by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
A police car outside the Taishan Association shortly after the Aug. 5 robbery.
Two recent armed robberies in Seattle’s Chinatown International District (CID) have alarmed many community members due to the similarities.
First, the perpetrators targeted non-English speaking elderly Asians who gathered in clubs and family associations to play mahjong as a social pastime. In both incidents, the gunman resorted to violence, attacking customers. Second, robberies don’t take place in the dark with empty facilities as they used to be. Most disturbingly, the two incidents were separated by 10 days. Victims of both groups said they were being watched before the attack.
The crime scene outside Happy Together on July 27.
“Robbery, robbery,” three gunmen shouted as they walked through an unlocked door at Happy Together, a mahjong club on South Wheeler Street, just after 7pm on August 5.
“In the beginning, the elderly who didn’t speak English didn’t know it was a robbery, and they were still playing (mahjong),” said a female customer who helped out at the club.
“This [suspects] Yelling at him (the owner) for money. I said, ‘You’ve got the money from the mahjong table. A gunman hit the owner and some elderly people.
Ask Wu
“Older people were beaten to the brink of unconsciousness,” said Tanya Woo on the CID Community Watch page.
The suspects were familiar with mahjong tables and had pockets small enough to hold chips or money.
According to the owner and female customer, the victim did not resist.
This was the second time Happy was robbed. It was also robbed last September. The owner said the damage was small. But a source who spoke with Seattle police detectives familiar with club robberies said the damage was $30,000, on par with the total robbed.
A neighbour later told the club owner that the suspect had been watching them for three days.
How did the suspect get into the club?
“An old man who hasn’t been here for a long time walked in without closing the door,” the woman said. The club has since installed double doors and a large camera inside the club to see people outside. Seattle police confirmed to Northwest Asia Weekly that a suspect had been arrested as a precaution.
On August 5, near 1 p.m., a second robbery took place at Tarzan, Washington, a home association on South Jackson Street. The two organizations are only about 500 feet apart.
The association’s losses are estimated at more than $10,000, according to its former president, Ken Chen.
“Three gunmen robbed more than 20 elderly people at gunpoint, taking cash and jewellery worn by the victims.” Two sources said the number was much larger, about 50 to 60 people.
Police interviewed witnesses outside Happy Together on July 27 following a robbery.
Chen said it was unusual for robbers to attack during the day. On August 5, the association just opened. Association members come and go.
“We only locked it after 5pm where we were in a corner. So it was easier for someone to hide in a corner and look at us and we couldn’t see them from the inside.”
Wu Yun’e, who played chess in Taishan that day, told Northwest Asia Weekly that the three armed robbers first knocked chairs on the floor to show their ruthlessness. “When the door opened for a customer, they came in.
They locked the door. Then, they threw the chairs on the floor. They slapped several men hard because they didn’t pay them enough or they were too slow. “He himself took a hit for not giving money fast enough.
“A poker player, 87 years old, was hit more than 12 times. In the final round, he was kicked, slapped and shot in the head. He fell to the ground with blood from his ears,” Wu said. “I saw him the other day, and his ears were still bruised.”
The association has been a frequent target this year but has not reported any robberies to police. Chen said the association was also robbed a month ago, but did not call the police.A member responsible for cleaning the grounds was robbed after cleaning at 8pm
“After he cleaned up, he went out and tried to lock the door,” Chen said. “The robbers pushed him in and took more than $100 from him. I told him to call the police. He wasn’t injured and didn’t want to contact the police.”
On another occasion, Ms. He, 89, went to play mahjong with two other women outside the association. She and her separated friend were robbed.
“An unmasked gunman [South Jackson Street] and pointed a gun at us. I’m scared. I just gave him my entire wallet. It had $600, my ID, other IDs, including my vaccination card, apartment keys, and other things I didn’t even remember. “
Nora Chen
Nora Chan, founder of the Seniors-in-Action Foundation, said two other seniors were robbed, a woman carrying $900 and the other $7,000 outside the association. None of these cases were reported.
What do these club and association robberies have in common? Police took surveillance video from both locations. The suspects looted several parts of the city, a source said.
Witnesses from both groups said the suspects were black males, some of whom wore masks. Wu said the three robbers in Taishan were not masked, and they stayed there for half an hour until they heard sirens outside.
“They thought it was to get them.” The police car wasn’t here to arrest them, it just happened to pass by another emergency.
“After this incident, we no longer feel safe,” Chen said. “In the past eight years, we have never had anything like this happen here — looting in the bright sun. We don’t know what we should be doing to protect ourselves.” Chen said the association plans to close for a month to discuss how better protect yourself.
“Maybe, the community can come together and discuss how to improve public safety. What should be our next steps? We have to work together. We cannot rely on the police.”
Officer Wu Jing introduced SPD members to Nanweiler’s businesses.
“We can’t keep blaming the police,” said Lin Meirui, president of the China Charity Federation. “The community should work together. Play mahjong with chips, not cash” to avoid looting.
“The Chinese should report all crimes. But they have language problems.”
Lim also said that we should not buy stolen goods because it would encourage suspects to steal and rob.
She said every business should have cameras installed so they have evidence to show police when a crime occurs. If these cameras were privately owned by individual businesses, there would be no privacy concerns. Some cameras have facial recognition, she said.
Lin is working on funding for cameras and language resources for the Chinese community.
While playing Mahjong is permitted in many Asian countries, it is considered a form of gambling in Washington state.
Assunta can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
