My family has been in Chinatown since 1900. I am the third generation. We are a small property owner and we have owned different businesses over the decade from Chinese hand laundry, gift store, to dry cleaning stores.

I myself own a home furnishing and antique store.

I have been involved in community organizing for more than 25 years.

As a business owner, you get more involved when you have a stake in the community.

I first heard about the jail plan in a small private meeting with less than a dozen of community leaders and organizations. The city made a presentation with the council member of the time, Margaret Chin.

The jail plan was presented as a done deal. It was not a collaborative process. We were shocked.

We realized if we want to sue the city we would need an entity that would bring people together to create a singular news source, and a singular voice that could amplify what Chinatown really felt.

That’s how Neighbors United Below Canal started, with Christopher Marte* and I.

NUBC is a clearinghouse of information, our volunteers process technical information for the layperson.

We also partner with other organizations to do workshops, townhalls, and outreach.

It’s important to remember that the history of jails in Chinatown traces back to 1983.

We have watched the city of New York build jails and tear them down, only to build them back, bigger, and then tear them down.

The city gets it wrong every time. We are not NIMBY*.

* Not in my backyard

The March 20 protest was multigenerational — there were seniors, children, and everyone in between. I felt encouraged.

This is not just an AAPI issue, people feel very strongly against the expansion of incarceration and the answer to criminal justice reform.

Chinatown in the United States are always fighting land use issues. Chinatown build up undesirable corners of the city, and once the community made the investment, the government come in and try to take that land back.

It’s just like Harlem, the government is dumping a lot of unfavorable things in this community while they keep other white communities more  pristine.

From history we know that every time when there is a large building project it disrupts the community for years. It always comes with a very large price tag.

If we lose this, we lose Chinatown. If stopping the jail is not successful, there is no Chinatown.