Chinatown Factory faces Eviction: Harsh Reality Hits Makers of Fairy-Tale Gowns
This news article reported in English centered on the possible eviction of a Chinatown garment factory (Fortune Gardens), whose owner was sued by landlords for alleged unpaid rent. The factory’s shutdown could result in the unemployment of 40 Chinese immigrant workers limited in English proficiency. The article presented diverging perspectives on the case. While the building owners framed the eviction as a simple rent dispute, activist groups (CAAAV and the Chinese Staff & Workers’ Association) situated it within the broader post-9/11 Giuliani-era context: the decline of Chinatown’s garment industry and manufacturing sector more generally, intensified police harassment and surveillance, and state-sponsored real estate redevelopment in Lower Manhattan that accelerated gentrification and displacement.
Source: Sophia Y.Chang (Village Voice) Digitized by: Shutong Wu Catalogued by: Laine Yu-Jing