By Jason Cruz
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
Unveiling a mural at the location of a hate crime, the Wing Luke Museum showcased the brightly-colored pheasant spanning nine windows in Canton Alley during a news conference on Monday. This symbolic artwork serves as a means to foster community healing in the aftermath of the tragic incident that took place last year, and it is set to take center stage in the upcoming Lunar New Year festivities in the Chinatown-International District (CID).
Photo by Jason Cruz
This past September, 76-year-old Craig Milne, a white man, was arrested after he used a sledgehammer to break windows on the museum. He allegedly shouted racial slurs and that the Chinese had ruined his life. He was found incompetent to stand trial due to mental health issues, but received treatment by court order and was later found competent. He faces two felony charges and a hate crime. He pled not guilty to the charges and trial is set for February.
Gov. Jay Inslee, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell, and Commerce Director Mike Fong were at the news conference to speak about the mural and the $100,000 donation the Wing Luke received from the state and city to remedy structural damages to the museum after the September hate crime.
Seattle-based artists Sam Hilario and Shea Dailey created the mural. According to Wing Luke’s Executive Director Joel Barraquiel Tan, “The pheasant is a symbol of strength and beauty and will hopefully change the energy and stories in that space.” He also explained that the mural “represents divine grace.” The inspiration came from a Chinese platter found in the Sun May Company, a gift shop across the street from Wing Luke.
Joël Barraquiel Tan (right) motions to the mural outside the Wing Luke Museum, with Gov. Jay Inslee (middle) and Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (left) looking on. (Photo by Jason Cruz)
“It isn’t just the money, we were already on the phone with the Mayor’s office and the state was calling us so there was…
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