Latest | The city government rejected the application for tile replacement. The 1004 Parade was so powerful that it deserves credit!

Latest | The city government rejected the application for tile replacement. The 1004 parade was huge and the contribution was indispensable! (Picture from WeChat Moments) Save Phoenix Chinese Culture...

(Picture from WeChat Moments) The latest news from the Save Phoenix Chinese Cultural Center Organizing Committee is that True North’s application for tile replacement was not approved! On October 4, hundreds of citizens inside and outside the parliament hall took to the streets to express their voices to the MPs. Their contribution is indispensable! Citizens demand that the Chinese Cultural Center be protected in its original location, as it is, and the city government should abide by its promise made twenty years ago.

In the council hall

At a meeting attended by Phoenix city councilors on October 4, Chinese representative Zhang Chuandong questioned the city councilor for putting aside the request of the Greater Phoenix Chinese Overseas Chinese League (Overseas Chinese Federation) on September 12 and giving an investigation opinion that could not protect anything. Some political force was circling within the city government and almost destroyed the Chinese Cultural Center. Another representative, Yang Ping, even justified the urban development planning department’s delay and partiality in protecting the Chinese Cultural Center. We gave our representatives erroneous planning drawings from twenty years ago. When the errors were discovered, we took out a foot of material and asked our representatives to look for it themselves. Permits for guardrails are easily issued. The illegal construction of guardrails in True North directly affected the lives of citizens and the operations of existing merchants in the Chinese Cultural Center. After many complaints from the public and operators, the urban development planning department required True North to rebuild the fences. The urban development planning department did not carefully study the planning drawings and government commitments during the construction period of the center, and was still hesitant when faced with True North's request for permission to remodel the roof. After listening to the various strengths cited by the two representatives, an American friend at the scene stood up on the spot and asked the mayor, how much did you charge True North to demolish such a good building as the Chinese Cultural Center in Phoenix? The audience burst into applause.

>Chen Yibo

13-year-old Chen Yibo told everyone how important the Chinese Cultural Center is to a child born in the United States, and how important the protection of multiculturalism is to Arizona and Phoenix. So far, more than 16,000 people have signed on the Internet, demanding that the Chinese Cultural Center be protected in its original location. This is the voice of the citizens of Phoenix City.

>Outside the parliament hall (1)

Outside the parliament hall (2)

Outside the parliament hall (3)

The demand to protect the Chinese Cultural Center is in full swing in the city council. Outside the city hall, people as young as a few months old and as old as nearly 90 years old braved the 100-degree heat and took to the streets. Nearly a thousand people chanted, "Members of the government, please listen to the people, abide by your commitments, protect the Chinese Cultural Center, and protect Arizona's history." They held protest signs. Vehicles passing by the Congress hall often opened their windows and gave thumbs up, echoing the marchers. The T-shirts of the Preservation Cultural Center were sold at the scene, and there were many reserves but very few were left. The Chinese car dealership also brought cool water to everyone. English slogans rang in the parliament hall for nearly two hours. Suddenly, a Chinese slogan came out from the crowd: "Protect Chinatown." Elderly friends of the elite association shouted in Chinese and Cantonese respectively: "Protect Chinatown." There was an enthusiastic response, allowing members and ordinary people to hear the wishes of the citizens.

Some of the marchers took a group photo

According to the latest news, Xinxin Supermarket has also taken the new owner of the Chinese Cultural Center, True North, and his public relations company to court. This is the third lawsuit filed after the Greater Phoenix Chinese Overseas Chinese Association proposed to protect the Chinese Cultural Center. The first two were the owners of the Chinese Cultural Center and the restaurant Lao Sichuan sued the new owners. The second lawsuit is against the Alberta Chinese Faith Rights Defense Foundation. Faced with pressure from all aspects of economic, cultural, political and religious beliefs, before yesterday's parade, the new owner of the Chinese Cultural Center, True North, had announced that the Chinese Cultural Center was for sale and issued a press release requesting the purchase. First, there must be a capital reserve of 20 million, secondly, a non-refundable deposit of 1 million must be placed in the title company, and thirdly, the transaction must be completed before November 1. At present, the written purchase contract issued by the Overseas Chinese Federation has been directly rejected. According to more than two months of contact with the new owners, most of the promises they made in press releases have not been fulfilled, or they have outright lied. According to True North, the two companies that will be stationed in the Chinese Cultural Center will be Pump It Up (480) 940-7867 and Realty Executives (602) 957-0444. I hope everyone will send emails and call them to tell them not to be an accomplice and to associate with those who destroy history and culture. Business will not prosper, let alone gain recognition from the public.