This tragedy has affected so many lives and families. While we hope for an eventual outcome that everyone will accept as fair and just, we should not confuse this unfortunate and painful incident with the long and robust Sister City relationship between Seattle and Perugia. That friendship and mutual respect continues, as does the life of our ancient sister city.
Read again our own take on the real Perugia: http://crosscut.com/2007/11/14/history/9073/ and our op-ed in Seattle Times: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2010724542_guest07james.html
See also our letter to Perugia Mayor Wladimiro Boccali and the exchange of letters between Boccali and Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn:
Dear Mayor Boccali,
First of all, my heartiest congratulations to you as you begin your first full year as Mayor Perugia. May you and your lovely city prosper in 2010 and in the years to follow.
As you know, the happy announcement that Seattle would name a city park in honor of the long friendship between our two cities was suddenly reversed last week. At the moment this is a reaction to critics of the Knox verdict in Perugia, but many of our residents understand that a verdict does not define a city and have expressed their disappointment. I do think, in time, wiser counsel will prevail and that before summer, we will be able to celebrate a park naming. It will take patience, but I've been assured privately, and Seattle Parks officials today stated publicly, that there is every intention to name the Perugia Park in the spring.
As Sister Orca stands now near the MiniMetro as a symbol in Perugia of our friendship, we hope to bring a work from Perugia to stand in this new Seattle park - as a symbol of your historic city.
We will continue, as a Sister City Association, to emphasize our friendship and our projects together. These include, most recently, producing a calendar featuring restaurants and recipes from both cities, a New Italian Cinema Festival featuring the best of recent Italian films ( and during which we gave away - in a raffle - a trip to Perugia for two lucky winners), and I hope soon, some exchanges of artistic works and, of course, the Perugia Park! The Film Festival, I believe, will now become an annual event for us, and an important celebration of Italian culture.
In these ways, and others to come, more Seattle residents - who now know Perugia only as the location of a murder trial - will come to know the larger and lasting story of a city with a long and rich history, and of a friendship, that while young, has already produced lasting achievements.
My personal thanks as well for your measured and friendly remarks when asked about the parks naming issue here. In particular, your generous promise to write our new Seattle mayor, Mike McGinn, to assure him that feelings toward Seattle are unchanged in Perugia, was well received. All our Association members and friends remain committed to our Sister City relationship, and we look forward to many more years of friendship. Our feelings are unchanged as well.
Buon Anno!
With admiration and respect,
Mike James, President
Seattle-Perugia Sister City Association
