Last Saturday, over 300 Seattleites gathered in the rain to honor Eina Kwon, a 34-year-old pregnant woman who was murdered while driving in downtown Seattle last week. Her unborn child was delivered after the attack and initially survived but died shortly thereafter. She leaves behind a toddler son who was unharmed, and a husband who was injured in the attack, which appears to have been random.

The day before the event, a man was charged with the crime, but many believe it could have been prevented. The Seattle Times referred to the event as a “quiet, angry rally.” Korean-American Susanna Keilman, who organized the event, said, “The sad thing about this is that it was 100% preventable,” said Keilman. “It was preventable because of policies recently passed that have now legalized crime. If crime and drugs were still illegal, this would have been preventable.” 

She stressed that this desire for lawmakers and city officials to “Just listen to [their] constituents and do [their] job.” cuts across partisan lines in the city. People have simply had enough of officials who express platitudes while doing nothing to fix problems.

One attendee held a sign saying, “If Seattle ‘loved’ Eina Kwon, this would not have happened in the first place. Seattle enabled this to happen.” 

For many Seattle residents, Kwon’s murder was a tipping point – they are tired of the violence and the lack of action when solutions are proposed. 

Tom Graff, who knew Eina and participated in the rally, said, “We’re done with the violence against women, the misbehavior in the streets. We’re done with the public crime. The public isn’t going to accept it anymore.” 

The police have not commented on whether drugs were a factor in her brutal murder, but Kwon’s family and friends, as well as the community, deserve those answers. Given the area in which the attack took place, it’s fair to at least ask the question. 

In The Seattle Times article on the rally, Groff is quoted as saying the area was full of “tents and drug use. One hundred feet from where the murder took place. I’ve been working here 33 years and have never seen street behavior this bad. We have complained to the City Council, directly to the mayor’s office. No action.” 

While the Kwon family deserves answers, all of Seattle deserves to know that the city is doing everything it can to ensure this kind of tragedy does not happen again. 

Michael Hoyle, who also knew Kwon, remembers her as “The most selfless, loving person.” Her family has lost far more than any family should, and their loss should be a wake-up call for Seattle that things need to change.

Thank you to everyone that attended the rally and is engaging on these issues. You are showing up. And it’s making a difference.