Marlon Meyer
Northwest Asia Weekly
Community members and CID supporters line up outside to protest the expansion of the homeless shelter. (Photo by Assunta Ng)
Nearly 100 residents from Chinatown International District (CID) attended the King County Council meeting on Sept. 27 to protest the expansion of the homeless shelter. They shared stories of break-ins, assaults, harassment, property destruction and other physical violence.
They all return to a common theme: their communities are no longer safe.
“I was raped in CID,” the final speaker communicated via Zoom. “It had a major impact on the rest of my life.”
She spoke too quickly, and the lawmakers seemed unresponsive, almost as if they might have misheard her.
She tearfully spoke of trying to return to the CID but encountering more violence.
Violence was the theme — and the personal experience of dozens of speakers. However, nearly a hundred people showed up, pouring from the crowded auditorium into the court below.
On September 27, CID protesters and supporters gathered in the King County Council Chamber to express their anger and concerns about the expansion of the homeless shelter. (Photo by Andrew Chow)
“We just saw 10 broken windows last night,” said a woman who has lived in CID for 42 years. When she and others were eating at a restaurant, “12 mentally ill people broke in and took food from the table.”
There have been seven homicides this year – the last ‘in broad daylight, last Thursday at 2pm’, a man says
He noted that, according to Seattle Police Department (SPD) Chief Adrian Diaz, there are not enough resources to pay for the CID.
As he burst into tears, the speaker said he was not indifferent to the homeless. He described performing CPR on a homeless man on the day his own father died of COVID-19, saving his life.
But at the same time, he said, “I saw a homeless guy hit a lady with a sucker and now he’s back on the street.”
Other speakers spoke of the unresponsiveness of SPD officers to violent crime, apparently due to understaffing.
Photo by Marlon Meyer
The Salvation Army SODO Shelter on the edge of the CID is currently planning an expansion. The purpose of the expansion is to increase the capacity to accommodate nearby tent camps. This expansion will increase the number of people living in shelters. It’s unclear how much space will be allocated for the RV park or the planned micro homes that will be attached to the extension.
Additionally, while the current Salvation Army SODO Shelter is focused on treating veterans, an expanded version of the Shelter will not necessarily share that focus. The Salvation Army SODO Shelter will cease operations in November.
Protesters for the expansion, many of whom are members of the CID community, have become suspicious of government authorities’ claims that are inconsistent with their own experiences.
For example, Lim Meirui, president of the Chong Wa Charity Association, which represents 21 organizations in the CID, said she told King County Executive Dow Constantine that he was deciding on the shelter expansion.
“Why didn’t you contact us?” she said at the meeting. “We’re the ones representing CID.”
Frank Irigon, who led protests against the plan to destroy the CID to build a kingdom 50 years ago, said: “It’s a shame when the county magistrate refuses to meet people.” He turned to sit in the audience Most of the seniors on the board, he said: “These are the real voices of the CID. They deserve to be heard!”
Photo by Assunta Ng
Gary Lee, a volunteer with Seattle’s Chinatown Neighborhood Watch, said officials violated zoning laws in shelter planning. An ordinance allowing emergency construction of shelters is related to COVID-19, but currently planned shelters are not being built for pandemic-related purposes, he said.
“You should end the lease and find another place away from the CID,” he said.
Earlier in the day, lawmakers received Constantine’s proposed budget for 2023-2024, which includes $5.7 million to build a sobriety center for the sanctuary hub. Council will vote on the budget in November.
Lee also said that as a night patrol community watchman, he spoke extensively with homeless people on the streets, many of whom reported authorities telling them to go to CID.
“Shame on you,” he told Parliament. “You are the ones who pushed homeless people to CID. They said they were told to come here. You are creating problems so you can be a savior.”
When he finished his last words, the tension reached its height, and a frozen silence prevailed.
Gei Chan, another community watch volunteer, said: “I’ve talked to people on the street. They don’t want to go to a shelter. It’s not the best solution. Can you think of other options, like tiny houses in different areas? “
Golden, a student at a beauty salon across the street from the CID camp, said the needle buildup and unsafe practices around the salon could shut it down.
She was afraid to take her children there, making it difficult for her to continue training.
“We have kids like you,” she said. “I’ve been homeless too. You see the problem and you need to fix it.”
Julie Neilson, who has worked at CID for many years, pointed to the recent closure of a grocery store and a full-service pharmacy.
“How are these people supposed to get food and medicine for themselves?” she said. “What did CID do to deserve this?”
Racism has been infused into the many attacks on the elderly and children in the CID, with resident Sandy Yu putting her phone on the speaker.
The tentative voice of her seven-year-old daughter filled the chamber.
“I’m scared now, he’s mad at me,” said her daughter, who was spit in the face and threatened by a homeless man. “I don’t want him to live around here, I’m still scared.”
For many of these community members, the violence also reflects a horrific lack of fairness.
Several speakers said there were too many homeless shelters near the CID, with some claiming 20 shelters.
Community organizer Tanya Woo and other community members asked the city council to develop a safety plan for the CID before bringing whole new groups of people who might feed on them, such as drug dealers and sex traffickers, into the district.
“We need you to set a precedent for the future of high-impact policy [like this one] It’s not going to continue to happen,” she said.
Carmen Chan, a third-generation Japanese-American, described to lawmakers how her parents were incarcerated during World War II. “I was shocked to learn about everything planned for CID,” she added. She also said the expanded homeless shelter won’t be the only facility to close some of the CID in the next decade, either. planned transportation hub.
“Members, if you think it’s safe to walk around, raise your hand,” said a woman who said she has lived in CID for 42 years. “Now if you walk across our block, please raise your hand.”
Only council chair Claudia Balducci raised her hand. Balducci later clarified that other colleagues of hers had also walked through the area.
Referring to the onslaught of 10 shattered windows and a dozen people rushing into the restaurant the night before to grab food from tables, the spokesman added, “Does Mercer Island or Medina have the same problem?”
After a while, Balducci said: “I just want to make it clear… [my colleagues and I] Can see what you are talking about. “
Mahlon can be contacted by info@nwasianweekly.com.
