Groups demand more resources as robberies put South Seattle on edge

SEATTLE – A recent spate of home-invasion robberies targeting Asian residents has left some in South Seattle on edge, with community leaders demanding more help from law enforcement.

During a news conference Tuesday afternoon at Beacon Hill’s Benefit Playground park, organizers called on the Seattle Police Department to better inform residents of criminal activity, and urged local politicians to invest in youth intervention programs.

“You look around, this is about love, this is about our children, this is about the generations to come,” Maria Batayola, chair of the Beacon Hill Council, told the crowd.

Top of mind for many residents has been the string of armed robberies generally carried out by a group of three to seven teenagers in ski masks who have forced their way into homes in the Beacon Hill, Rainier Beach and Rainier View neighborhoods, according to Seattle police.

The agency said victims – all of whom are of Asian descent – have been assaulted, pistol whipped or held at gunpoint while the intruders stole valuables and cash. No arrests have been made in connection to the robberies.

“It is heartbreaking to hear folks being violated in a place that’s supposed to be a sanctuary, a place of safety,” Marty Jackson, the executive director of the SE Network SafetyNet program, an initiative of the Boys & Girls Clubs of King County, told the crowd.

In one case, Dat Cao was robbed last month while retrieving mail outside a Beacon Hill home where he used to live. Video from a porch camera of the incident shows two masked people walking up behind Cao, with one holding a gun. The other shocks Cao with a stun gun before the thieves demand Cao’s ring and wallet.

Renton City Councilmember Kim-Khánh Văn, who has met with Cao and his family, said that Cao wants to speak out about the attack, but is terrified of retaliation by the assailants.

“I have a lot of flashbacks of the incident,” Văn, translating Cao’s words from Vietnamese, told the crowd. “I’m extremely afraid, I’m very afraid.”

Since June, the Police Department has recorded at least 14 home-invasion robberies in four Seattle ZIP codes: 98108, 98118, 98144 and 98178. Additional robberies may have gone unreported, officials said.

Community advocates said during the news conference that South Seattle residents – particularly immigrants who don’t speak English as a first language – may not always know about recent criminal activity, making them more vulnerable to attacks.

Language barriers that arise when calling 911 may also delay police officers from responding to incidents, giving intruders time to get away.

The home invasions have occurred against a backdrop of ongoing concern over South Seattle gun violence and outcry over recent deadly shootings.

Last month, bullets tore through a Rainier Avenue South hookah lounge where a birthday party was taking place, leaving three people dead and six others injured. In July, two shooters opened fire in the Safeway parking lot in Rainier Beach, wounding five people. No one has been arrested in either shooting.

A man also was found dead on the sidewalk near John C. Little, Sr. Park in the NewHolly neighborhood on Sunday, and investigators found evidence of a shooting. Police have not released additional information about the incident.

Community advocates, meanwhile, have emphasized the need for more intervention programs to prevent young people from becoming victims or perpetrators of gun violence, as well as financial and mental health support for survivors and their family.

“Imagine how scary it is being in a country where you do not speak the language and having this happen to you, and not being aware what resources are available – and the resources are limited,” Tanya Woo, a Chinatown International District community advocate who is running for city council, said during the news conference.

Connie So, president of the Organization of Chinese Americans of Greater Seattle, said that the police department should offer trainings to residents, particularly older adults, on how to be vigilant and maintain situational awareness.

Addressing the roots of crime, such as an unstable home life or economic hardship, is also important, said Don Cameron with the 4C Coalition, a local nonprofit providing mentorship to at-risk youth.

“We just need to somehow create hope for our kids,” Cameron told the crowd. “We just need to provide opportunities for them because I just don’t understand why they would be doing the things they’re doing, but we just can’t throw them away.”

So far this year, Seattle police have recorded 167 robberies and 344 aggravated assaults in the South Precinct, according to department crime data.

Throughout 2022, there were 302 robberies and 603 aggravated assaults reported in the area. Robberies in South Seattle are up compared with pre-pandemic levels but are less frequent than a decade ago, while aggravated assault cases have steadily increased across Seattle in recent years.