Bensonhurst doctor gives back
Dr. Tim Law serves Chinese community through social services
BY JESSICA PARKS
Dr. Tim Law of Bensonhurst
said he goes home feeling
satisfi ed every day knowing
he’s helped others in his
community.
“A lot of people in this
neighborhood don’t speak english.
They don’t have information.
They are almost isolated,”
said Law in a sit-down
interview with Brooklyn Paper.
“That’s why I want to help
them go to the different meetings,
get the information, listen
to the Chinese newspaper,
Chinese radio stations.”
Law, an immigrant from
Hong Kong, came to the
United States on a student visa
to Fordham University in the
Bronx. He studied education,
and fi rst found a home in New
York City on Sunset Park’s
Eighth Avenue.
At the time, Law said, he
was one of only three Chinese
families in the area, which
is now a bustling neighborhood
known as the borough’s
Chinatown — something the
Brooklynite suspects is due
to Sunset Park’s easy access
to Manhattan’s larger Chinatown
via the N train.
But after a few years in Sunset
Park, Law — now
a doctor of education
— moved to
Bensonhurst,
another neighborhood
that
c u r r e nt l y
houses a large
Chinese population.
Similarly
to his fi rst
home in Sunset
Park, Law said he
was one of the fi rst
Asian-American residents
to settle down in Bensonhurst.
Law said he’s seen these
neighborhoods drastically
changing over time, going
from having to travel to Manhattan’s
Chinatown to get the
Chinese-language newspaper
and his favorite Chinese
dishes and ingredients to being
able to pick up all of those
items at his local grocer.
Throughout these years,
Law worked at the city Department
of Education and monitored
the Chinese-English bilingual
programs at public schools
across the fi ve boroughs.
The retired administrator
told Brooklyn Paper he always
stressed to the principals at
the schools he visited to not let
COURIER L 26 IFE, MAY 28-JUNE 3, 2021
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND: When Dr. Tim Law fi rst came to New York City in 1968, Brooklyn looked very different. Now, he helps
service the borough’s bustling Chinese communities at the Chinese American Social Services Center. Photos by Paul Frangipane
students spend
too long in the
program, arguing
that they should eventually
place out in order to improve
their English.
Now, 17 years since his retirement,
Law specializes in
supporting his community
and other immigrants, providing
a multitude of services
free of charge.
Five years ago, Law opened
the Chinese American Social
Services Center on Bensonhurst’s
Avenue O, where
he says there is an open-door
policy for those in need of assistance.
The CASS Center
provides translation services,
whether it’s reading a letter
or fi lling out forms, and Law
works to provide any pertinent
information immigrants
may have trouble getting such
as vaccine information or government
aid.
Moreover, the humanitarian
hosts workshops and meetings
for the Chinese community
and other Bensonhurst
residents on information
they’ve asked for — for example,
Law is hosting a meeting
with the local 62nd Precinct
on the requirements to become
an auxiliary police offi cer.
Offi cers at the meeting
will also display tactics that
should be taken if someone is
the subject of a hate crime —
an issue on the rise in Bensonhurst
and beyond.
Law said if someone is the
victim of a hate crime to always
report it to the police no matter
how severe, arguing that there
needs to be a record of the incident
for the police to investigate
and devote resources to
patrol areas with high occurrences
of hate crimes.
“Call the police,” Law said.
“Let people know there is an
incident in this neighborhood,
and so people know they have to
pay attention and be careful.”
He also argued that the
city needs to push out a strong
mental health initiative to
combat the hate crimes, citing
that most of the attackers were
found to display signs of poor
mental health.
Moreover, claims that the
city’s Chinese population
spread the coronavirus are
wrong and unfounded, Law
said, as many in the community
have been born in the city
and argued the claims are just
ludicrous. The Brooklynite encouraged
others to get to know
their neighbors of other cultures,
and said that if everyone
works together they will
get through the other side of
the pandemic and be a better
Bensonhurst for it.
Never give up, Law said
when asked if he had any advice
for other immigrants.
The do-gooder also advises
all to eat healthy, stay active,
work hard and to help others
any way you can.
“I think that there needs to
be a community where people
will help each other,” he said.
“If something happens, just
talk to each other and share
information. If you have some
good news, just share it with
each other. That’s what’s most
important.”
The Great Mosaic is a new
column focused on immigrant
success stories. To share your
story, email bpnewsroom@
schnepsmedia.com.
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