The Continuing Gentrification of Chinatown
The intrusive practices of gentrification are certainly all too well-known to ethnic enclaves, unfortunately. These situations leave the residents of such communities in a tight situation, vulnerable to eviction or forced out due to rising prices. The consequences of this has already occurred, with the only grocery story in town already driven into bankruptcy, along with the rapidly increasing rent prices of properties.
Chinatown's Last Community Shopping Mall
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Dynasty Center is comprised of the local community, mostly immigrants with roots in Laos, Cambodia, China, and Vietnam.
Many of the vendors are hard-working, living in the area for years. The community has lived in New Chinatown for generations, establishing itself as a town since 1938. In 1965, the passing of the Immigration and Nationality Act allowed for easier immigration, and as the Vietnam War and political struggles in Hong Kong persisted, more migrants immigrated and found refuge. Through the larger population, many of the Asian-Americans found more freedom to create their own cultural institutions rather than that of a traditionally American one. These developments led to iconic businesses that still stand to this day, such as Phoenix Bakery. As Chinatown grew, so did gentrification. With several hip stores opening up to take advantage of the enclave, original restaurants and stores started by the very residents of the neighborhood were forced into bankruptcy. This pattern is observed still, practiced by Redcar Ltd., and takes one more step for gentrification. |
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Meet the Small Businesses!
The Developer: Redcar Ltd.Redcar Ltd. is a Santa Monica-based real-estate developer, known for their gentrification practices in numerous locations, including Chinatown.
Since 2014, Redcar has bought 8 buildings to redevelop into office buildings, each time compromising and evicting the tenants. Redcar is not the sole gentrifier of Chinatown, but certainly is contributing to the growing issue. Before the adoption of Dynasty Center, The Shop was the sellers' original building to sell products. However, Redcar Ltd. bought the building in July of 2020. They had previously bought out several other buildings in Chinatown to redevelop them into office and business buildings, which eventually became the fate of The Shop. With The Shop no longer available to be used, the community moved into Dynasty Center. A Los Angeles Court forced the sale of the center after sellers Namhee Han Gilhuly, Tony Han, and De Young Kim filed a lawsuit in 2019 to divide the property. Redcar Ltd. bought the building soon after, putting all the tenants at risk of eviction yet again. As that threat loomed over with the property turnover to Redcar, the company has also increased the rent to its full amount, despite still being in a pandemic. |
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Examples of Redcar's redevelopment
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What Does This Mean
With the redevelopment practices and patterns of Redcar Ltd., the purchase of Dynasty Center would not only compromise all the tenants, but also the heart of Chinatown. By redeveloping another cultural hub into an office or business building, gentrification advances one more step. The reconstruction of Chinatown, pursued by those like Redcar, would push out all the residents and recompose the community into upper middle-class people. This would leave the residents nowhere to go. Whether it be reconstructing buildings to produce greater profits, or reaping the fruits of orientalism, all these strategies are linked together for one goal; to redevelop Chinatown into a palatable location to generate higher profits. |
Defending Dynasty CenterFor years, CCED has been monitoring Redcar. As Redcar's steps grow increasingly alarming, CCED has stepped in to protect the businesses within Dynasty Center.
CCED has offered opportunities for business owners to better understand their rights as tenants, organizing meetings with lawyers to provide these valuable resources, as well as providing a voice for the businesses. They have pledged to take several actions against predatory developers, including boycotting numerous agencies, protesting, and preserving affordable housing. CCED does consistent outreach to small businesses especially those who are struggling with unfair treatment. Some businesses they have been organizing with include Zen Mei Bistro, Golden Gifts, 88 Gifts, Alice Beauty Salon, Betabel Co, Hop Woo, Jade Wok, Gigo's Cafe & Deli, Hui Zhan Salon, and Yue Wa Market. |
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Redcar did not respond to the petition, prompting organizers and merchants to escalate through a public speak-out and press conference in December.
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The “Defend Dynasty Center” press conference began with All Chinatown Tenants Union (ACTU) tenant leaders Mr. Huang and Pauline Chau emphasizing the importance of Dynasty Center’s existence to both Chinatown residents’ daily lives and the long-term existence of Chinatown as a neighborhood that supports working class immigrants.
Various commercial tenants from Dynasty Center—including Diana Chau and Cindy Ho, Vietnamese refugees who have had their shops in Chinatown for multiple decades and were previously evicted from The Shop—bravely shared about their reliance on Dynasty Center for their livelihoods as well as the meaning Dynasty Center holds for Chinatown, culturally and historically. While CCED organizer Patrick Chen importantly highlighted Dynasty Center’s interrelation with other Chinatown site fights such as College Station where another profit-hungry vulture developer, Atlas Capital, is carving up land at the expense of working class tenants, fellow CCED organizer Charlotte Nguyen spoke powerfully about her childhood connection to Dynasty Center and the sacredness of the space as a site of community: “This is about more than just a mall. This is a fight for the future of our community. For the spaces we live in. Work in. The spaces we call home and our right to shape them and pass them on for generations.” |
