Seattle’s famed Pike Place Market abruptly canceled a scheduled day of remembrance marking the incarceration of Japanese Americans out of concern of its political overtones, KING5 reported.
The event organized by Tsuru for Solidarity would have taken place February 19, the anniversary of the signing of executive order 9066 authorizing the imprisonment of Japanese Americans in incarceration camps.
“We see the connections between the executive order calling for the mass arrest and incarceration of Japanese Americans 83 years ago and the federal raids targeting immigrants in Seattle and across the country and the national expansion of mass detention sites,” the group said in a statement on Facebook.
The group expressed disappointment at the cancelation but said it would instead hold a news conference in the Chinatown-International District.
Pike Place Market has since issued an apology.
“We acknowledge our decision around Day of Remembrance and Resistance created direct harm and impacted our entire community, specifically our Japanese American neighbors, and we want to be better allies moving forward,” the market foundation said.
“We at the Pike Place Market Foundation apologize to our community.”
It says it is still talking to Tsuru for Solidarity in hopes to repair the damage its decision caused. However, there is no indication its decision will be reversed.
AsAmNews is published by the non-profit, Asian American Media Inc.
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Disgraceful and cowardly on part of Pike Place Market.
Heads should roll. There is no place for Trumpery in this city.