A playground that was championed by slain International District activist Donnie Chin will be named in his memory, according to a press release form Mayor Ed Murray’s office.
The International Children’s Park, which was established in 1981 and renovated in 2012, will be renamed the Donnie Chin International Children’s Park. According to the press release, Chin advocated for the park as one of the neighborhood’s major needs.
Chin was fatally shot in the early morning of July 23, 2015 in the International District. Seattle Police, which is investigating the case, says Chin was not the target of the shooting.
Chin a longtime advocate for Chinatown/International District, established the International District Emergency Center to address neighborhood safety needs. He often would personally patrol and monitor the International District for decades, saying that ambulance and police services were slow to respond to 9-1-1 calls in the area.
Chin also advocated for Chinatown/International District at City Hall.
“The Asian American community and many others overwhelmingly want the name change so that Donnie’s legacy as the founder of the park and the guardian who gave his life to helping others and making the community a safer place is preserved,” said Doug Chin, a member of the Donnie Chin Children’s Park Naming Committee, according to the press release. Doug Chin also is a board member of the Seattle Chapter of OCA Asian Pacific American Advocates.
According to the press release, renaming the park after Donnie Chin would required the Board of Park Commissioners to suspend an existing Parks policy that requires a person to be deceased for a minimum of three years before a park may be named in their honor.
