“Pamphlets about Jing Fong workers who were displaced and Jonathan Chu basically evicted them, closed the restaurant and put all of them out of work, so there is the Chinatown Working Group Plan, community driven, to get Jing Fong back.”īased on the Chinatown Working Group, their plan is about preserving affordability and authenticity, protecting residents, workers and small businesses by curtailing the “domino effect” of displacement that occurs as a result of over-development and putting a plug on how much and what type of development can happen. “The whole reason why I initially got started was when Jing Fong first got shut down and I was passing out pamphlets at Eastbank, which is also owned by the Chu family and is one block away from the museum,” Yin said. While their new, smaller location opened in July at 202 Centre Street, many residents in Chinatown are not happy with the result and see it as a form of displacement.Īaron Yin, a member of Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association says he participated in open night mic performances in August and September of 2018 at the Museum of Chinese of America, but after hearing about Jing Fong, he knew he had to take action. Since the reopening of the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) on July 15, 2021, activists and community groups alike have picketed in front of its doors demanding Jonathan Chu, the museum’s board co-chair and a prominent Chinatown landlord be held accountable for the closure of Jing Fong, a treasured dim sum restaurant and the only unionized restaurant in Chinatown.Īfter 43 years, the Lam family, owners of Jing Fong, decided to close the 800 seat dining room at 20 Elizabeth Street on March 7, 2021, due to the loss of revenue because of the pandemic, ongoing spikes in infection rates and staff shortage, according to the restaurant. The visitor turned around to briefly acknowledge the protester before heading inside and the door closing behind them. Submission guidelines can be found here: bit.On a sunny, chilly Sunday afternoon, a group of protesters at the Museum of Chinese in America held signs and chanted “Boycott MOCA” as people passed by on the sidewalk.Īs the security guard opened the glass door to let a visitor in, one protester called the person urging them not to enter. If you need art supplies or have questions, please contact us at selected artworks will win a cash prize and have their work displayed at an outdoor location in Manhattan’s Chinatown on Saturday October 23rd and 24th! We’re also very interested in and encourage poetry and/or performance submissions that can be read/performed in the show’s opening rally. We’re primarily looking for flat, eye-catching, non-precious, poster-sized artworks (drawings, prints, graphic art, poetry broadsides) that will be installed on a wooden outdoor gallery space. This art exhibit aims to amplify people’s hope and visions for a future in which students, residents, independently owned businesses, and workers of all types–who have built and sustained our diverse community over time–can continue to thrive in Chinatown and the Lower East Side! We are seeking art submissions that explore or question the legitimacy and impact of the City government’s displacement agenda on the lives of people. This is a struggle that so many families and youth are facing amid a broader landscape of displacement & predatory land use decisions by the current Mayor and City Council, from refusing to demand the landlord reopen the Jing Fong dining room to investing tax dollars in building a new jail in Chinatown to passing rezonings that would encourage big developers and bad landlords to build luxury high-rises and kick out low income families and small businesses. CALLING ALL ARTISTS! We are putting together an art exhibit about the closure of the iconic Jing Fong Restaurant dining room, which has left many workers jobless in the middle of a pandemic and the community without a major gathering center.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |