Old Town’s Chinese Community plans to protest plans for a homeless center in the district, tomorrow morning at City Hall. Stephen Ying of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association has been handing out fliers for the protest at a meeting tonight of the Old Town Neighborhood Association, reading, “Show Your Support For Saving Block 25—Meet at City Council Chambers on the Second Floor tomorrow, Wednesday, at 9:30am.” He has also written a letter to the mayor, following on from the Old Town Lofts petition delivered at Potter’s office this afternoon. Ying’s letter reads as follows:

Dear Mayor Potter,

The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association is an umbrella organization that represents various Chinese families, businesses, professionals and other groups in Oregon. In December 2007, we were taken by surprise that a day use center for the homeless will be located on a prominent block that is the northern gateway to Chinatown. In these last two months, we have been struggling to make our voices heard in raucous, contentious meetings. This is not the Chinese way. We are quiet, proud and humble people; we do not have a history of asking government for help.

Ying has a point about the meetings being raucous. I missed it because of being on press deadline, but at a meeting this afternoon of the Old Town Visions/Neighborhood Association Land Use Committee, I’m told by several sources that there was a full-volume slanging match between Doreen Binder of Transition Projects, inc.—who will run the homeless center, and a member of the Old Town Neighborhood Association. Lots of “fuck” words, apparently, and an “I don’t have to put up with this shit,” from someone. I arrived at 4:30 to find Binder red-faced, apologizing for having lost her temper. The other chap didn’t seem quite so sorry. “You don’t understand what it’s like living in the neighborhood,” he said. More from Ying’s letter:

Now, as we approach the New Year, we must speak out: We support the homeless citizens. inside Chinatown, we currently have Union gospel Mission, Outreach Mininstry, Blanchet House, Cascadia Royal Palm with others close by. But now, in this year of the Rat, we cannot support the proposed location for the homeless day use facility bounded by NW Third and Fourth Avenues and NW Glisan and Flanders Streets because it is detrimental to Chinatowns’s survival. Our neighborhood is at a tipping point; we need to bring an equitable balance to a community that houses many of our lowest income citizens and provides many social services. We need mixed income housing, businesses and culture to bring people to live, work and learn and shop in Chinatown. We need what every neighborhood needs, a balance and diversity of economic levels, active street use, safety, av variety of housing for all income levels and prosperous businesses.

We know many of our friends say this new facility will provide for those that are already in Chinatown. But we believe that the new day use facility will draw new people from all over the city. It will prohibit development on this important block in Chinatown that has so much potential for what remains of Chinatown. Many years ago, we were forced from South of Burnside to this neighborhood. Now we are seemingly losing what remains. It is not right nor is it honorable.

Our elders are afraid to speak out because of harassment, segregation and racial legislation to the Chinese in the past. They are afraid of government. It has taken a new generation to lessen the distrust. The younger generation is learning and is participating. We are learning that we deserve a fair and public process. We now expect this from our leaders in government. Let us argue, let us disagree, but give us a respectful process. We cannot speak in meetings when we are not invited. We cannot speak in meetings held behind closed doors. Please invite us to your meetings. Please give us a public process for the location of the homeless day use facility.

Sincerely,

Stephen Ying

Executive Director, CCBA.

It will be interesting to see what happens at City Hall in the morning.