Ruth Bayan
Northwest Asia Weekly
After Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “Seattle Day of Service” (4,000 volunteers signed up to clean up the city), business owners and community leaders in the Chinatown International District (CID) say more needs to be done. Work more.
A fire started by unauthorized campers burned the southeast part of the NVC Memorial Building. | Credit: NVC Memorial
“Simple vandalism is disgusting,” said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Yaguchi, the current commander of the Nisei Veterans Council (NVC).
“The most important issues are the open use of drugs in our neighborhood and the disposal of needles and other materials used to prepare these drugs in public places or on private property.”
The SPD dispersed people loitering outside Lam’s Seafood on May 24. (Image credit: Staff)
The area around the NVC Memorial at 12th Avenue South and South King Street has seen an increase in vandalism, trash, human waste and people hanging out or camping in the parking lot over the past two years.
Lim’s Seafood and NVC Memorial are across the street. (Source: Staff)
Yaguchi said, “It is the large crowds gathered on the sidewalks to sell ‘products’ and other less popular activities that make entering the NVC complex unwelcome and dangerous. This is blatant and ruthless on our private property. Garbage disposal, but also elsewhere.
“It was just a good PR,” Teizi Mersai said of the city’s recent efforts to clean up Little Saigon — specifically the intersection of 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street.
Mersai, manager of the Lim’s Seafood Market across the street from the NVC Memorial, said the problem had only moved one block away – King Street.
“Should I build a fence around Lam’s Seafood?” Mercy wondered. He opposed the idea because it “made the whole area unpopular. It looked like a prison.”
Two large malls in South Jackson have been fenced off on both sides, he said.
When asked if he had contacted the Seattle Police Department (SPD), he said he had, adding: “It didn’t work. They came to look around and didn’t see anything and they left. But the question still exists.”
A group of people wandered 10th Avenue South and South King Street on May 24. (Image credit: Staff)
A call to SPD chief Adrian Diaz went unanswered. However, Northwest Asia Weekly staff noticed an SPD cruiser off Lam’s on May 24 – officers dispersing 12 people sitting outside.
The mayor’s office also told Northwest Asia Weekly in a statement that “the SPD is aware of the ongoing criminal activity around King Street and is working to address the area’s problems.”
Little Saigon used to be a vibrant business district.
According to Quynh Pham, executive director of Friends of Little Saigon, at least two businesses are now leaving the area or relocating, three of which have closed.
Pham also told Northwest Asia Weekly that “other businesses are looking at hiring private security, but the cost is so high that they don’t think they can afford it.”
People wandering around 10th Avenue South and South King Street (Credit: Staff)
Mercy echoed that sentiment.
“Over $100 an hour. This one is expensive. The best price is still $75 an hour. So I lean towards the fence.”
Yaguchi shared photos of the aftermath of the fire – which started when an unauthorized camper was caught on surveillance video – with Northwest Asia Weekly. The fire scorched the southeast part of the NVC Memorial Building.
“This is not the Emerald City anymore,” Yaguchi said. “We had to divert funding from educating the public about the legacy of Nisei soldiers during WWII to expensive security perimeter fencing to help ensure our members, volunteers and guests feel safe and deny access to these areas. From the street You can’t see it because these areas are exploited.”
He added: “Human waste eliminated in ‘hidden’ areas of the property in the streetscape emits a repulsive stench that can sometimes be overwhelming – summer is the worst time.”
Yaguchi said it was tiring to deal with these problems every day.
The mayor’s office said Harrell “is working to implement a comprehensive approach to public safety — integrating social services, community engagement, economic development, and more. In practice, this includes working closely with small businesses and community organizations, including hundreds of thousands of dollars support; millions of dollars in support of anti-displacement and affordable housing efforts; and regular investments in cleaning neighborhoods, clearing trash, and beautifying the area.”
“The city’s unified care team also worked to close multiple camps in CID and Little Saigon, including at least 85 referrals to these communities for shelter,” it added.
Ruth can be reached by Editor @nwasianweekly.com.
