Bus caravan to circle downtown Seattle to honor slain driver Shawn Yim

A convoy of 100 buses will roll through downtown Seattle on Friday morning to honor Shawn Yim, the King County Metro Transit operator who was fatally stabbed by a bus rider in the University District last month.

The memorial procession starts at 10 a.m., moving from Metro’s bus base in Sodo up Fourth Avenue, then around Seattle Center before returning in the southbound Highway 99 tunnel. A public memorial service will follow from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in WAMU Theater, next to Lumen Field.

The public can witness or wave at the transit operators from Fourth Avenue sidewalks, or from viewpoints like the Yesler Way bridge at Pioneer Square, or from the Space Needle lawn facing Broad Street. Others will wish to avoid congestion from brief street blockages, between downtown and First Hill.

Metro warns that midday bus service could be less frequent than normal, while hundreds of transit workers mourn Yim. Sound Transit light rail under downtown will stay on normal schedules, running every 10 minutes.

There will be a bus decorated with black fabric in front, followed by not just Puget Sound-area coaches but visiting bus drivers from Portland and British Columbia, said Greg Woodfill, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 587. The union organized a similar tribute, he said, after bus driver Mark McLaughlin was shot in 1998 while crossing the Aurora Bridge.

Scheduled speakers at the memorial service include Metro workers, international ATU President John Costa, and U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.

A suspect, Richard Sitzlack, is in jail facing a murder charge for allegedly stabbing Yim multiple times Dec. 18 in a lot near 15th Avenue Northeast just before 3 a.m. The confrontation started when Sitzlack allegedly pepper-sprayed and kicked the 59-year-old transit driver at the bus. Yim then followed him a short distance, while calling 911 to summon police, before Sitzlack turned back and struggled with Yim, charging documents say. Sitzlack was arrested on a different overnight bus, three days after the homicide.

Local 587 has issued demands aimed to protect transit workers, including barriers between bus drivers and passenger areas, a task force on transit security, and an increased corps of transit police officers. Woodfill said this week that King County is making progress on barrier plans and police recruiting, but also fears political momentum could fade. “We’re begging for public support,” he said. Metro said this week it’s ordered a few “European-style” test buses that contain a separate operator cab, similar to local trains.

Woodfill said the memorial Friday will mainly focus on Yim’s life and his nine years serving transit customers. The public is invited and doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Every Friday after Thanksgiving, bus drivers stop for a moment at 4 p.m., as Metro observes Mark McLaughlin Day. An annual tribute is expected for Yim.