Newspaper Clippings of Residents' Stories

One example of the struggle documented in the previous page is the story of Elder Chen Zhongkeng, who lived at 100 Madison Street. Chen had rented a three-bedroom, one-living-room unit on the fourth floor for thirteen years. Despite paying “tea money” (an informal and often undocumented bribe) of 4,000 CNY upon moving in, his landlord denied receiving this payment and sought to evict him. Chen faced numerous challenges, including being taken to court for not paying July rent after the landlord had initially told him he didn't need to pay it [35].

Chen described the deplorable living conditions: “The house had been dilapidated for more than ten years and had never been renovated. I even had to pay for hot water myself, and heating was only available for a few hours a day in the winter. When the water pipes broke, the gas leaked, the toilet was damaged, the windows were broken, and the landlord never repaired them in time. Now even the garbage cans have been moved indoors, and rats, cockroaches, and flies are rampant" [36].

Despite these conditions, the landlord used various tactics to force out low-income tenants, such as claiming they breached the contract by subletting or paying rent late. Chen noted, “The landlord forced old tenants to move out with excuses like the tenant had breached the contract by subletting the house, insisting that they were late in paying rent or evicting the tenant because he wanted to sell the house” [37]. After the tenants on the first and second floors moved out, the landlord immediately rented out the units at double the previous price, making his intentions clear.

The president of the Chinese Tenants Association, Li Lingdi, emphasized the need for unity: “The struggle between low-income tenants and landlords has just begun, and the conflict cannot be resolved quickly. Chinese tenants cannot be taken advantage of by landlords. Everyone must unite to attract the attention of the community and the government" [38].

CAAAV's Youth Program was crucial in raising awareness and educating the public on tenants' rights. They conducted extensive surveys, revealing that many residents faced similar issues to Chen's. The program also organized creative initiatives, such as performing plays and screening videos to highlight landlords' tactics and the tenants' plight. Chen Yihang, a member of the Youth Program, expressed hope that their efforts would influence city council candidates to propose effective solutions: “We hope that the publicity can make candidates for city councilors that were present sympathize with us so that they can propose effective solutions after being elected in the future” [39].

In Chinatown, tenant activism among youth gained momentum, with individuals like 18-year-old Fenzhen Nie working for CAAAV leading the charge. Nie, who immigrated from China, now lives in a cramped one-bedroom apartment on Mulberry Street with her family. Nie and her peers have observed a disturbing trend in which landlords exhibit discriminatory practices based on the race and economic status of their tenants [40]. The phrase “a different face for a different race” was used to describe how landlords present themselves differently to tenants depending on their race. This phenomenon persists even when the landlords themselves are Asian, suggesting that the primary motive is economic gain rather than racial solidarity. Nie explains that Chinese landlords, like others, are inclined to favor white tenants who are able to pay higher rents, thus contributing to gentrification and the displacement of long-time residents [41].

An example of this disparity is evident in a building on Ludlow Street, where new tenants are charged $1800 for renovated apartments that previously rented to Chinese tenants for $730. This pattern is widespread, with similar situations occurring on Mott, Mulberry, and Orchard streets, where Chinese tenants typically pay between $600 and $1000. These cases highlight that class is as significant a factor as race, if not more so, in the discriminatory practices observed by the CAAAV activists [42]. The increased rents and improved living conditions for wealthier, often white tenants, starkly contrast the neglected and overpriced apartments rented to lower-income, predominantly Chinese families. This economic and racial discrimination underscores the urgent need for equitable housing policies to address the systemic inequalities affecting Chinatown residents. Dan Liu of the CAAAV Youth Program emphasized the need to protect low-income tenants, stating, "Chinatown was built by the poor, and belongs to the poor. We should protect low-income tenants in Chinatown" [43].