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Move Forward on 4th!

Move Forward on 4th!Move Forward on 4th!Move Forward on 4th!
Home
Sign the Petition
Email Sound Transit
News
Presentations
Exclusion History
Contact
More
  • Home
  • Sign the Petition
  • Email Sound Transit
  • News
  • Presentations
  • Exclusion History
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Sign the Petition
  • Email Sound Transit
  • News
  • Presentations
  • Exclusion History
  • Contact

Brief History of Asian American Exclusion & Expulsion

  

Unfortunately, exclusion and expulsion are not new to our local Asian American community. We hope by plainly laying out the current and recent actions with other marked moments throughout our local and national history, the pattern of intentions and impact will give you pause for thought and inspire you to take action.


Organized by Date Starting With Most Recent:

  • August 2024 - Information embargo on studies of 4th Avenue Transit Hub continues despite community pleas; $50 million per month of delay x 20 months = $1.05 billion of wasted taxpayer funds; compare with funds spent fulfilling every SLU request for more alternatives plus delays; Sound  Transit dog and pony show workshops continue.
  • April 11 & 18, 2024 - Sound Transit hosts lunch meetings at Ocean Star Restaurant with about 60 seniors living in Interim managed buildings in violation of the CID Community Engagement Toolkit to publicize meetings and report out to the community; the Director of Community Relations refuses to answer questions about the meetings.
  • July 17, 2023 - MLB Week results in negative economic consumption in CID due to attendees being steered to avoid CID and Pioneer Square.
  • May 9, 2023 - National Trust for Historic Preservation selects Chinatown International District—Chinatown, Japantown, Little Saigon—for listing as one of the Nation’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.
  • March 23, 2023 - Sound Transit Board votes 15-1 to approve N&S of CID options as preferred alternatives while continuing studies on the 4th  Avenue Union Station Transit Hub.
  • January 24, 2023 - HNTB document to Sound Transit outlining flaws with N&S of CID options; not widely shared.
  • January 10, 2023 - Sound Transit hosts lunch for about 90 seniors at Ocean Star, telling them not to choose the 4th Avenue Transit Hub because of too many issues: dust, noise, traffic; staff do not say negative things about N&S of CID options.
  • January 5, 2023 - Sound Transit staff introduce N&S of CID options to replace the voter-approved 4th Avenue Transit Hub.
  • Dec. 2022 - Washington Trust for Historic Preservation selects Chinatown  International District—Chinatown, Japantown, Little Saigon—for listing as one of the state’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

More Key Dates:

 

  • 2022 - Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for West Seattle / Ballard Link Extension (WSBLE) claims minimal to no impacts to visual qualities, racial equity & noise, air, vibration pollution; 3 of 4 buildings slated for demolition eligible for historic listing: Best Tea building, Bank of America & old Uwajimaya building (Oasis, Nagomi Teahouse) to be replaced by a large bike storage shed, multi-story ventilation building, maintenance & emergency facilities, displacement of estimated 27 businesses with loss of 230 jobs
  • 2018 - Sound Transit plans take off 3 blocks of the National Register Chinatown Historic District around the Chinatown Gate.
  • 2014-2015 - 8th Avenue entry to Chinatown turned into a one-way exit only for Seattle Streetcar access to the streetcar barn on 8th & Dearborn
  • 2010-2014 - Jackson Street streetcar construction disrupts businesses, with street closures, detours, utility shut-offs, especially during Lunar New Year preparation & celebrations when shops get most of the year’s revenues
  • 2000-2002 - Century Link/Lumen Field Stadium construction disruptions to businesses with detours, street closures & game day traffic
  • 1999 - City of Seattle vacated Lane Street between 5th and 6th, closing off another entry to Chinatown.
  • 1990s - Closure of 10th Avenue for I-90 ramp construction; Chong Wa fights to have it re-opened as promised.
  • 1980s - 4th Avenue Metro/Transit Tunnel takes 3 blocks of the Seattle Landmark Historic District portion of Chinatown for bus/transit tunnel, sells rest for Vulcan HQ & private parking garage, no Asian design characteristics, permanent loss of parking; businesses do not return, promised community retail space and housing do not happen.
  • 1977 & 2000 - Kingdome construction & demolition, disruptions to businesses with detours street closures & game day traffic.
  • Late 1950s-early 1960s - I-5 bisects Chinatown, leaving east Chinatown & east Japantown in Little Saigon when it formed c. 1977, forces out Chinese Baptist Church congregation.
  • 1951 - Seattle mayor issues proclamation eliminating Chinatown, redlining Chinese, Japanese, Filipinos and African Americans into an International Center, marking BIPOC as forever foreigners.
  • 1942 - Executive Order 9066, incarceration of Japanese Americans.
  • 1934 - Tydings-McDuffie Act reduces Filipino migration from unlimited to 50 per year.
  • 1920s-1928 - 2nd Ave. Extension goes through Chinatown; forces 2nd Chinatown move to King Street.
  • 1889 - 1st Chinatown on waterfront moves to 2nd & Washington as waterfront property values increase due to development after the Great Seattle Fire
  • February 7, 1886 - Seattle Chinese Expulsion 
  • November 7, 1885 - Tacoma Chinese Expulsion, burning of Chinatown 
  • September 2, 1885 - Rock Springs, Wyoming Chinese Massacre  "The massacre in Rock Springs touched off a wave of anti-Chinese violence, especially in the Puget Sound area of "Washington Territory."
  • 1882 - Chinese Exclusion Act 

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