by Assunta Ng
Northwest Asia Weekly
Senator Patty Murray chats with community members inside Eastern Cafe (Photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW)
Senator Patty Murray visited Chinatown in person on Saturday for the first time since 2017. More than 30 community members welcomed her.
Lawson Wong, 23, a resident of Chinatown International District (CID) who met Murray for the first time, said: “We—the young, old, black, white, Asian residents of Chinatown International—are honored to have There are 30-current Senator Patty Murray visiting our beloved community. He and his wife are recent graduates who have decided to make CID their home.
Debbie Uno, a CID resident, said: “I do think it’s good that she takes time out of her busy schedule to serve us.”
“We are honored that Senator Patty Murray is in Chinatown,” said Tony Au, one of several Asian community members who accompanied Murray from Xinghai Park to visit Dadong Restaurant and Oriental Cafe. “She is warm and thoughtful. She has been one of the most powerful senators and the best senator in Washington state for the past 30 years.”
Murray, elected in 1992, is the third most powerful senator among Senate Democrats. If re-elected on November 8, she will begin her sixth Senate term.
senator. Patty Murray and Taitung boss Harry Chan (photo by Assunta Ng)
“I didn’t expect Senator Murray to know about my brother’s death and send her hello to our family [but she did],” said Harry Chen, owner of the Taitung restaurant. The day before Murray’s visit, it was the funeral of Chen’s younger brother, Tommy Quan. Still sad, Chen said he thanked Murray for his visit and her kind words for him.
“Seattle’s International District is such an important and historic part of our city,” Murray said. “I am excited to meet with local small business owners and community members as I travel around Washington to remind everyone to vote in this election. When the pandemic hit, I worked hard to get funding to help our small businesses open their doors and keep them open of workers are paid — not only because it’s necessary for our economy, but because our local small businesses are the heart and soul of our community.”
Former Seattle Deputy Mayor Hyeok Kim and Rep. Sharon T. Santos were the organizers of Murray’s CID tour. “Her (Murray’s) campaign wants the senator to stop by the CID to encourage people to vote, and to give her the opportunity to say hello to supporters in the neighborhood,” King said.
“Sen. Patty Murray has been a longtime friend of the Chinatown International District community, supporting our small businesses and community nonprofits,” Santos said. “This is a great opportunity for her to see our continued community resilience in the face of existential threats from Covid-19, anti-Asian hatred and violence, and external developments.”
Murray’s campaign staff said that while she didn’t travel to the community during the pandemic, “she actually had a lot of engagement with CID businesses and leaders during and after the height of the pandemic.”
“Murray takes care of our state and lets us fund businesses and nonprofits,” Au said.
“I hope she wins the game,” said Uno, a Murray supporter. Many community members were posing for photos with Murray, although a minority were Republicans. The CID visit is part of Murray’s activities in the city. After her CID visit, she traveled to the Seattle Center to join Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, who is running for Murray in our state.
See our pictures of Senator Murray’s visit.
Assunta Ng can reach assunta@nwasianweekly.com.
