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Open Letter to the Mayor of Seattle September 14, 2023 Seattle Chapter of the Japanese American Citizens League Dear Seattle JACL members and supporters, Last night at around 5:15 p.m., a man with a sledgehammer smashed nine windows of the Wing Luke Museum along Canton Alley South. The man said that the attack on this community anchor was driven by anti-Asian beliefs. Stan Shikuma, Seattle JACL Co-President, was at the Wing Luke Museum leading a tour as part of Tsuru for Solidarity's 2023 retreat when it happened. Multiple people called the Seattle Police Department but were told that they could not immediately respond because it was a vandalism incident where no one was hurt. Frustrated by the lack of response, Shikuma sent the letter below to Mayor Bruce Harrell’s office: Dear Mayor, An older white man just took a sledgehammer and broke 8 windows of the Wing Luke Museum in Canton Alley. He says he did it because “the Chinese have ruined my life” and ”I came to Chinatown because something had to be done”. The Wing Luke staff are quite traumatized by the attack on their building and quite upset that 911 said they WILL NOT RESPOND! This is outrageous and unacceptable - that a major community institution is attacked and vandalized (to the tune of thousands of dollars, maybe even tens of thousands) and Seattle Police basically said they can’t be bothered! This is yet another instance of neglect and lack of respect and concern for Asian Americans in general and the CID in particular. I am appalled and very, very angry. Stanley N Shikuma, Co-President Seattle Chapter Japanese American Citizens League The Seattle Times reported the break-in. The article link: https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/law-justice/wing-luke-museum-vandalized-man-arrested-for-alleged-hate-crime/
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