Photography & Imaging alumnus Alan Chin has a recent photo essay published in The Nation on Chinatown's recovery and adaptation to changing circumstances.
Chinatown has been changing in recent years, subject to the same forces pressuring other neighborhoods in the city: gentrification, inequality, rising housing costs. Add to that the anti-Chinese rhetoric that accompanied the coronavirus crisis, and the neighborhood has needed some protecting.
In February, Karlin Chan, a retired fiber optics engineer and lifelong Chinatown resident, called some friends and formed the Chinatown Block Watch, patrolling the streets on alternating days with the Guardian Angels. He said, “More than half of incidents of harassment aren’t reported to the police. I myself have been profiled twice, as a senior. I was in a line shopping and a guy was following me. Another store, a person walked right up to me. Hairs on your back, sixth sense, body language. In early March the streets were so empty. They look for vulnerable targets: Single women walking by themselves and seniors.”