By Peggy Chapman Northwest Asian Weekly It was standing room only at Monday afternoon’s Seattle City Council meeting, moderated by Councilmember Tim Burgess. The majority present was there to protest Seattle Mayor Ed Murray’s initiative to ban hookah lounges/bars throughout Seattle. The chamber was filled with loyal customers, lounge owners, community activists, and even health […]
Crackdown on controversial hookah lounges — Questions, and hopefully, answers
By Staff Northwest Asian Weekly There has been community concern about the presence of hookah bars and lounges in the International District and throughout other Seattle neighborhoods recently, due to the shooting of community figurehead Donnie Chin in late July. Seattle Mayor Ed Murray announced August 3 that the “City will step up enforcement against […]
Murray’s move surprises the Asian community — Donnie Chin’s death triggers change
By Assunta Ng Northwest Asian Weekly If there was any lasting impact residing from Donnie Chin’s murder (aside from permanent sorrow), it would be the city’s decision to shut down Seattle’s hookah bars with a new ordinance. It will be an ordinance that affects all 11 hookah bars in Seattle. That’s not what the Asian […]
Lan Pham — Connecting the dots with the Office for Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault
By Laura Ohata Northwest Asian Weekly Lan Pham was only nine-years-old when she left Vietnam. “The refugee <!–more–>experience really defined my passion and what I would like to do as a kid and as an adult,” says Pham. “I witnessed violence, not only experienced through war, but the violence women refugees experience as part of […]