SEATTLE — Members of Seattle’s Filipino communities want answers after thieves targeted a historic monument in Beacon Hill’s Dr. Jose Rizal Park.
Thieves appear to have cut the plaques off the stone structures that held them and stole a time capsule buried beneath a plaque inside the monument.
Tess Guerzon remembers her mother’s years of work to bring this monument to Seattle and named the park after Dr. Rizal, a national hero in the Philippines.
“He fought against the Spaniards for Philippine independence,” Guerzon said.
When Guerzon’s mother, Zenaida Guerzon, immigrated to the United States, she spent more than a decade working in the park.
Guerzon and her mother traveled to the Philippines and met the artist who designed the bust and worked to get it shipped back to Seattle.
“She was a really proud Filipina,” Guerzon said. “It meant a lot to her.”
Guerzon said Seattle’s Filipino community was heartbroken by the news of the theft.
The time capsule contained family photos and memories, as well as historical information and old newspaper articles. It was set to be opened in the next few decades.
The theft is the latest incident at a park that’s seen its fair share of violence.
On Thursday, a man was charged with a woman’s murder after her remains were found stuffed in a suitcase at a nearby encampment.
In August, a double shooting in the area left one person dead.
“It’s a park that people are kind of scared to go to now because of the reputation it’s been getting,” Guerzon said. “We really need to do something about it.”
The city is currently working on plans to renovate the park. Guerzon hopes the park and memorial will come back better than ever.
“Get it nice and back to where it was before, if not better,” she said.