Updated: Mayor responds to ‘Stop The Violence Against Our Asian American Communities’ Letter, and community responds back

On Monday, Oct. 2, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell responded via email to a community letter titled “Stop The Violence Against Our Asian American Communities” sent on Sept. 19:

Hi,

Thank you for your letter to my office, the City Attorney, and Councilmember Morales. First and foremost, to your first question in the letter — you are heard. I was appalled when I learned of the hate crime at the Wing Luke Museum on September 14 and immediately made a public statement condemning the hate crime in the strongest terms. I was relieved that no one was injured but the targeting of a cherished institution in the historic Chinatown-International District and our AAPI community is completely unacceptable. My team has been working with the Wing Luke Museum from the moment of the incident through today to help them, and the community, through this challenging time.

Unfortunately, this kind of bigotry is not new – to me as a Japanese and African American, to my family, or to our community. Decades ago, my family operated a flourishing flower shop in the Chinatown-International District. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, they were incarcerated because of their Japanese ancestry. They had done nothing wrong, but simply because of their race, they were forcibly moved – away from their homes and small business, their friends and their community. As Seattle’s first Asian American mayor, know that I am with you in preventing and stopping the recent violence we have seen against our AAPI community. Last year, I engaged with the White House, local, state, and federal officials to address the tenor of anti-Asian hate crimes we were all seeing across the country.

We know a targeted incident like this will have lasting psychological scars on AAPI communities that since the pandemic have experienced an increase in hate crimes. We will continue to work with neighborhood partners in the CID to rebuild trust and restore peace of mind. We recognize the impact of this incident goes beyond the cost of repairs, and my administration and our city leadership remain committed to working directly with AAPI communities to combat hate and create a safer Seattle for everyone.

Because of its special place in our City, I have placed significant emphasis and investment in the Chinatown-International District since I took office. For over a year, my team has met quarterly with residents and businesses in the Chinatown-International District to listen to concerns and help direct resources where they are needed — taking action on both short-term and long-term solutions. Deputy Mayor Greg Wong has led those meetings with the community. I am asking Deputy Mayor Wong to schedule an in-person meeting with you to further discuss the issues you raise in your letter. Furthermore, my team has met regularly with neighborhood groups in south Seattle.

Lastly, please see the following bullet points describing the status of the hate crime incident and home invasion robberies, how we are helping the Wing Luke Museum, and police staffing.

• Recent Arrests and Charges:
  • On 9/18, the King County Prosecutor charged the individual with a hate crime.
  • On 9/28, SPD announced the arrest of several suspects related to South Seattle home invasion robberies. I issued a public statement the same day on September 28.
• Supporting Wing Luke Museum: On 9/29, the Washington State Department of Commerce and the City of Seattle announced $100,000 in funding to assist with repairs at the Wing Luke Museum caused by the vandalism. Immediately after the incident, our office spoke with leadership at the museum to understand how we can best support them during this time and we continue to work with them on solutions moving forward.
• Police Staffing: The reality and situation is the City of Seattle does not have enough police officers right now. We have seen a significant reduction in officers since 2020, creating a staffing crisis with only 937 police officers currently available for deployment in the city as of August 31, 2023, the lowest number of in-service officers since 1991. This directly correlates to response times and the level of service provided. We are working every day to attract and hire more officers, seeing an average of 150 to nearly 200 applications a month – the highest rate in over two years. An incident like this underscores the importance of recruiting and retaining officers to ensure a well-staffed department, as we work to build a Seattle Police Department that reflects the diversity of the neighbors it serves and that responds to the needs of the community in a swift, appropriate, and culturally competent manner.

Sincerely,

Mayor Bruce A. Harrell

On Wednesday, Oct. 2, community leaders sent the following letter to acknowledge the mayor’s response:

Dear Mayor Harrell and Deputy Mayor Wong,

Thank you for listening and responding to our letter of September 19. Our civil rights organizations and API communities need to be heard by you as our City leader with deep ties to both the API and Black communities. We need to know that the City of Seattle and the Seattle Police Department recognize and care about the problems our communities face, and that you have a plan to address those problems in an effective and timely manner. We will work with Deputy Mayor Greg Wong on our six basic requests which were not fully addressed.

We have continuing concerns with evidence of racism within the Seattle Police Department. Your letter made no mention of Jaahnavi Kandula’s killing by Seattle Police, and we urge you to heed the demands of the IACS petition to seek justice in that case. Equally important, the recent recordings of Officer Burton Hill using racial slurs and sexual epithets against his Asian American neighbor raise serious questions about his ability to truly serve the public as a police officer. It also raises alarms regarding the safety of the neighbor as well as the communities where Officer Hill patrols.

We urge you to use your “bully pulpit” / your public media platform to convey to the larger Seattle community that racism has no place in One Seattle. Your voice as the City’s leader can make it clear to all that a rising tide of racism and violence targeting Asian American and other communities of color will not be tolerated in Seattle.

While we recognize that much is being done on several fronts, we also believe that the safest neighborhoods are those with the most resources, not the most policing. As noted in the Seattle Times this week, the impact of crime is felt very differently in Queen Anne than in Rainier Beach. For the CID and South Seattle safety starts with youth programs, job training, small business assistance, community health centers, art and culture projects, and affordable housing.

We look forward to further dialog with Deputy Mayor Greg Wong on ways the City can provide more resources to the CID and South Seattle as we advocate for justice, services, and equal protection under the law due all residents of the City of Seattle.

With Respect,

Connie So, President / OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates of Greater Seattle

Kevin Lee, President / Chinese American Citizens Alliance, Seattle Lodge

Maria Batayola, Chair / Filipino American Political Action Group of WA, Political Voice

Stanley N Shikuma, Co-President / Japanese American Citizens League, Seattle Chapter