents and protest banners and making arrest. They blocked off roads leading to the site and carried long poles. Protesters said on social media that they were beaten up, but those alleged incidents couldn’t be verified.

On July 18, in his role as acting president, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency that gave him broad authority to act in the interest of public security and order. Authorities can carry out searches and detain people under the emergency, and Wickremesinghe can change or suspend any law. Parliament can regularly review the state of emergency, and it will expire without its approval.

In an example of the troubles caused by Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, a power outage hampered live television coverage of the ceremony in Parliament where Wickremesinghe took his oath as the country’s eighth executive president. He now can choose a new prime minister.

In some areas, Wickremesinghe’s supporters lit firecrackers and distributed sweets to celebrate his

her when she’s about halfway through writing a book. This is what happened with “You’re Invited,” as well as with her third novel. But it’s not until she’s turned her current project in for edits that she’ll allow herself to start on a new project.

This is so a new character’s voice won’t leak into the previous story.

When she’s finally free to start on a new story, Jayatissa does some pre-writing work, including creating an outline for the story and journaling in a character’s voice. Then she’ll start writing. And once that happens, she said, no one will see her for a long time. Any sort of routine she has—exercising, meditating—falls by the wayside until her “draft zero” is complete. After that, she becomes more disciplined as she revises the draft into good enough shape to send to her agent and editor. This takes about a year.

And while Jayatissa may have had the idea for “You’re Invited” before she even finished writing her first book, “My Sweet Girl” (2021), it didn’t come without its challenges.

Jayatissa dealt with what she and some of her writer friends describe as “book two syndrome.” While there was no real deadline or expectations while writing her first book, except the ones she created for herself, the second book brought in specific deadlines, others’ expectations—from her team, to readers—and comparisons to her previous work.

“You’re very mindful,” Jayatissa said about this additional pressure. But despite this, she said, “I love writing.”

In addition to the act of writing itself, another perk is being

appointment as president, local media reported.

The U.S. ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, wrote on Twitter that she looks forward to working with Wickremesinghe. She added: “In these challenging times, it will be essential for all parties to redouble efforts to work together to tackle the economic crisis, uphold democracy & accountability, and build a stable & secure future for all Sri Lankans.”

Wickremesinghe said that the negotiations with the IMF were near a conclusion and talks on help from other countries had also progressed. He also said the government has taken steps to resolve shortages of fuel and cooking gas.

IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told financial magazine Nikkei Asia that the organization hoped to complete the rescue talks “as quickly as possible.”

Presidents in Sri Lanka are normally elected by the public. The responsibility falls to Parliament only if the presidency becomes vacant before the term officially ends. It has happened once before, in 1993, when thenPrime Minister Dingiri Banda Wijetunga was chosen by Parliament uncontested after former President Ranasinghe Premadasa, father of the current opposition leader, was assassinated. 

able to read as much as she likes and no one can get mad at her.

Just the other day, she admits to holding up in her room with a book whose release she’d been eagerly awaiting.

Her dogs were barking loudly and Jayatissa was able to ask her husband to handle them because her reading— another thriller mystery—was in the name of “research.”

“That 9-year-old who locked herself in the bathroom would be very, very proud,” she said.  Samantha can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.

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asianweekly northwest

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

40 YEARS

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YAO from 9 while playing about 18 minutes a game with the Liberty. Li hasn’t had as much success, averaging just 2 points a game in Chicago.

When they played in New York last month, a handful of Chinese media were on hand. Interviews with the players drew millions of views in China.

“The population of Chinese basketball fans is huge,“ Li said through a translator. “Fans in China, while they are watching me

LIN from 12 fund that will allow creators to obtain material to adapt for their projects, such as books that could become screenplays and support to market their projects to potential buyers. Lin says it’s important to help creators use content from existing materials because some financial backers of film and other projects believe that content by diverse artists and for diverse audiences might not generate significant profits.

While developing their projects, fellows will receive coaching and mentoring from filmmakers and other professionals in the entertainment industry through Rideback, while also collaborating with other fellows. Fellows can then bring their projects to either Rideback or another production company with the nonprofit’s support.

Once projects are completed and become commercially viable, Rise will receive royalties ranging from 2% to 10% on each project, depending on its budget and format. Lin hopes that, over time, those fees will eventually help make Rideback Rise a self-sustaining organization.

“A typical film can take three to five years,” Lin said. “A TV show could take a similar amount of time. Why we went to the nonprofit space (was) that we really need that funding for the runway to build this organization.”

The Ford Foundation, which gave $600,000 to Rideback Rise, made the grant in large part because it wants to help ensure mid career creators can get greater opportunities and because of Rideback Rise’s Intellectual Property Fund, which allows participants to obtain rights to use certain content for their projects.

“We saw this as an opportunity to not only support these creators but to support a pretty novel approach to how to lift POC content more broadly in the Hollywood industry,” said Chi-hui Yang, a senior program officer at Ford Foundation who oversees grants for filmmaking.

For the MacArthur Foundation, the grant to the new nonprofit moves the organization in a new direction from largely supporting only nonfiction media.

“For us to make a direct grant to something like Rideback Rise, this is a little bit of a departure for us and one of the first of its kind,” said Kathy Im, who oversees the foundation’s journalism and media program. The grant maker, which

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and Han Xu highlights, will get to know more WNBA players and WNBA teams. I think this is a thing that could benefit me and Han Xu but also could benefit the WNBA as well.”

Both Han and Li have excelled in the offseason in the Chinese Basketball League that has had WNBA players such as Maya Moore and Sylvia Fowles play in it.

“When I was growing up there were a lot of WNBA players who I looked up to,“ Li said. “There is a lot of WNBA players who I think no matter in what aspect in life or in their career, I think (in) all those aspects they are doing a great job. They

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are excellent.”

Han has shown flashes that she could be a dominant force in the WNBA. She scored a career-high 24 points against Las Vegas earlier this month.

“I think it’s a great honor that domestic fans can watch WNBA games on TV in China,“ Han said. “I think when fans in China watch my play in the league, they can get a better idea about the development of this sport overseas.” 

contributed $200,000 to Rideback Rise, may use this as a pilot to evaluate whether it wants to support similar efforts in the future.

“We have come to realize and recognize that all forms of popular culture, including mainstream fiction films and scripted television shows, in addition to journalism and documentary films, which is our sweet spot, have a huge educational value and social impact,” Im said.

Other grant makers include the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Zelnick Belzberg Charitable Trust, and UTA Foundation, the charitable arm of the United Talent Agency in Beverly Hills. Rideback also plans to donate $100,000 to the nonprofit in the next few weeks, after having contributed $50,000 to Rideback Rise earlier.

People of color remain underrepresented among film directors and writers, according to an annual report on diversity in Hollywood from UCLA. “People in positions of authority in Hollywood, because of the fast-paced nature of production and so forth, tend to feel more comfortable hiring people that they’ve worked with before, who they’re familiar with, who kind of thought like them and could crank out projects at a pace that the industry demanded,” said Darnell Hunt, dean of social sciences at UCLA and co-author of the Hollywood diversity report. “So you had this self-perpetuating machine whereby the door revolved around opportunities for the same people over and over again.

Typically, those people were white males.”

Rideback Rise hopes to select its first five fellows by this fall and has plans to gradually increase the number each year. By its fifth year of operation, Rideback Rise wants to have a total of 25 fellows.

The nonprofit will also reach a greater number of creators through the Rise Circle, a group of more than 500 writers, filmmakers, and other people working in entertainment who will have access to career-building and networking events. The nonprofit held its first event in October, inviting the comedian Hasan Minhaj to give advice to Circle members. The nonprofit plans to host a two-night event soon focused on emerging and established comedians of color.

“We’ll do inspiring talks, but we also want to have more kind of tactical, practical training,” Lin said. He said it was important for people to be “able to ask questions that you may think are

dumb questions, but they’re basic questions that you just don’t get educated on because Hollywood does not have a set training system the way some other industries do.”

Comedian Karan Menon attended last year’s event with Minhaj, where he made connections that ultimately landed him an internship at Rideback Rise. He also met someone who helps him do research for his sketch comedy videos online and other comedians to join his stand-up shows.

“People after the event were really into getting each others’ numbers and talking because there’s only so much you can do on your own when you try to make it as a comedian or a creator,” he said.

Hunt, the UCLA dean, said he sees value in philanthropic dollars funding programs that help aspiring creators of color but that more needs to be done by the entertainment industry to improve diversity.

“Attention needs to be paid to the industry itself and the way it’s structured and the types of opportunities that it’s making available for that new rich pipeline that’s being developed,” he said. 

SOLUTION from SUDOKU on page 6.

YOUR VOICE

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

asianweekly northwest

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business owners, and landowners of Seattle’s CID, request the immediate removal of the encampment located within the district boundary along Interstate 5 between South King Street and South Dearborn Street,” it states.

But it’s not that simple.

There is no doubt that the neighborhood has been inundated with violence and fires and danger—from shootings to arson to harassment, both verbal and physical. Many residents feel that the city’s problems have been dumped into the CID— and the presence of the unhoused epitomizes this dynamic.

At the same time, many community leaders realize the unhoused need help.

“I’ve been in meetings with community members from Little Saigon,” said Nancy Sugg, medical director of Harborview’s Pioneer Square Clinic and Downtown Homeless Programs. “They, time and again, say there needs to be a balance between saving their own community and getting these people help.”

FAILURE OF INSTITUTIONS The tug of war between looking out for the safety of the CID and saving those suffering from homelessness from further harm is not lost on Tanya Woo. Woo runs a night patrol of the CID. On a recent Sunday, she reported to the media that a man experiencing homelessness, who she and others said have been in and out of the district for two decades, punched an older woman in the face.

According to Woo and others, he was arrested and then released the following Wednesday. His charge of assault was dismissed without prejudice by reason of mental incompetency, she wrote in an email.

For her and others, his long string of violent behavior epitomizes the threats the CID faces.

“He assaulted two to three seniors last summer, he assaulted customers waiting in line at businesses, he tried to assault a child, spat on employees trying to remove him from their business. I had to ask him to leave the Chong Wa playfield when he approached us during Drill Team practice holding a stick, the list goes on and on,” she wrote.

“He does not usually attack adults but seems to target the most vulnerable in our community, unprovoked. He is also known for trespassing and harassment of local businesses.

We believe many of his episodes may be affected by his drug addiction and mental health issues.”

But Woo said it is a failure of policies that results in such situations.

“This seems to be a constant cycle of assault, arrest, charge dismissal due to incompetence, release, and repeat.

It’s unfortunate that the city continues to release him without any plans to help him with his addiction or mental health.

It’s also frustrating having to deal with policies that cannot ensure the safety of the community,” she wrote. “This story is about how the system has failed to provide help for a man and how this is adversely affecting the larger community.”

A FORMER STUDENT Other community members also have compassion for those on the streets, but for other reasons.

“When I first saw T enter my class, he was a tall, gawky eighth grader and reminded me of a puppy before growing enough to match oversized paws,” said Betty Lau, using an abbreviation to protect the privacy of a former student.

Her student was later kicked out of his home by older brothers unwilling to take care of him (the parents were not around) and ended up in juvenile detention in Echo Glen.

“I had never heard of the place until I got a call from a counselor there asking me to visit. The counselor had asked him why his family didn’t visit. He said they didn’t like him and had thrown him out. He had no other family here.

And no friends. The counselor asked, ‘Isn’t there anybody who likes you?’ And he said, ‘Yes, a teacher; Ms. Lau likes me,’” she said.

Ever since being released, he’s been homeless.

“Whenever we see each other in the CID or Little Saigon, I ask how he is. He always says he’s fine, but he looks old beyond his years—skinny, as though wasting away, no front teeth anymore from lack of dental care. I encourage him to get help, get clean, finish school, that he’s still very intelligent, and it’s not too late for high school completion so he can move on with his life, to reconnect with his family. But he laughs and says it’s too late,” said Lau. WHO ARE THOSE WITHOUT HOMES? According to Sugg, there is no one group of people that can be called “homeless.”

There are, of course, those suffering from mental health or substance abuse crises. But there are also families that have suffered from some disaster that have to live in cars.

There are people in their 20s who were making $60,000 a year and then the economy collapsed, and they never thought they’d be in this situation. There are people who

Photos by Assunta Ng

FIRE from 1

Garbage behind the Tsue Chong building

Camps behind the Tsue Chong building

were living paycheck to paycheck and had a surprise medical bill.

“The only thing they have in common is that they are without a house,” she said in an interview.

Cities that have high housing prices are facing the bulk of the crisis.

“There have been studies, in cities without the high housing costs of places like Seattle and San Francisco, the problems are not as severe,” she said.

Moreover, such an exploding housing market penalizes anyone who falls afoul of a landlord just once. Those who have been evicted find it virtually impossible to get housing again.

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that, to community members like those in the CID, a few violent people living among encampments can shape perceptions, said Sugg.

The second floor of the Tsue Chong Company is now occupied by a food bank, Louie having sold his business in 2019 and the new owner moved the business to Kent.

On a recent afternoon, when senior residents of the CID were lined up on a ramp outside the building to receive food, someone from the encampment threw a water bottle that hit one of the older women in the back of the head. As we stood on the third floor of the building, looking out over part of the encampment, a tall, rake-thin man in a baseball cap carried an electronic appliance whose cord snaked behind him as he vanished.

“He’s going to sell that, some stolen goods,” said Louie.

But Sugg cautioned that those living on the streets, the majority, are subject to the same kind of violence, if not much worse, as that suffered by community members who are living in dwellings.

“Just like with any group, there are criminals among them, but again, this is true of those living in houses, too,” she said.

Most people living on the streets are in constant fear for their lives, property or safety.

“Families know that some of the people in the next tent are going to have guns,” she said.

This is one reason why violent unhoused individuals are able to cycle back to the streets.

“The police officers’ hands are tied. They need someone to press charges, but if you’re out on the streets and you know that by pressing charges you’re going to end up being targeted by this person, then you won’t do it,” she said.

“Our mission is to provide a presence in the neighborhood when the senior residents are out on their evening walks,” states a flier. “Please consider joining us.”

THE COMMUNITY’S RESPONSE The frustration of the community is palpable.

Garbage lines the streets and parking lots where the encampments lie. As we passed the other side of the encampment, an individual stared out blankly, a fatuous grin sickly painted on his face.

Most of the businesses along the street have been afflicted one way or another. Some are permanently closed. Others have been demolished with windows broken or doors kicked in.

The bottom floor of the Tsue Chong building, though vacant, has had its front door trashed—it is now covered by a board—and an inner office window still lies broken with pieces of glass hanging.

Yet the violence affects everyone.

Sugg described two individuals who had climbed their way out of homelessness and were living in affordable housing who were recently shot as bystanders.

Susan Woo, who leads the other night patrol, regularly takes pictures and calls the authorities when safety issues take place. She recently showed half a dozen night-time photos of police activity involving homeless encampments.

Still, it is not clear how the fire in the lot behind the Tsue Chong building started. As with other fires, it may have been from cooking.

Meanwhile, the Seattle Chinatown Block Watch is recruiting volunteers to join evening walks in the CID. Patrols are from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and begin at Hing Hay Park.

THE CITY’S RESPONSE Mayor Bruce Harrell in May announced an initiative to donate over $1 million to the KCRHA. Sugg said what is needed is more, much more, affordable housing, particularly of a kind where low-income people can mix with people of different socio-economic status.

“They can be pulled up,” she said, although adding that the idea was somewhat “utopian.”

The Harrel initiative has promised to buy an existing structure and turn it into affordable housing for unhoused people.

The structure, however, is in the Green Lake area.

Jamie Housen, director of communications for the mayor’s office, in response to emailed questions, said the Dockside Apartments in Green Lake, while “one element of the plan,” were not “the main thrust” of the announcement.

“Instead, it demonstrated the city’s commitment to creating and opening spaces for people experiencing homelessness to go, including permanent housing like Dockside, along with shelters and other emergency housing options, along with a new level of transparency to document to the public the progress of opening those locations,” he wrote.

One of the priorities of the mayor is to make coordination easier between the city and the KCRHA. Out of $173 million budgeted for homelessness related services, more than $118 million goes to KCRHA. The city has also made available a website so that city residents can see where tents and RVs are concentrated.

In concert with the KCRHA, Housen said the city has already helped many in need.

In King County as a whole, nearly 800 households in King County have moved from homelessness to permanent housing since May of 2021 with federal Emergency Housing Vouchers made available through the American Rescue Plan.

In the CID, specifically “the City’s HOPE Team, in partnership with KCRHA and outreach providers, has facilitated approximately 140 referrals to shelter for those experiencing homelessness. Almost all referrals have been to 24/7 enhanced shelter or tiny house villages,” said Housen.

He added, “As for the specific encampment you mentioned, the city is aware of two encampments near this location. The city has been there this month to remove trash and debris as part of the Clean Cities Initiative. We will continue to monitor this encampment with our partners at WSDOT and KCRHA.” Community members can report specific issues regarding unauthorized encampments through the Customer Service Bureau.

Still, it may take time to get a response—if at all.

“With roughly 1,000 documented sites of people living in tents or RVs or other vehicles throughout the city, it is extremely difficult for our Unified Care Team to respond immediately to every request for service, but these requests are absolutely critical to our ability to properly document, inspect, and monitor the scope of homelessness in the city.

This data is what drives our response strategies and will show us what’s working and what isn’t,” said Housen.  To see where tents and RVs are concentrated, go to: experience.arcgis.com/experience/ af548fd66fc94e98a5067b299b7d1209/ To contact the city’s Customer Service Bureau, go to: seattle.gov/customer-service-bureau/contact-us To join or learn more about the Seattle Chinatown Block Watch, email Susan Lee Woo at: scbw0818@gmail.com Mahlon can be contacted at info@nwasianweekly.com.

16

asianweekly northwest

40 YEARS

JULY 30 – AUGUST 5, 2022

SAFETY from 1 was charged with fourth-degree assault against an Asian woman in downtown Seattle. He also attacked two Chinese tourists. These types of incidents have driven many people to seek advice on how to protect themselves.

We “always want to be playing the ‘what if’ game. What am I going to do if the ball gets hit to me?” said Lauren Balter, a patrol officer at Seattle’s North Precinct. Mental preparation counts for a lot and is just as important as being physically capable.

“Envision what you will do in a certain situation…Do it physically as well. That’s another layer of motor programming that’s going to help solidify that training. Do it with other people and now you have a team.”

Balter, along with SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Jennifer Danner, are part of that team. They and other SPD members teach a mixed gender personal safety class that is available online, as a hybrid, and in person. There are also related self-defense classes offered similarly through the Seattle Parks Department. In addition, on today’s phones, there are many apps, such as Life360, that will come to your aid in times of danger.

Most of us think of two kinds of safety when we think of self-protection. There’s how to be safe around our homes and environments, keeping poisons away from kids and pets, having an escape plan in case of fire, bringing enough water when we go hiking, that kind of thing. And then we think of self-defense if we are attacked.

These days, the latter is more top of mind for many.

Grandmaster Chae Un Kim, of Burien’s Kwon Moo Hapkido, has been teaching self-defense to private citizens and public servants for years. At his school, martial

ICHS from 3 For vaccine locations near you, text your zip code to the six digit 438-829 (GET VAX) run by the Washington Department of Health or call the hotline at 1-833-VAXHELP (833-829-4357), then press #. Language assistance is available.

COVID-19 vaccines are free of charge, regardless of immigration or health insur-

arts is not a sport.

“There are two different types of martial arts…There is sport martial arts and real martial arts. Karate, taekwondo, these are good sports for kicking and punching… hapkido style is for self-defense. It’s not kicking. It’s punching. And using pressure points and twisting. It’s more defensive.”

“A lot of people find their way here for different reasons,” explained Kwon Moo Hapkido instructor and 3rd Dan black belt Elaine Chang. “Grandmaster doesn’t call it a sport…It’s a martial art and it’s something that could be applicable but hopefully you’ll never need…You have to be comfortable with the concept of violence but hoping that you never need to do something like that. Preparation… situational awareness I’m going to say is the most important.”

That mental preparation that you might have to hurt someone to protect yourself— yet hopefully never will—is key. A lot of what they teach at Kwon Moo Hapkido is practical, such as learning how to fall down without serious injury—but it’s also crucial for face-to-face confrontations.

“The violence, hopefully you’ll never use it. But we try to get people to be comfortable with it,” said Matt McDevitt, 3rd Dan black belt, instructor, and Chang’s husband. And they do get violent in class, which is why they don’t compete. Their moves could seriously hurt someone.

“Really that’s what it is, how to inflict damage on someone,” McDevitt added.

[Grandmaster’s] flag is a fist.” Every class is spent punching, twisting joint locks, and McDevitt likes to add falling.

“Hopefully we’ll never punch anybody, but gravity is always out to get us.”

What do you do if someone hostile confronts you? First, call attention to yourself. SPD advises yelling, “Help!” though others feel that will make

ance status. Please bring your picture ID and insurance card if you have health insurance.

ICHS will host a one-day pediatric COVID-19 vaccine clinic for members of the community, ages 6 months to 4 years old, who are not ICHS patients to receive COVID-19 vaccines on Saturday, Aug. 6, 2022. Visit ichs.com for more details. 

bystanders run away. The key is to make noise and let an attacker know you might be more trouble than it’s worth.

“It can be empowering to remind ourselves that we can be loud,” said Balter, who suggested practicing yelling in the car.

“This is not a fun topic to think about, but it’s one that we have to think about…You should never feel guilty about having to fight back. You have every right to protect yourself.”

During their personal safety class, the SPD representatives were mindful of cultural and gender differences. They spent a slide on assertiveness and brought up how women, especially, are taught not to say no.

“You are setting boundaries. You are exercising your autonomy and you are entitled to do that,” reminded Balter.

“Embrace boundary setting. That’s all you have in terms of personal safety. This applies throughout every aspect of your life.” It’s not always strangers that threaten us. People can make us feel unsafe at home or work. In those cases, set boundaries as a “litmus test” for the person’s intentions. “A normal person will respect that,” continued Balter. “Someone intending to do you harm might pressure you or question you or not respect those boundaries. That gives you even more information about what they might be intending to do.”

How do you protect yourself if it goes beyond yelling and the other person gets physical? One thing is to be aware of everyday items you can use as weapons, and objects you can place in between you, particularly in cases of “de-escalation”— today’s catchword due to increasing incidents of anger in public. Grandmaster Kim suggested using car keys as a weapon, making sure you hold them correctly so as not to injure yourself in the process—and aiming for the weakest points in a person’s body. He stressed this as the best type of

defense for those with no martial arts training.

“If someone grabs you, you can jab the keys in their vulnerable spots, such as their ribcage, neck, etc. This is a good weapon.”

In general, he said keep your keys out on your way to your car. Don’t be staring at your phone, and pay attention to what’s around you.

Danner emphasized listening to our instincts and quoted from a book, The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker: “‘It’s okay to know without knowing why.’ I’ve felt fear and felt silly or ashamed and tried to explain it away. Stop doing that. Fear is a gift to us. It’s our body’s way of telling us something is wrong before our brain can process. Learn to listen to those feelings.”

It’s hard to face the idea that danger might come to us, but facing that idea is the first step to survival in the moment. In stressful situations, we want to avoid losing the ability to think rationally—and help others get it back—which is why practicing in advance is helpful. “When you’re reacting versus acting, you’re always one step behind,” said Balter. “Make a plan and it helps you catch up.” We can do everything within our control to be safe and still, Chang warned, “If someone is going to attack you, they’re going to attack you regardless, so be prepared.”  For more information on Grandmaster Kim’s Kwon Moo Hapkido, go to: hapkidokwonmoo.com.

SPD’s personal safety classes can be accessed through: seattle.gov/police/crime-prevention/ personal-safety-training.

Kai can be reached at info@nwasianweekly.com.