Lower East Side protesters say anti-pol poster
not offensive, take aim at development issues
BY DEAN MOSES
Residents of Chinatown and
the Lower East Side gathered
on Tuesday to condemn
the reconstruction of East
River Park while also defending
the design of a poster depicting
Council Member Margaret Chin
as a rampaging monster.
National Mobilization Against
Sweatshops (NMASS,) the National
Lower East Side Workers
Center, and East River Park Action
organized a public demonstration
with about 50 individuals
brandishing “Chinzilla” signs —
an image with Margaret Chin’s
face photoshopped onto Godzilla
— outside of the NMASS headquarters
on 345 Grand St.
This rally was held in response
to a number of local leaders and
politicians condemning the poster
for having racist undertones, as
previously reported in amNewYork
Metro.
A cluster of multi-racial
residents united to ensure fellow
community members that the
poster is not a racist attack, but
in their view, a representation
of the destruction they feel Chin
is unleashing on District 1 with
the proposed East Side Coastal
Resiliency (ESCR) Project.
The ESCR aims to reduce fl ood
risk by reconstructing the East
River Park and areas from East
25th Street down to Montgomery
Street.
JoAnn Lum, the executive
director of NMASS and of Asian
descent, says that the poster is
not about race but instead about
the tyranny of living under Chin’s
leadership.
“They say it’s racist to depict City
Council Member Margaret Chin as
a marauding monster, but we made
this poster because we feel that it
speaks the truth. What do you call it
when an elected representative uses
her power to sell out and destroy a
community to help developers get
rich, isn’t that monstrous? How is it
racist when we call out our elected
offi cial for displacing us? What do
you call it when an elected offi cial
does this to a community that is
mostly Chinese, Latino, Black, poor
and working people like us in the
Protesters rally in support of “Chinzilla” poster.
Lower East Side in Chinatown, isn’t
that racist?” Lum said.
She shared the plight that many
individuals in the neighborhood
face, particularly the up-zoning
issues and battle with luxury real
estate developers. For Lum, the
poster shines a light on who they
consider to be a racist, and the
depiction refl ects a much bigger
issue–the displacement of members
of her community.
Some residents are afraid that
through the construction work set
to begin in Spring of 2021, they will
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
lose access to the park during the
COVID-19 pandemic, a time when
many seek safe places to be outdoors.
Additionally, concerns were
raised that a new, revitalized East
River Park could lead to further
gentrifi cation and displacements.
The “Chinazilla” poster made
the rounds on social media last
week, with Twitter and Instagram
users shaming the image as racist.
After reaching out for comment
for an initial news story concerning
the poster, Chin told amNewYork
Metro that it was “hurtful.”
Lower Manhattanites appealing court ruling
to prevent transfer of Lucerne residents
BY MARK HALLUM
Manhattanites are playing
hot potato with
the homeless residents
of the Lucerne Hotel with a Financial
District coalition fi ling
litigation in appellate court to
cancel the displacement of over
230 individuals from the Lucerne
Hotel in the Upper West Side to
the Radisson at 52 William St.
A 53-page emergency action
to stop the relocation by the
city Department of Homeless
Services was fi led by Downtown
New Yorkers, who believe City
Hall has been dishonest in their
dealings with Manhattan Community
Board 1 and are arguing
that switch up would negatively
impact the lives of Lucerne Hotel
residents.
“In addition to rebutting the
Supreme Court’s standing error,
the motion establishes that
Neighbors of the Lucerne Hotel and from Vocal New York
showed their support for the homeless living at the Lucerne
despite the mayor seeking to move them to another hotel in
downtown Manhattan.
Downtown New Yorkers is likely
to succeed on the merits and that
the Lower Manhattan community
will be irreparably harmed if the
City is able to disrupt a stable situation
at the Lucerne and move the
men to the Radisson for improper
purposes,” a release from the
group said.
PHOTO BY TODD MAISEL
This is not fi rst time the city
has been sued by community
groups opposed to the use of hotels
to relieve congestion in congregate
shelters for the duration
of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over
the summer, West Side Community
Organization led by attorney
Randy Mastro was able to twist
the de Blasio administration’s
arm into a decision of relocating
the men taking cover in the upper
crust section of Manhattan,
mostly based on quality of life
complaints.
The city soon announced a decision
to remove the residents to a
downtown location, but the other
shoe has yet to drop. Friction in
the Upper West Side continued
and eventually led to Mastro’s
own residence being vandalized.
The Downtown New Yorkers’
legal action comes a week after
New York Supreme Court Judge
Debra James ruled on Nov. 25
in favor of the city in stating
that they had the right to move
forward with the relocation which
was scheduled to take place sometime
after Thanksgiving.
“The City has behaved horribly
from the very start of this
situation, playing with people’s
lives for political expediency and
After reaching out for comment,
Council Member Margaret
Chin said she was not surprised
by the accusations hurled her way
at the rally.
“The sentiment behind these
personal attacks is nothing new.
Perhaps xenophobia in the wake of
coronavirus has made this poster
less palatable than when we fi rst
encountered it. Nevertheless, I
am reassured by those who stood
with me to condemn this ludicrous
(and poorly photoshopped) piece
of propaganda. Other elected offi
cials of color have endured and
will endure similar tactics and
it’s important that we denounce
racism in any form – and yes, the
poster is still racist even if a person
of color produced it,” Chin said.
Chin is familiar with NMASS
and says that the group spreads
misinformation and opposes any
change in the community. She
added, “To NMASS and any other
organization who seeks to poison
the well with misinformation and
racism, I want you to know that I
see you, and I will never shy away
from calling you out.”
lying to Community Board 1 by
claiming there is not a permanent
shelter in the district when there
is,” Downtown New Yorkers
member Theresa Vitug said in a
statement. “We will continue to
fi ght this issue and we demand
that the Department of Homeless
Services engages with the community
in good faith.”
Manhattan’s CB1 one did not
respond to a request for comment.
The Raddison’s proximity to
four different schools – a perennial
argument used against
sheltering of homeless residents
by community members over the
years (see here, here and here) –
as well as citing the psychiatric
and substance abuse by the DHS
clients was another reason for
opposition to their relocation
framed by the potential it would
destabilize their recovery.
The residents themselves at
the hotel have spoken out against
being moved by the city in several
rallies as they have come to rely on
services in the neighborhood such
as nearby primary care doctors as
well as employment in the area.
4 December 10, 2020 Schneps Media