Violent crime in CID deterring patients from seeking medical care
The International Community Health Services clinic has been serving marginalized communities for more than 50 years.
Author: Sharon Yoo
Published: 6:52 PM PST December 9, 2024
SEATTLE — Violence continues to grip Seattle’s Chinatown-International District.
Five people were shot outside of a hookah lounge in the 800 block of South Lane Street early Saturday morning. In early November, a man was charged in connection to stabbing at least four people at the intersection of 12th and Jackson in Little Saigon.
All of this news hasn’t been so encouraging for Dominic Lee, who is a CID regular.
“I should say maybe twice a week?” Lee said when asked how often he finds himself down at CID. “A lot of times I come down here for the restaurants for the food.”
Lee also comes to the CID for healthcare at the International Community Health Services clinic. The ICHS clinic is where he found a doctor who looks like him, more than 10 years ago.
“I like to try to get an Asian doctor, maybe we can communicate better,” Lee said.
He added that when he comes for his appointments, he’s aware of his surroundings.
“It is an easy target, especially for elderlies because Asians tend to carry cash instead of credit card,” Lee explained. “So easy to rob and grab the money and they don’t fight.”
Lee said recent news of violence has given him pause about his visits.
“I do think sometimes I want to go other places besides here, but I like the staff here and I want to stick with my primary care doctor,” he said.
ICHS serves over 30,000 patients across all of its clinics. More than 10,000 seek care at the CID location, where staff have devoted more than half a century to marginalized communities. The clinic started as a place to help underprivileged Asian American Pacific Islander folks, but in 2024, the clinic is open to and serves everyone.
ICHS CEO Kelli Nomura said some patients have stopped coming to their CID location.
“We’re here because everyone deserves access to healthcare,” Nomura said, calling the situation “frustrating.” “But they have to know it’s a safe place to come.”
Last month, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell announced a public safety executive order days after a stabbing left multiple people injured in Little Saigon, blocks away from ICHS. The executive order included the implementation of the DAT, the Downtown Activation Team, which Harrell said would be devoted to reducing crime in downtown Seattle.
“Reduce gun violence in high impact crime areas, respond to the most serious and dangerous situations,” Harrell promised in his November press conference.
The preliminary numbers, according to Harrell’s office, are showing promise.
“We’ve seen positive early results of the pilot in downtown, including a projected 27% decrease in violent crime, and are evaluating preliminary data from the expanded efforts in the CID and Little Saigon,” a spokesperson said in a statement from the mayor’s office.
Seattle police data also shows that violent crime is down in the CID by 13%. Other nearby areas, though, like Pioneer Square and the downtown commercial district, are down by 20% or more.
“With any place-based strategy, there is an expected degree of migration and movement of people; however, our approach makes it clear that it is unacceptable for any one community to bear the brunt of street disorder and crime,” the mayor’s office statement read in part. “We will continue to monitor the data and the conditions on the street to determine the areas and neighborhoods where there is a need for scheduled restoration actions and will expand the DAT model to other neighborhoods if needed.”
Nomura said ever since the announcement of the pilot, she has seen some changes in the area of the clinic.
“We have seen a little more presence, and we’d certainly like to see more and we’d certainly like to see them be more responsive when an activity happens,” Nomura said.
As for Dominic Lee, when asked if he thinks the CID has been ignored in terms of public safety, his answer was clear.
“I have to say yes,” he said. “Yes, because a lot of times you can see the crimes that keep repeating and see all the folks hanging out here waiting for opportunities.”
In terms of additional public safety, efforts from the pilot project are outlined in the statement from the mayor’s office below:
“In recent months, SPD has made a significant number of arrests near 12th & Jackson and Hoa Mai Park for violation of park rules, illegal firearm possession, drug possession, and outstanding warrants as part of their emphasis patrol in downtown neighborhoods. SPD will continue with these increased patrols and now have the capacity and flexibility to book misdemeanor offenses in King County Jail from the new agreement with King County. This is a significant step to hold offenders accountable for the harm they are causing in our communities and increase public safety.
In addition to increasing law enforcement presence, we will also continue to support community-based solutions, new evidence-based technology, neighborhood activation, enhanced lighting, and beautification efforts to prevent crime. Many efforts are located in the CID: the new technology pilot will deploy more tools like CCTV cameras and a Real Time Crime Center to prevent and solve crimes in the neighborhood; we’ve added canopy lights to enhance the safety of Hing Hay Park and are planning to install more at other locations in the neighborhood; our office is working with Friends of Little Saigon on the Phố Đẹp, Beautiful Neighborhood, an initiative that focuses on community-led environmental design improvements to prevent crime; and we have launched a partnership with Uplift Northwest for graffiti removal and abatement on public and private property in the neighborhood.
These current efforts build on our ongoing commitment to enhance safety in the CID. The City has reduced tent encampments in the neighborhood significantly and has offered enhanced cleaning services of streets and alleys over the last three years. Mayor Harrell will continue to advance innovative, effective, and proactive solutions to make the Chinatown-International District a safe, thriving neighborhood for all.”