Charity Pitch: Committee Against Asian American Violence

If you’re craving good Asian food in New York City, the chances are that you’re probably headed to Chinatown.  Chinatown has become a well-known attraction for NYC residents and tourists, who come to get their taste of culture and mingle with the fabled street vendors.  A neighborhood that once served as a convenient and affordable location for Chinese immigrants to settle down has now become a living symbol of Asian culture in New York City.  However, its rising popularity has also brought along detrimental effects. As Chinatown gains infamy among tourists, politicians and developers have taken note and are trying to ride the momentum to turn it into the next great tourist destination.  The plan? Luxury. Luxury buildings, luxury stores, luxury services. There is no concern for what these developments have done and will do to the people who have made Chinatown what it is today.  The rapid changes in Chinatown can best be understood by the term, gentrification; the focus on neighborhood development in order to cater to a more affluent demographic while displacing the original residents who are typically poor and people of color.  Gentrification in a neighborhood like Chinatown, for example, is extremely harmful to the population comprised of low income immigrants who cannot afford the socioeconomic changes and are now struggling to stay in their homes. In Chinatown, landlords are raising rents of commercial and residential buildings, making it unaffordable to the people who have lived there for years and shutting down the businesses that earned the neighborhood its reputation.  It is significant to focus on the demographic of Chinatown as low income immigrants, who are especially vulnerable to displacement because of the language barriers and lack of legal education that prevent them from fighting against uncontrolled rent increases, proposed evictions, and overzealous landlords.   The Committee Against Asian American Violence (CAAAV) has programs specifically devoted to fighting against gentrification in Chinatown, ranging from leadership programs that empower tenants to act civically and politically to programs that organize residents against displacement and to protect affordable housing.  While these programs, such as the Chinatown Tenants Union and Asian Tenants Union, are the main concentration of this pitch, it is also important to recognize the history and vision of CAAAV. CAAAV has played an essential role in fighting against the systematic and institutional racism towards Asians and Asian Americans in New York for over thirty years.  Their work ranges from anti-police brutality campaigns to community based projects, like the ones mentioned previously. Their mission is centered on empowering low-income Asian immigrants and refugees in New York City to fight for racial and economic justice, as well as enacting programs that allow Asian immigrants to play a political role despite their financial and language barriers.   As a child to two Asian immigrants, I have seen firsthand how difficult it is to overcome the language barrier in everyday life.  However, I am privileged that my parents know enough English that they could defend themselves if necessary. Trust me, if our landlord was to suddenly threaten to raise the rent or to kick us out so a new luxury building could be built, someone would definitely be getting an earful.  But that’s not the case for everyone, and definitely not for most of the people who have lived in Chinatown. Most of the residents are elderly Asian immigrants who speak limited English and have no prior knowledge on how American policies on rent control work. CAAAV gives these people a way to voice their concerns and fight for their homes. In high school, a lot of my friends joined CAAAV and we would go door to door, translating the concerns of the tenants: poor living conditions, harassment from landlords, increased rent.  CAAAV was more than an outlet–they listened to these concerns and provided a platform for people to take action. It is evident that their work has already helped the community, such as the victory in the Two Bridges neighborhood in which their work directly led to the Supreme Court decision that stopped the city’s approval for three luxury megatowers to be built.

CAAAV’s fight against gentrification is something I personally find very important, coming from Flushing, Queens, another Asian-centered neighborhood that is currently undergoing rapid gentrification.  I have seen firsthand how beloved family restaurants and shops go out of business so that new malls, parking lots, and luxury apartments can be built. I have seen how these neighborhoods, prized for their cultural immersion, are the same neighborhoods complicit in displacing the immigrants that contributed to the cultural development and made their living here.  Gentrification is also not an issue that is only happening in New York City or only happening to Asian Americans. It’s happening all over America, to communities of immigrants, people of color, and the poor. Although I chose an organization that specifically centers on Chinatown, I believe that we could make a huge difference with our contribution and help a demographic that is so rarely heard in the political field.  I would like to contribute to the fight against gentrification right here in our home city, and begin by making a difference one neighborhood at a time.

Maggie Wang