From Chinatown to Every Town by Zai Liang;

Author:Zai Liang;
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780520384989
Publisher: University of California Press

FROM INDIVIDUAL RESPONSES TO COLLECTIVE ACTION

Given the high crime rate in these neighborhoods in northern Philadelphia,38 the biggest concern among Chinese immigrant business owners is robbery. The Fujianese Association of Greater Philadelphia has sponsored workshops for business owners on crime prevention and safety. The Association has also been in constant contact with the local police department to make sure that when disturbances around Chinese businesses occur, police will arrive on a timely basis. In addition, Chinese business owners donate money to sponsor Community Policing in their neighborhoods.

Violence against Chinese business owners and employees has been going on for a while. The robberies and murders of Chinese business owners are frequently reported.39 In 2014, rapper YG posted a video on YouTube entitled “Meet the Flockers,” which openly encourages people to rob Chinese-owned businesses and homes. The lyrics began with the following: “First you find a house and scope it out. Find a Chinese neighborhood ‘cause they don’t believe in bank accounts.” The Chinese community and business leaders were outraged but YG and his supporters cited freedom of expression in his defense.

The year 2016 was an important moment for anti-violence collective action by the Chinese community in Philadelphia. In that year, a record number of violent crimes took place against Chinese business owners. In the month of January alone, twelve such crimes were reported. YG was planning on giving a concert on October 15, 2016, so in response, Chinese community leaders chose October 15 for a big rally against violence. More than two thousand Chinese immigrants from Philadelphia, New York City, and Delaware joined the rally along with representatives from the Philadelphia Police Department, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Chinese Immigrant Associations in New York and Philadelphia, and local church leaders. Also making history was the fact that members from the Chinese Rifle Association in the Greater Philadelphia area (CRAGP) carried rifles during the parade (see figure 5.2). The participation of CRAGP was intended to send a message to perpetrators that Chinese immigrants are not always an easy target for crime, but can defend their rights with weapons as well.40

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