CID Post All Star Game
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Even After All Star Game, Chinatown Continues to Deteriorate

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Total Chaos

Now that the MLB Baseball All-Star Game is over, could we please refocus on the rest of Seattle that is falling apart? The Downtown Activation Plan is virtually non-existent at the corner of 12th Ave & Jackson St in #Chinatown-ID. I have literally documented this part of the city deteriorate for many months. Thursday night was no different. Virtually zero police officers in this area. Trash everywhere. And the mayhem is evident with open air drug use and the black market of stolen goods thriving. Indian American business owner Gurinderjit Purewal just moved in three months ago to start a restaurant called Amritsar Tadkas. But he’s already having buyer’s remorse after he says a deranged individual recently went on a rampage in his restaurant. As I was interviewing him, another nut job tried to disrupt our conversation. Then a total lunatic attacked me on the street since she did not want me exposing the madness. Tadkas called police but no one showed up. I told him this is routine in Tammy Morales'(@CMTammyMorales) district. She’s MIA as well. I know this is also part of CM Kshama Sawant’s (@cmkshama) district. But Sawant has already checked out since she’s no longer running for council. Mr. Mayor (@MayorofSeattle,) there is no way Asian immigrant/mom and pop biz owners will survive if you allow this part of your city to spiral out of control. The exodus of shops will continue and the identity of this community will be lost. Please come down and see this for yourself. While most of the downtown core got the red carpet treatment during All-Star Week, nothing improved in this part of the #CID. It actually got worse. And many small biz owners say they did not get the foot traffic they expected from the big game. Once again, this community of color getting second class treatment. They have to fight and scrap for everything.

Jonathan Choe

Journalist and Senior Fellow, Center on Wealth and Poverty
Jonathan Choe is a journalist and Senior Fellow with Discovery Institute's Center on Wealth and Poverty, covering homelessness issues for its Fix Homelessness initiative. Prior to joining Discovery, Choe spent several years as one of the lead reporters at KOMO-TV, consistently the top rated television station in Seattle. His in depth stories on crime and deep dive investigations into the homeless crisis led to measurable results in the community, including changes in public policy. Choe has more than two decades of experience in television news behind the scenes and in front of the camera for ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, and Tribune. He has also been nominated and honored with multiple industry awards including an Emmy. Choe spent several years teaching classes on emerging media and entrepreneurship to under privileged youth in inner city Chicago. As an independent journalist, Choe also contributes regularly to the Mill Creek View and Lynnwood Times and has reported on exclusive stories in the past year for Daily Wire and The Postmillennial.