Addition of Wal-Mart to Chinatown would compromise the area’s cultural integrity

My parents are from Cambodia and China, and when they both came to the United States, my mother gave birth to my brother and me in L.A.’s Chinatown. I lived there until I was three years old, but even after that, my family and I would come to Chinatown on the weekends to go shopping and eat. We never thought that the issue of a Wal-Mart being built nearby would come up.

But now it has, and it is a serious issue for Chinatown community members and residents. This proposed Wal-Mart store, which plans to open soon on Cesar Chavez and Grand Avenues at the Grand Plaza below a senior housing center, somehow received its permit around March to begin construction, one day before City Council banned large chain stores from building in Chinatown.

On June 30, more than 6,000 union and community members and supporters of the No Wal-Mart in Chinatown campaign rallied against this corporation in one of the largest anti-Wal-Mart protests ever. Still, City Council failed to pass the Interim Control Ordinance in October, which would have put a temporary halt to the retail store’s construction.

Wal-Mart should not be allowed to be built in Chinatown because of its labor practices, its destruction of small businesses, traffic and safety reasons and its gentrification effects – which would ultimately raise property values in Chinatown, displace low income families, and compromise the cultural integrity of Chinatown.

Wal-Mart is known to many union organizers as having some of the worst labor practices of any large corporation. As today’s leading corporation, it even sets the precedent for other businesses in its labor practices. Not only do workers receive only minimum wage, but also they receive no health benefits, are given low hours, and are retaliated against for unionizing.

The “low prices guaranteed” do come at a cost – at the cost of the workers. Even though Wal-Mart may provide cheap, convenient products, the profits it makes only goes to its billion-dollar corporation at the expense of workers and the community. Even worse, it would come at the cost of small businesses in Chinatown.

Ever since I was little, the small businesses and local merchants at Chinatown were what made the ethnic enclave unique. After being pushed into isolated communities after years of legislations and racial backlash, many Chinese folks developed family-owned, self-sustaining “mom and pap” stores to survive within their community.

Today, these small businesses and local merchants continue to thrive not only as shopping centers for residents but as tourist shops for many visitors. But these small businesses, which would not be able to compete with the cheap prices of Wal-Mart’s products, would be forced to close down.

Additionally, the area that it proposes to be built on would just cause more noise pollution and traffic problems for residents that live nearby.

Having a Wal-Mart compromises the cultural integrity of Chinatown. Already, the Chinatown we have today is not the one that existed originally. “Old Chinatown” used to be where Union Station is today, but the building of Union Station destroyed Chinatown – the only remnant left is the Garnier Building that houses the Chinese American Museum.

Building a Wal-Mart would have similar effects on Chinatown. With property values already going up because of the influx of artists’ studios, Chinatown residents and small businesses would be pushed out of Chinatown even faster.

But my strongest personal reason for not wanting this retail store is that it bullies immigrants. While reaching out and talking to residents this summer, I have seen how Wal-Mart pressures Chinatown residents who do not understand English to sign pro-Wal-Mart petitions.

Whether the appeals process against Wal-Mart’s construction succeeds or not, I still believe that it should not be opened. As a previous resident and a continued stakeholder in Chinatown, I believe that this leading billion-dollar corporation would change the cultural history of Chinatown.

Community members, residents, businesses, students, teachers and stakeholders continue their fight against Wal-Mart’s construction. Today at 3:30 p.m., the Chinatown Community for Equitable Development is hosting a press conference on Cesar Chavez and Grand Avenue to show residents their persistent stance that the fight is not over against Wal-Mart and to start off the Lunar New Year right. We gladly invite anyone to join in support.

Chhea is a second-year history student and a member of the Chinatown Community for Equitable Development.

Email Jenny Chhea
jchhea@media.ucla.edu.