Thi Pham (right) with her attorney, Jeff Campiche
Thi Pham of Shoreline says she has endured years of harassment and threats from her white neighbor—because of her race.
Now she has filed a civil lawsuit against Jan Myers, 72, who was arrested earlier this year after Pham recorded Myers, on April 5, using racially derogatory and threatening statements.
Myers that day referred to Pham as “slant eye,” and yelled “Hey Miss Vietnam. You’re not going to live very long.”
The King County Prosecutor’s Office eventually charged Myers with a hate crime and she pleaded not guilty. A judge released Myers on her own recognizance and issued a temporary restraining order, requiring Myers to stay at least 500 feet away from Pham.
Sitting with her husband William Healy, an interpreter, and Seattle attorney Jeff Campiche at a news conference on Aug. 17, Pham said she doesn’t want what happened to her to happen to other people.
“I hope it stops. That’s what I want.”
Campiche said since Myers’ release in April, Myers has continued to stalk and harass Pham—in violation of the restraining order— which is set to expire on Aug. 30.
“She is continuing to harass this family,” said Campiche.
The lawsuit claims that Myers would frequently lie in wait until Pham was walking with her child or walking alone. The complaint states that Myers would then approach Pham by driving or backing her car up towards Pham, and shout things like, “You are not wanted here slant eye.”
“My wife is scared to go outside. She’s scared to take our son into the backyard because she’s afraid she’ll be assaulted,” Pham’s husband said. “It’s really tough as a dad and a husband to have to watch that.”
The lawsuit is seeking a minimum of $100,000 in civil damages and a protection order requiring Myers to stay at least 300 feet from Pham and her family. According to court documents, their homes are 60 feet apart.