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Fighting for Community in Little Tokyo
(Thanks to E. Yoshimura for update)
2001
For many decades, the Little Tokyo community has been trying to rebuild
their neighborhood, which has been nearly destroyed by development. This
development has been driven primarily by foreign capital and aided by
the city. The community, now about 1000, however has endured and won
some victories such as the establishment of the Japanese American National
Museum and the construction of the first multi-family family housing
since World War II, Casa Heiwa. One of the community's major demands
has been for a recreational center for its youth. After five years of
searching and $225,000 spent exploring 25 different sites in the Little
Tokyo area, the community has determined that the only available space
at this time is a city-owned property.
Organzing a Rally
They recently held a rally October 28th to demand a Little Tokyo Recreation
Center. 500 people showed up to demand the center. They crowd included young
Asian students, basketball kids & families, youth and families from our
affordable housing facilities, seniors, martial arts folks.
The Center will include a 30-year-old senior lunch program, a computer center
and provide workshop and rehearsal space for various performance and cultural
arts groups. The center is crucial to many community members in taking another
step to restoring Little Tokyo to what it was. In the eyes of Bill Watanabe,
Executive Director of the Little Tokyo Service Center, "The Little Tokyo
Recreation Center will complete this block as a true community complex."
The center supporters have formed a coalition. "This rally may be our last opportunity to show the City and Little Tokyo that the community really wants and needs this place," explained Rec Center Board Member Carrie Morita, an elementary school teacher and parent of two Yonsei basketball players. "We donÕt have powerful or wealthy people pulling strings for us. All we have are all the different families, kids, seniors and others who would use this place and support the idea."
