Anger, sorrow felt during memorial for murdered Seattle bus driver
SEATTLE - On Friday, thousands honored the life of a Seattle bus driver, Shawn Yim, who was murdered by a passenger.
A procession of buses drove through Seattle to the WAMU Theater for a memorial service for 59-year-old Yim.
Yim was murdered while working on December 18.
Who was Shawn Yim? The Seattle Metro bus driver brutally attacked, killed
Shawn Yim was taken away in a senseless act of violence for reasons still under investigation.
During the service, friends and coworkers described Yim as a hard worker dedicated to his family.
Emotions ranged from sorrow to anger during the memorial.
"So, here we are again on a day that we all knew was coming," said Greg Woodfill, the local metro union president.
Paul Neil, the union financial secretary, spoke to the hundreds in attendance. He asked every driver who had been assaulted on-the-job to raise their hands.
Dozens of people raised their hands, and some people yelled out saying they had been attacked multiple times.
"While Shawn’s death was the worst result of violence. This was not, as you have heard, an isolated incident, and we have to take every precaution to address the fact that routinely transit workers face that routine harassment and assault," said U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal.
Metro honors bus driver Shawn Yim in Seattle memorial procession
King County Metro, community members and transit agencies will gather Jan. 10 to remember Shawn Yim, a bus driver tragically killed in December while on duty.
King County Metro General Manager Michelle Allison spoke to the hundreds of drivers in attendance at the service. Allison said they are addressing drivers’ concerns.
"We are taking immediate action to help keep you safe. That’s why we’re hiring more police officers and security officers, we’re increasing our physical protection from larger and stronger safety partitions all the way to separate operator compartments," she said.
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