Residents and advocates tell Kenmore council immigrant neighbor faces sustained racial harassment; mayor requests staff follow-up

Multiple community members and legal advocates told the Kenmore City Council on Monday that an immigrant resident has experienced years of harassment by nearby neighbors and gaps in protection from the courts and local police.

The testimony centered on a resident identified in council proceedings as Jen Jin. Joyce Shuey, a corporate attorney who said she volunteers on racial-discrimination cases, told the council, “Zen, who you just heard from, is 1 of my clients.” Shuey described her client as an immigrant with limited English who, she said, “cannot live in Kenmore anymore because of what they have encountered.”

The accounts included allegations that a nearby couple used racist language and intimidation, that a former police officer was involved, and that court and police responses had not protected the resident. Deborah Feyander, an attorney who said she works for the City of Seattle, said she witnessed a protective order issued against the resident but described the court outcome as “reverse of reality and devoid of truth,” and called the episode an example of “institutional racism.” Dr. Jamie Cho said the harassment “has resulted in over 14 court hearings” and urged the council to seek institutional accountability.

City staff and neighbors gave specific examples and context. Jen Jin told the council (through translation assistance) she had received a 10-year protection order and described repeated incidents, including neighbors allegedly disabling a door alarm and making intimidating gestures. Mia Niu, who identified herself as working with the Chinese Information and Service Center, said she had witnessed a Kenmore officer respond to a call by saying, “Maybe Jen should learn to speak better English,” which Niu described as harmful and diminishing the protection order’s intent.

Why this matters: witnesses and advocates described a pattern of alleged harassment, repeated court filings, and a protection order they say has not been consistently enforced—issues the council can address through policy review and staff follow-up. Several speakers urged the council to examine interactions between residents, homeowners associations, property managers and police, and to consider steps to ensure vulnerable residents receive consistent protection.

Council response and next steps

Mayor Nigel Herbig told speakers he would direct staff to follow up. At the conclusion of the public-comment block, the mayor said, “staff will be following up with you,” and later reiterated that staff would connect with the resident to “have a deeper conversation about that situation.” The transcript shows no formal council action or ordinance resulting from the testimony at the meeting; the mayor’s statement constituted an explicit direction to staff.

What speakers asked for

- Community advocates asked the council to examine whether local systems—police response, HOA practices and court procedures—are protecting vulnerable residents. Joyce Shuey urged the council to "look closely at what's happening, including with your police force." - Witnesses requested staff assistance and ongoing follow-up with the resident and emphasized the need for the council to consider systemic remedies rather than single-case fixes.

Clarifying details and evidence cited in testimony

- A protective order described by witnesses as a 10-year protection order was said to be in effect for the resident. - Dr. Jamie Cho said the situation had led to “over 14 court hearings.” - Witnesses said Kenmore police responses sometimes involved multiple patrol cars (one speaker said three squad cars arrived for a call) and that language barriers delayed or complicated responses.

Speakers (as identified in the meeting)

- Jen Jin — Resident (public commenter; translation assisted) - Joyce Shuey — Corporate attorney (volunteer on racial-discrimination cases) - Deborah Feyander — Attorney (identified as working for the City of Seattle) - Dr. Jamie Cho — Physician / community member (Bellevue resident) - Mia Niu — Anti-bias/anti-hate team, Chinese Information and Service Center (Seattle) - Annie Garrett — Community advocate (Seattle resident) - Reyna Doanley — Retired college president (Bellevue resident) - Karen Smith — Former HOA president (caller living in Texas; formerly local) - Stacy Valenzuela — Kenmore resident

Authorities referenced in testimony

- Court-issued protection order (referenced by multiple speakers as a 10-year protection order); referenced_by: ["Jen Jin","Joyce Shuey","Dr. Jamie Cho","Mia Niu"]

Actions recorded

- Direction: Staff follow-up with the resident (mover: Mayor Nigel Herbig; outcome: staff will follow up; notes: no ordinance or formal investigation was initiated during the meeting).

Discussion vs. decision

- Discussion only: multiple public-comment speakers described allegations of harassment, court filings and police responses. These were public comments and not council deliberations on an ordinance or formal investigation. - Direction/assignment: the mayor instructed staff to follow up with the resident and to engage further with the situation. - Formal action: none taken at the meeting; no vote or formal inquiry was initiated.

Community relevance

- Geographies: Kenmore city neighborhoods (public comment identified condominium complex and nearby blocks). - Impact groups: immigrant residents, Asian American residents, residents with limited English proficiency.

Searchable tags

["racial harassment","Kenmore Police","protection order","immigrant residents","HOA","public comment"]

Provenance (transcript excerpts)

- topicintro: {"block_id":"block_633","local_start":0,"local_end":85,"evidence_excerpt":"I will go ahead and assist our speaker, Jen Jin, at the podium, and then we'll proceed with the rest of the list."}

- topfinish: {"block_id":"block_3364","local_start":0,"local_end":80,"evidence_excerpt":"1, I do wanna actually ask that staff follow-up with, miss Zinn and and that we have a deeper conversation about that situation. So staff will be following up with you."}

Ending

Public speakers urged the council to act beyond individual casework—asking the city to review police response, HOA practices and court outcomes they said left a vulnerable resident exposed. The mayor directed staff to follow up with the resident; council members and staff indicated they would continue to engage outside the meeting but no formal investigation or ordinance was adopted at this session.