A BIT OF IRE

If San Francisco really gave a damn about Chinatown they would work on job creation and re-training of the workers there, so that there would be more money flowing into the core businesses that serve the community. Rather than prettifying up the alleyways and encouraging the damned tourists to buy trinkets and nosh there.
Or worrying about the damned awnings.

Since the destruction of the garment industry and other manufacturing sectors in the city there has been increasing poverty in the neighborhood, and the tourist industry provably prefers to hire folks from elsewhere to service the big white blobs who visit.

Employ local people. Dammit.


"There are some politicians out there who are like: 'Let me get in a photo with some Asian people. Let me walk through Chinatown, shake hands with a few Asian community leaders and that’s it. I got the Asian vote!'
No. You actually need to be in tune with what this demographic needs."
------ Forrest Liu, community advocate, San Francisco.


Jobs. Training programmes. Decent housing that's affordable. Educational opportunities for the local kids that do not involve sitting in overcrowded classrooms with a bunch of thug jugend and juvenile delinquents. But the first thing is jobs. Jobs, jobs, jobs, jobs.

Money earned by local people is plowed back into the local economy.

That implies more than just encouragement to sell electric red sweet 'n sour pork to blobbos from Ohio. Who disparage everything here and ignore the poverty because they're on vacation, and there are tall buildings they can 'ooh' at.

The only businesses that are thriving in what our tourist and visitor agencies trumpet as San Francisco's most colourful neighborhood (and fat lot of good that does) are, besides sweet 'n sour pork palaces, the banks, employment agencies and translator services, and hair salons.
Plus grocery stores. And old folks homes and health services.
Places that cater to people who need those.
And bus in for it.

Here's a lovely picture of sweet 'n sour pork.

Please notice the electric hues.
Print it out for Ohio.
Colourful!



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