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THE ASTORIAN • SATuRdAy, ApRIl 17, 2021
OPINION
editor@dailyastorian.com
KARI BORGEN
publisher
DERRICK DePLEDGE
Editor
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SHANNON ARLINT
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CARL EARL
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BEHIND THE NEWS
‘I think 2020 has shook the ground’
he Garden of Surging Waves tells
the story of Chinese immigrants
who helped build Astoria.
The park at Heritage Square, the city’s
bicentennial legacy gift, is an example of
how public spaces can be used to break
cultural barriers and ensure our history is
not monochrome.
“The stories are there to be shared to
all people,” said Suenn Ho, the urban
designer behind the
project. “For me, pub-
lic urban space is
extremely important to a
community.”
Ho, who lives in Port-
land, is the principal of
Resolve Architecture +
DERRICK
Planning. Her design
DePLEDGE
work includes a bronze
plaque marking Port-
land’s original Chinatown and an outdoor
museum in Tigard that documents the
city’s cultural identity.
In an interview via Zoom, Ho dis-
cussed the Garden of Surging Waves, the
issues around renaming public spaces,
anti-Asian violence and racism and sus-
taining movements like Black Lives
Matter.
Q: What do you see as the value of
having public spaces like the Garden
of Surging Waves, particularly in pre-
dominantly white communities such as
Astoria?
A: The demographics of a place is
always fluid.
So what I always look at is the story
of the place. The stories are there to be
shared to all people. For me, public urban
space is extremely important to a commu-
nity. And the community is able to access
the place 24/7, and it’s free.
I do feel very privileged to have the
opportunity to design a lot of these proj-
ects that fit into that category. Recently,
the outdoor museum that’s opened in
Tigard, it’s another story that allowed the
locals to relate to — just like the Garden
of Surging Waves — to the sense of place,
but with the people that are usually not
heard.
That allows a broader understanding of
the richness of the history.
I don’t see Astoria as only a white
community, even though the population
— the majority — is white. I see that a
project like that has a sense of responsibil-
ity to broaden the understanding of its rich
history.
Q: Do you have different feelings
now about the garden than when it first
opened in 2014?
A: It’s a blessing to see the garden to
be able to grow in place and age in place.
The design, from the beginning,
was focusing on how to make sure the
city does not have a huge maintenance
upkeep, so that all the materials that have
been used are meant to be low mainte-
nance and age in place.
It’s a blessing that, so far, it seems
like the garden has never experienced
vandalism.
I do feel that the placement of the gar-
den, the design of the garden, allows a
larger sense of ownership by the local
community. I think that keeps it more of
an eyes on the spot that perhaps hasn’t
been really targeted as a place to be van-
dalized. And I do hope that that is the case
from here onward.
What I would love to see, that has been
demonstrated so far, has been the usage
of the place by the community for activ-
ities, such as wedding reception, or vigil,
demonstration, performance, tai chi or
T
Colin Murphey/The Astorian
Suenn Ho is the urban designer behind the Garden of Surging Waves in Astoria.
exercise, even just a place to just contem-
plate and have your lunch.
I have received a lot of comments say-
ing that it’s amazing — it’s in the middle
of downtown and yet it feels very peace-
ful. I think that’s a success on that kind of
aspect.
I would love to see the completion of
the entire block that completes the phase
two and phase three. But what’s there
already — I couldn’t ask for more. I am
very happy with where it is that’s been
playing out so far.
Q: Astoria is going back to calling
the old burial ground off Niagara Ave-
nue the Hillside Cemetery, instead of
the Pioneer Cemetery. Part of the rea-
son is that Pioneer — a title from the
1960s — does not adequately con-
vey the region’s history. The belief is
that many Chinese workers from the
1800s were buried there or nearby in
unmarked graves. While this name
change is largely about historic preser-
vation, we have heard some grumbling.
There is a perception that some peo-
ple want to “cancel” or “change” every-
thing. How do we address these issues
without such conflict?
A: You and I are part of history, right?
We are living and move forward with
whatever it is that’s in the past.
I don’t see history as a reason to put
any place in a frozen state. I believe his-
tory is an evolution reflecting the commu-
nity throughout different time.
With that said, I do believe that we
should always recognize the authenticity
of history from different perspectives. It
should not be one perspective — and then
just dominate the story of that perspective
in that place.
I don’t feel that it is necessary to ‘can-
cel’ or eliminate what was there before.
But I do believe that, especially in names,
it should ever be evolving to reflect the
collective sensibility of the time, of the
place.
As we so-call ‘evolve’ — the naming
of the place, or how it looks — it should
also be very honestly documented what
was there before. So that it becomes much
more enriching when you are at a place.
You can start flipping back and go back
to history and it’s like, this was here like
this before and now it is like this and then
later on, in the future, it has a new kind of
chapter or identity.
Q: We have seen spasms of anti-
Asian violence and racism across
the United States. Do you see this as
directly tied to the language some of
our politicians have used against China
during the coronavirus pandemic?
A: Yes.
However, I also want to add that
throughout history, especially in this coun-
try, there has always been racism toward
minority groups, Asian communities. Of
course, Asians, it’s a term that’s just an
umbrella of a whole population that is
extremely diverse.
It’s very unfortunate when the hurtful
words and disrespectful mannerisms from
the politicians — or political leaders —
they validate and empower a lot of hateful
actions, especially toward very innocent
elders, which is totally, totally unjust.
I think a lot of their words and actions
stem from naivete, not knowing, not will-
ing to listen, not willing to understand and
to respectfully try to learn from what other
cultures can contribute to this wonderful
country. So that is unfortunate.
I am hoping public space projects —
placemaking projects, such as the Garden
of Surging Waves — has a role to bring
stories to the people who usually don’t
care about digging in deeper with the
other cultures.
Q: There was strong public support
across the country for Black Lives Mat-
ter after the killing of George Floyd
by Minneapolis police last May. There
appeared to be an awareness — even
in small towns like Astoria — about the
problems of institutional racism. But
some of that support has waned. What
do you see as the best way to keep these
types of conversations going?
A: George Floyd’s killing was a piv-
otal moment that broke my innocence. I
became much more aware of the Black
community’s history, maybe their anguish,
their frustration.
I think, like it or not, 2020 has brought
a larger surge of these racial issues to din-
ner tables across racial boundaries. It’s
also very unfortunate — I think the coro-
navirus pandemic has been very inconve-
nient, in a sense that it is a temporary sit-
uation, the virus will be controlled and be
dampened.
And because of the surge of larger
awareness of Black Lives Matter, I feel
that there are more non-Black allies. It’s
very important for every one of us to be
able to speak up for social justice and to
be in support of the Black communities
that have consistently been put in a very
unjust situation.
I think, if anything, I have been very
impressed with the Black communi-
ty’s resilience. It’s spanning generations,
and they’ve been fighting for the same
message.
I think 2020 has shook the ground. I
think more people have heard, are much
more aware of the issues, and feel more
comfortable to actually even talk about it.
I think that is a big, big step forward.
To fight for social justice, whether or
not you’re in the Black community or any
other minority communities, I don’t think
it will ever go away. I think it’s an ongo-
ing fight. I think it’s an ongoing mission
for generations to come.
I think, as an optimist, I do hope that
one day a majority of the people in this
country will actually be able to say: We
speak with one voice. One ideal mission.
And, ultimately, it’s one planet, one peo-
ple. Start with small communities, small
cities, and hopefully it goes from our
country to the rest of the world.
I don’t know how long that would take.
But I think one conversation at a time,
to be able to talk, to be willing to listen,
for the voices that aren’t usually heard, is
already a big step.
A willingness to listen is an ingredient
for us to become more tolerant and more
appreciative and more respectful to people
who are looking different from each other.
derrick depledge is editor of The
Astorian.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Six years?
egarding the story “Westport man
sentenced to prison for road rage
death” (The Astorian, April 13) about
Jeffrey Stone: So, you run over some-
one because of road rage, drag them for
a quarter of a mile, killing them, and you
get six years?
And Stone has previous serious
crimes? Judge Henry Kantor must be
senile; 20 years, minimum.
RON KENT
Vancouver, Washington
R
Inflationary spiral
nyone who understands basic eco-
nomics should agree that the COVID-
19 economic relief bill is anything but.
The bill is loaded with generous benefits
that will kill the incentive for work and
slow the recovery.
The math is simple; the incredible rate
of borrowing will spark an inflationary
spiral that will surely raise interest rates,
which will in turn increase the interest
payments of our staggering debt to levels
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that will cripple the government’s ability
to engage in other economic necessities.
Also, that inflationary spike that ris-
ing interest rates cause will create a deep
recession that will dwarf the 2008 one.
And now the current holder of the office
of president wants to spend another $2
trillion on infrastructure? That’s $4 trillion
in three months in office.
Our grandchildren’s grandchildren,
their grandchildren and their grandchil-
dren will be paying for this fiscal stupidity
for more years than our country has been
a country.
We are already seeing it in our every-
day staple purchases. It’s only going to
get worse.
KEVIN SWANSON
Warrenton
‘C’mon man’
t first I thought The Astorian was get-
ting a sense of humor when it printed
the “Valid point” joke (April 13). Then I
realized that maybe the writer was seri-
ous. It’s sad that anyone could mistake the
difference in demeanor of Donald Trump
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and Joe Biden so badly.
Anyone who has actually watched the
two in action could not make that mistake.
The problem must lie in the media echo
chamber. Trump stood and took antago-
nistic questions from a biased media on
a regular basis. Biden does not. He reads
from a script, scratches his head and
leaves before any real questions.
Have you ever seen Trump stumble
going up the steps to Air Force One?
“C’mon man.”
ROBERT LIDDYCOAT
Seaside