Community organizer Don Lee told the news outlet that it is not yet clear how much money the organizers will need to raise to set up the new business structure and take over Jing Fong’s lease at 20 Elizabeth Street, but they are hoping that city government will help fund the project. They estimate that it would save about 100 jobs and boost Chinatown’s economic recovery coming out of the pandemic, according to Gothamist. In a press conference outside of Jing Fong last week, members of the restaurant workers union and community organizers outlined the proposed plan, which would see staffers share in ownership of the restaurant. “We are thrilled at what our museum reopening and new exhibit mean for our community and for all who will see it at this critical moment in history.Community organizers and displaced unionized workers from Manhattan Chinatown cornerstone Jing Fong, which permanently shut its dining room earlier this month, have proposed a new plan to bring the restaurant back to life by converting the business to a worker-owned cooperative. “We remain focused on building on our extraordinary reopening and the launch of our new exhibit, “RESPONSES: Asian Americans Resisting the Tides of Racism.” MOCA will continue to provide space for AAPIs to share stories, share voice, and share art during this very difficult time. “It is unfortunate that a small group of museum critics has misrepresented our stance for political goals that have nothing to do with MOCA. “MOCA has always been an opponent of jail construction in Chinatown,” she said. In a statement to The Village Sun, MOCA President Maasbach denied that the museum supports the megajail project. “They pretty much threw the community under the bus.” “Jonathan Chu and Nancy Yao are not competent, and it’s not appropriate for them to lead a community museum,” Siyan Wong, an artist who withdrew her work from MOCA, said. According to Rahman, “Nancy Yao yelled at us, accosted us, harassed us” at the reopening protest. Tensions between MOCA and community activists boiled over at the museum’s reopening on July 14, in turn, sparking the second protest four days later. The Art World: 1990–2001” on March 5 to protest Chu’s position on the MOCA board, MOCA’s alleged complicity in the construction of the Chinatown jail, and the museum’s failure to “communicate openly and publicly with the community it claims to represent.” MOCA subsequently canceled the exhibition. landlord and MOCA board co-chairperson, for lost restaurant jobs.Īs Jing Fong closed, 19 members of the artists collective Godzilla withdrew from the planned MOCA exhibition “Godzilla vs. While Jing Fong plans to relocate to a smaller location in Chinatown, protesters blame Jonathon Chu, the 20 Elizabeth St. in March due to the pandemic’s impact on business. Jing Fong, a dim sum restaurant and banquet hall, closed its 800-seat location at 20 Elizabeth St. “We want that money to be used to revitalize Chinatown, to protect people who are being displaced.”Īccording to protesters, MOCA’s acceptance of the $35 million is part of a pattern of the museum prioritizing its own interests over those of the community. “We want that money to go to the community,” Jihye Simpkins, a member of Youth Against Displacement, said at Sunday’s protest. 28, MOCA emphasized that it “is and has always been unalterably opposed to building a jail in Chinatown.” However, protesters argue that the money signals MOCA’s tacit support of the Chinatown “megajail” construction, which is strongly opposed by community members. “We are speaking to a systemic issue within this community of the deep inequality in Chinatown.”Īs a part of the City Council’s agreement with Mayor Bill de Blasio to convert to borough-based jails - including one to be constructed in Chinatown, at 125 White St. “We aren’t singling out the museum,” Mahir Rahman, an organizer with Chinese Staff and Workers’ Association (CSWA), said. They place the museum at the center of controversies over the $8.7 billion plan to close jails on Rikers Island and the relocation of a local restaurant. More than a year after the pandemic closed the museum and a fire destroyed its collections building, protesters say MOCA is facilitating displacement. Protesters called Maasbach’s comments “blatant racist and ageist insults.” Protesters on Sun., July 18, called for the resignation of MOCA President Nancy Yao Maasbach, who alleged that elderly protesters at the reopening were paid by District 1 City Council candidate Christopher Marte. 3, 12:45 p.m.: For the second time since its reopening on Wed., July 14, dozens of protesters surrounded the entrance to the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) - but not for the exhibitions.
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