Hundreds showed up for a community organized rally and march “We Are Not Silent” in Hing Hay Park this weekend, on Saturday, March 13. Protestors gathered to condemn the recent spike in anti-Asian violence nationwide, including the assault of Noriko Nasu, a Japanese language high school teacher, last month in Seattle’s Chinatown-International District (CID). The crowd listened to heartfelt words from youth speakers, community leaders and elders, former and currently elected officials, before marching through the CID to Little Saigon and back to Hing Hay Park.
In response to a disturbing recent rise in hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans locally and across the U.S., Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and other local leaders this week condemned attacks in Seattle and Washington State. A series of marches and rallies are planned across King County this weekend calling for investment in and resources for Asian communities and solidarity across racial lines with the victims and families of those who have suffered from the attacks.
“We saw this ugly trend surge a year ago, when COVID-19 first emerged in our state,” Inslee said in a written statement. “One year later, we have a vaccine for the virus — but racism is still running rampant. We must all condemn the acts of hate and violence displayed in the rising incidence of anti-Asian hate crimes in both Washington State and across the country.”
