by Matthew Russell Lee, Patreon Book Substack
NYC, Feb 9 – Amid the beauties and betrayals of Manhattan Chinatown, on July 26 there was music and food, paper cutting and sugar painting in Forsyth Plaza. Inner City Press video here.
There was also skepticism expressed about the City's proposed Chinatown Connections project with its stated redesign of Kimlau Square and creation of a “Chinatown Welcome Gateway” - that is, an arch.
Back on February 9 there was a scheduling announcement: "9 a.m. – New York City Mayor Eric Adams makes a public space-related announcement, related to Kimlau Square."
Inner City Press went to cover the event, which consisted of speeches not only by elected officials including Congressman Dan Goldman and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine (who joked he would made his introduction as an avenger into a memo) but also by a few local activists and planners.
Mayor Adams arrived late in the program, spoke and then took questions. Inner City Press asked him about community opposition to the Chinatown high-rise jail project on Baxter Street, and to a shelter set to be in at 91 East Broadway. How did listening to the community apply to those?
The jail, Mayor Adams blamed on the City Council. (This heartened back to finger pointing all the way back in the Board of Estimate, about the jail site, in 1984). He did not answer on the shelter - and now, delay on Inner City Press' Freedom of Information Law request about plans at 320 Pearl Street.
Inner City Press will continue to report on this
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