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MARCH 4 – MARCH 10, 2017
Swedish CEO Armada resigns, but impact lives on By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY Swedish Health Services’ CEO Tony Armada, 57, resigned recently after The Seattle Times published an investigative report on the hospital’s negligence towards its neurology pat ie nt s. Armada’s tenure at Swedish might have been short (three and a half years), but his work for people of color has made more of an impact than his predecessors. Many were shocked, disappointed, and saddened by the news. see ARMADA on 10
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City: ‘Is it negotiable? It is not.’ Little Saigon enraged and in disbelief during discussion about new homeless center By Stacy Nguyen NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY “People think this is just Little Saigon, and it’s just a block,” said Elaine Ishihara on Feb. 28 at a community meeting comprising International District and Little Saigon community members, City of Seattle employees, and others involved in the incoming Navigation Center. “But it’s much more than that,” she said. “This is the ChinatownInternational District. … And I know that you were put in your position because of your experience working in communities and working with the homeless population. That’s the thing though. No one in this community was included in the process — from the beginning. So again, we are having to respond to something that has already been decided. That is the issue. How is that going to be corrected [moving forward]? … [The City has] this Racial Equity Toolkit. How was that applied to
Photo by Stacy Nguyen/NWAW
VOL 36 NO 10
Director of APICAT for Healthy Communities Elaine Ishihara exchange heated words with City of Seattle Director of Homelessness George Scarola (right) as Marpac Construction co-owner Don Mar looks on at a Feb. 28 community meeting.
the decision [to house the Navigation Center at Pearl Warren]? You are not giving us enough information. That is very paternalistic. Why don’t you start by answering some of those questions?”
“There’s no answer I can give you that is going to satisfy you,” said George Scarola, the City of Seattle’s director of homelessness. “Don’t talk directly to me,” Ishihara responded heatedly. She
gestured to the crowd behind her. “Talk to the rest of the community.” This meeting Tuesday night took place at the Pearl Warren building see LITTLE SAIGON on 12
Iconic Seattle artist’s last works touch on themes of remorse Photo by Brynn Tweeddale
By Brynn Tweeddale NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
“Young Woman, Girl and Mother and Child” is a public installation by Akio Takamori between Ninth Ave. and Denny Way on Westlake Ave. in South Lake Union.
BUSINESS Whitepages.com entrepreneur on making it in tech » see 7
SPORTS
By Jonathan J. Cooper ASSOCIATED PRESS
ON THE SHELF
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California lawmaker was removed from the state Senate floor on Feb. 23 after refusing to stop delivering a speech criticizing late state Sen. Tom Hayden for his leadership role in the anti-Vietnam War movement of the 1960s. Republican Sen. Janet Nguyen lived in South Vietnam as a child and fled with her family
EDITORIAL Where were the Asians at the Oscars? » see 11
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see TAKAMORI on 16
California senator Nguyen removed after criticizing late lawmaker
APIs to watch for ahead of Winter Olympics » see 8
NWAW’s must-read, familial struggles » see 8
Akio Takamori, a renowned local ceramics artist, completed his final body of work just a day before dying from pancreatic cancer. His last work, entitled “Apology/ Remorse,” weaves complex concepts together, such as the differences between Eastern and Western culture, the conflict of gender in politics, and the way cultures display remorse. The show runs at the James Harris Gallery in downtown Seattle until April 1. The recurring theme of Japanese leaders and executives publicly apologizing for
their mistakes marks many of Takamori’s last pieces, some shown with the ideal woman’s body to challenge gender roles in powerful positions. “He thought it was upending this whole dialogue about patriarchal CEOs on a woman’s body exposing themselves and being very vulnerable by showing remorse,” said James Harris, who was Takamori’s friend and owns the gallery where the work will be shown. Harris explains that Takamori’s body of work came from his ideas about gender issues, the political climate, and the cultural intolerance of today, especially
when its U.S.-backed government fell. She spoke during a portion of the Senate session reserved for memorializing people who have died, and the presiding senator told security to remove her. Several sergeants-at-arms surrounded Nguyen and gently nudged her toward the door. Nguyen dodged them and continued yelling passages from her speech for nearly a minute as the presiding Democrat repeatedly told her to stop. see NGUYEN on 6
Republican Sen. Janet Nguyen
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