PRSRT STD U.S. Postage Paid Permit No. 746 Seattle, WA
VOL 41 NO 44 OCTOBER 29 – NOVEMBER 4, 2022
special ELECTION ISSUE
FREE 40 YEARS YOUR VOICE
Interior photo from Peter Kuang.
Photo from Ellen Abellera
Exterior photo by Assunta Ng/NWAW
Why do immigrants The mass exodus from need to engage in Chinatown: Businesses politics? finally break their silence
From left: Ellen Abellera, Consul Jed Liona, and Maricres Valdez at a consular outreach program in Mill Creek this month for the local Filipino American community
The interior of Green Leaf Restaurant, pre-pandemic during livelier days, stands in sharp contrast to how Green Leaf looked in the last year, before it finally closed its doors for good
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
By Assunta Ng NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
For a Filipino family of four living in Washington state, getting involved in politics was the last thing on their minds. The mother was in the hospital with a brain tumor. The father, who had been doing business here for 10 years, was counting on an immigration lawyer to clear their hurdles and get them citizenship. But the attorney fell
through. And the immigration bureau vowed to deport the family, “even if they had to carry the mother out from the hospital,” according to Ellen Abellera, an advocate who assisted the family. The subsequent political lobbying that the family was able to do, with the help of Abellera, who at the time was the chair of the Washington State Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs, can see IMMIGRANTS on 19
Young voters of color make a difference in local and national elections With the November primary right around the corner, efforts to engage voters of all ages are in full gear in King County and around the country. Particular focus in recent years has been on those of voting age among underrepresented communities and youth of color. King County Elections’ language access and outreach coordinator, KC Jung, does not predict a decline, though, in the number of voters showing up this year. 2020 was a record year for voting, in spite of COVID-19, and she has seen a steady increase in turnout since she joined the office in 2016. “Especially in underserved communities, their interest…is increasing,” Jung said. She attributes this in part to King County Elections’ cooperation with the Seattle Foundation to form the Voter Education Fund. Nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations may apply to receive funds for voter
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Photo by Sora Shimazaki
By Kai Curry NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
outreach to their communities. 20212022 grantees of this Fund, which is in its sixth year, include the Asian Counseling and Referral Service, the Refugee see YOUNG VOTERS on 15
This may be the worst year for Chinatown businesses since the pandemic. From July to September, three big retailers, Starbucks, Bartell Drugs, and Viet-Wah Food Market, closed their doors in Chinatown. About 19 businesses have exited from the area either by shutting down, moving away, or suspending indefinitely. (These numbers don’t include those that closed early in the pandemic, pre2022.) And the list is growing… Within the Chinatown-International District (CID), the Little Saigon neighborhood was hit the hardest in terms of crime, shootings, and homelessness affecting business operations. Nine Little Saigon businesses have been discontinued. Beyond Viet-Wah, Little Saigon
Deli, Shabu Shabu Hot Pot, Ten Leaves Bistro, Hue Ky Mi Gia, Sushi Place, Hardwok Cafe, and Seven Stars Pepper have ceased operations. Fashion Hair Salon has just announced it will close after Oct. 31. Many of these businesses have attributed their closures to local crimes and the homeless encampments in the area. Presently, there are about 15 homeless camps near CID. Since Mayor Bruce Harrell took office in January, his administration has tried to clean up Little Saigon with police patrols and cops checking in large gatherings around 12th Avenue South and South Jackson Street. But the homeless folks have now dispersed around 12th Avenue South and 10th Avenue South, as well as between South King Street and South Jackson Street to evade police patrols. Several see BUSINESSES on 18
Two roads to voter outreach
FAPAGOW relies on the community to encourage voter registration. Top row (L to R) Dori Peralta Baker, Rick Polintan, Ellen Abellera, Dolores Sibonga, Third Andresen, Rogelio Gaerlan Batarao, Jr., Lara Mae D. Cholette, Davidson Mance. Bottom row (left to right), Brendan Borromeo, Maria Batayola, David Della, Zavic Batarao, Larry Alcantara, Michelle Wallig, Ador Pereda Yano.
By Mahlon Meyer NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY At a time when distrust of the democratic process has reached new heights within the Asian American and Pacific Islander
(AAPI) community, along with the rest of the population, two organizations within the community have adopted somewhat different approaches to voter education and registration. see FAPAGOW on 17
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