China Overseas Chinese Network, July 31st, title: Follow the "Old Paoer" in New York's Chinatown to guard Chinatown
Since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia in the United States, Chinese groups have been greatly affected. The discrimination caused by the epidemic and the misunderstanding of the virus have made Chinatown, where there are generations of Chinese, become the "eye of the storm" of public opinion.
Chinatown in Manhattan, New York, is currently the largest residence and business area for overseas Chinese in the Western Hemisphere. Recently, incidents of unfair treatment of Chinese descent due to the epidemic have occurred frequently. For this reason, the 40-year-old civil organization "Guardian Angels" Patrols were launched in the Chinatown area to ensure the safety of the Chinese, and flyers were printed in Chinese, calling on more Chinese to join the team.
"Guardian Angels" organized a patrol in Manhattan's Chinatown, New York. (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
In this group of "angels", there is a young Chinese girl named Wang Xiaolu. Wang Xiaolu is a freelance filmmaker living in New York. After seeing the "Guardian Angel" promotion, she decided to participate and record their stories. It was the opportunity to follow the filming this time, she met another member of the Chinatown Chinese organization-"Chinatown Block Watch": Karlin Chan.
Wang Xiaolu is with the members of the "Guardian Angel". (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
Two organizations, with the same purpose, have created Wang Xiaolu's short documentary "Guardian Chinatown". In the documentary, the most impressive is the story of Lao Chen and his "community watcher".
Old Chen and his Chinatown
In Chinatown in Manhattan, New York, Lao Chen's name can be said to be a household name. No matter who has any problems, he can always solve them.
"Lao Paoer" in New York Chinatown-Lao Chen. (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
At the beginning of May this year, a seafood market in Chinatown caused a huge misunderstanding because it only posted the Chinese "Wear a mask into the store" sign at the door. When a pair of men and women entered the seafood market, they did not understand the Chinese signs, so they entered the shop without wearing a mask. As a result, the clerk had a verbal conflict with them, which eventually escalated into a physical conflict.
Because of this stimulus, Lao Chen founded the "Chinatown Block Watch" team and decided to go into battle personally to guard his streets...
The uniform of the "Community Watchers" organization. (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
During the epidemic, Lao Chen led his team through the streets, handing out bilingual epidemic prevention policy leaflets for residents in Chinatown, and also handing out bilingual "please wear masks" signs to merchants. In addition, after the gradual "unblocking" of New York City, restaurants were allowed to provide outdoor dining. Wherever Chinatown needs to apply for outdoor dining from the government, Lao Chen will help.
In order to improve the street environment and attract more people to outdoor dining in Chinatown, Lao Chen and volunteers get up early every Saturday morning, turn on the fire hydrants and flush the streets with water, so as to provide a better business environment for the merchants who open their doors later.
Old Chen and his team of volunteers cleaned the streets of Chinatown. (Photo provided by interviewee)
The epidemic has affected the businesses of many merchants in Chinatown. Old Chen and his team did their best to collect various economic assistance policies, translate them into Chinese, and distribute them to merchants in Chinatown.
Old Chen said that some members living near Chinatown will have a walkie-talkie in their hands, which can quickly gather everyone together in an emergency. In early June, because of a fire in Chinatown, they also received 50 anonymous donations of fire extinguishers and distributed them to various businesses.
Bilingual flyers distributed by members during patrol. (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
For the Chinese living in Chinatown, the existence of a familiar face like Lao Chen is like a "guardian deity" around them, providing them with a sense of security in their lives.
Lao Chen said that the "community watchers" are made up of neighbors in Chinatown. For the elderly and businesses living here, having familiar faces can make them feel more at ease.
Chinese girl and "Old Paoer" in Chinatown
In Wang Xiaolu's eyes, Lao Chen is like the "old cannon" in Chinatown. Through the interaction with Lao Chen during the shooting, Wang Xiaolu not only learned about the history of Chinatown, but also realized that protecting Chinatown is not only a safety issue, but also the history and culture here.
While following the shooting, Wang Xiaolu also met a female Chinese team member named Sara. Sara not only participated in "Guardian Angel", but also participated in "Community Watcher". Wang Xiaolu said that every time Sara followed the team to hand out flyers, Sara would communicate with the store very carefully, and would not miss any telephone poles when posting posters. For Sara, guarding Chinatown is her own “inside the film”...
Sara, a member of "Guardian Angel" and "Community Watcher". (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
Wang Xiaolu said that in the "community watchers" and "guardian angels" teams, young people accounted for a very small portion, and most of the teams were older generation Chinese. For the younger generation of immigrants, the history of Chinese immigration is both familiar and unfamiliar. Because they know little about this history, Chinatown has become only a coordinate in their hearts.
When filming "Guardian Chinatown", what Wang Xiaolu hopes most is to call on the new generation of immigrants to understand history and guard this history. Wang Xiaolu said: “I hope that more people can see the spirit of protecting their homeland in Lao Chen, but more importantly, I want more young Chinese to see the importance of Chinatown and join in Come to guard it."
Wang Xiaolu and the "Old Cannons" of Chinatown. (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
New York’s Chinatown is full of Chinese struggle history, but now it faces the crisis of gentrification. As the foothold of each generation of immigrants, New York’s Chinatown has grown from a slum to today’s vibrant community.
Since the beginning of this year, Chinatown has experienced a series of blows from the epidemic, discrimination, and economic crisis. In the documentary, Wang Xiaolu said: "From Lao Chen and other'old guns', I have learned that, in fact, public safety is much more than personal safety, but more of the protection of the community. Despite the difficult road ahead, We still have to defend our community."
Old Chen said in the film: "We are here not just to patrol the streets, we want to encourage everyone to take the initiative to report crimes." (Video screenshots from the documentary "Guardian Chinatown")
At the end of the film, Lao Chen sat at the intersection of Chinatown and said: "We are here not just to patrol the streets. We want to encourage everyone to take the initiative to report crimes. We are not people from other parts of the city. We patrol other communities. We care Are their own residents."
(Source: Short Documentary "guardian Chinatown"; Author: Zeng Serena; ID: qiaowangzhongguo)