Chen Beiqi
Northwest Asia Weekly
Police officer Jing Wu in front of the West District (Photo by Becky Chan)
When Jing Wu was raising chickens barefoot in Xunyang Village, Taishan, China, he never dreamed that he would one day be a Seattle Police Department (SPD) officer, driving an SUV to patrol Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). As SPD’s newly hired Chinese-American officer, who speaks three dialects — Taishan, Cantonese and Mandarin — Wu was assigned to the Kings District West.
Northwest Asia Weekly recently interviewed Wu on the West Side and CID.
Wu’s baby face is radiant with happiness, reflecting his Chinese name Jinghong (Jinghong) – a prosperous, bright future. (He’s Jing Wu.) A dark uniform top with a shiny badge on his left shoulder adds to his confidence. He’s loaded with the tools of his trade – service weapons, handcuffs, walkie-talkies, flashlights, keys, and anything else he needs. But you can’t see the most important tool he uses.
Officer Wu Jing greets Huang Ming, a waiter at the Harbour City restaurant, as he walks through the International District of Chinatown. (Photo by Chen Beiqi)
Growing up in the countryside cultivated a “don’t worry, be happy” attitude. Wu Wenbin is polite and courteous.
“My village is small and quiet,” Wu said, sounding nostalgic. As in many rural areas in China, parents often leave their children behind and seek jobs in cities for better pay.
“Mainly grandparents and children,” Wu said of his village.
Wu’s father left the village to work as a security guard in Zhuhai, one of China’s first special economic zones established in 1980. It is also close to Macau in Las Vegas of Asia.
When Wu was 11, his maternal grandfather in the United States had sponsored him, his brother and his mother to join him in the Portland, Oregon area. Wu’s aunt opened a restaurant in Centralia, where Wu’s mother washed the dishes.
A year later, Wu’s father joined the family. His parents eventually quit the restaurant business to work as deli cooks in Safeway in Klamath Falls. Wu likes small towns and has never encountered any discrimination. He thinks people in small towns are more naive and more receptive. They are eager to get to know the newcomer.
“I always have a positive mindset. The only challenge is the language, not being able to understand others,” Wu said of adjusting to life in the U.S.
A few years later, Safeway offered to move Wu’s parents to Camby, near Portland. The family moved again, this time to Portland to start a new life.
Wu studied business at Portland State University on the advice of his father. He doesn’t like it, doesn’t understand business theory. He changed majors several times before dropping out.
Police officer Jing Wu at the gate of Chinatown (Photo by Becky Chan)
“It was hard for me to concentrate because I wasn’t really interested in the subject,” Wu said. “I didn’t want an office job.”
Wu hesitated for a few years. Like Bill Murray’s character in the movie Groundhog Day, he was unmotivated. He worked at his aunt’s restaurant, continued to live with his parents, and played video games. He was addicted to the game – he was emaciated.
“I can’t find success in real life. But in games, I can spend money to buy all the gear and shape my character so other people will want to play with me,” Wu said. Despite his parents’ pleas, the fantasy still controls him.
One day he looked in the mirror and didn’t like what he saw.
“And I’m fat! What have I become?” Wu asked himself.
Determined to change, he brainstormed for three days about what he could do and what he could do for society.
“Ding. Ding. Ding. The lightbulb went off in my head. Officer!”
Purposeful update, Wu returned to Portland to study criminal justice. This time, it clicked. He graduated in 2015. In preparation for his dream job, he worked in security at Portland’s Adventist Hospital.
“I work with all kinds of people, some in crisis, some bipolar. Internal and external patrolling is very similar to police work,” Wu said. Four years of security work at the hospital laid the groundwork for him in law enforcement.
In 2019, Wu applied to SPD and was accepted. Graduated from Police Academy in August 2020.
2021 data provided by the SPD shows that out of 1,200 officers, 7.42 percent, or 89 officers, identified themselves as Asian. SPD data is not disaggregated by race. The Asian population of Seattle in 2021 will be 16.3%. Interim Commissioner Adrian Diaz told KING 5 in a November 2021 broadcast that the SPD needs more than 400 officers to ensure public safety. The total number of police officers has fallen since the recent unrest, calls for defunding and the pandemic. The SPD’s King Sector has six officers. They need 10 officers of different ethnic backgrounds.
“I have seen three Chinese officers since I came here,” Wu said. Wu may be the only Taishan-speaking official who speaks Cantonese and Mandarin. These three dialects are commonly used in CID.
The earliest Chinese who settled in the United States were mainly from Taishan. Taishan, on the southern coast of China, was easily accessed by American ships recruiting cheap labor in the 1800s. Those workers were relegated to the ghetto, which became Chinatown today. Many elderly people in Chinatowns across the United States only speak Taishan.
Wu volunteered to answer calls from China in his jurisdiction, and he experienced firsthand the frustration of not being understood, a common complaint in the CID community.
“I encourage my colleagues to follow the rules,” Wu said. Officials often shy away from personal interactions due to language barriers. Wu is teaching his buddies simple Chinese phrases to help them break the ice. He wants to build trust between the community and the SPD.
“I also want the community to know that you can express your concerns to the police,” Wu said.
Wu asked for a second shift (11am-7pm) to get to know the business and him.
Harbour City restaurant waiter Huang Ming is a fan. When he saw Wu walk into the restaurant, he jumped up. The two greeted in Tarzan like long-lost friends.
“We like to have an official who speaks our language and he is friendly,” Huang told Northwest Asia Weekly. A Cantonese female voice came from behind the counter: “He’s really graceful!”
Huang continued, “He came to see us. Unlike before, we were afraid of the police. Now, when we meet him, we can share the news of the community with him. He understands us.”
“In Chinatown, we never had a single official who spoke our language,” Huang said. “His ability to communicate with seniors and businesses has eased tensions.”
SPD transferred him from King Sector to David Sector near Denny Way in December last year. After learning of Wu’s departure, Huang wrote a letter signed by a colleague in Harbour City, thanking the Social Democratic Party for its “excellent service” to Wu. Wu made it less intimidating for “seniors and businesses to report problems to authorities,” the letter said.
Community activist Susan Lee Woo also wrote a letter on behalf of the Chinatown community and the Seattle Chinatown Block Watch, which she is the founder of. She cited Wu’s work ethic, his passion, and commitment to building relationships between SPD and the community.
Both letters highlighted Wu’s language skills to help build trust and bridge the gap.
Wu is back on the CID beat. “That’s where my heart is,” Wu said.
Becky can be contacted by info@nwasianweekly.com.
