Asian Americans mourn loss of Chinatown building, ask Ilitches to work with community

Asian American advocates and families with ties to Detroit's historic Chinatown gathered Monday morning at the site of a 140-year-old building that was demolished over the weekend, mourning the loss of what was once a center for their community.

They called upon the Ilitch family to work with them to develop the site.

Over the past week, activists made a last-ditch effort to stop the demolition, hoping that the dilapidated property at 3143 Cass Ave. owned by Olympia Development of Michigan, the Ilitch family organization's real estate firm, would be spared, at least temporarily so they could have a discussion about its future.

Detroit City Council voted unanimously last week to halt the demolition, but was overruled by city lawyers who said they had no jurisdiction.

At a news conference on Cass Avenue near Peterboro Street, the advocates spoke over the loud buzz of an excavator that was still picking through the wreckage of the demolition that started Saturday. Water was being sprayed over the work site, sometimes sprinkling the speakers.

"It's a shame," said Roland Hwang, a longtime civil rights advocate and Northville attorney who worked on the case of Vincent Chin 40 years ago inside the building. "I grieve for the fact that we weren't successful, but I think that it is something that we can look at ... is there a win-win situation that can arise from the ashes?"

As Hwang spoke, some held up old photos of family members who worked in Chinatown and of Chin protests in the 1980s, when Asian Americans demonstrated against the killing of Chin in Highland Park in 1982. Hwang helped form American Citizens for Justice, which he now leads, at the razed building in 1983.

"I have fond memories of that building," Hwang said. "There are so many memories that are rekindled by what's happened here. ... I think that we as a community should call on Chris Ilitch and the Ilitch properties and Olympia Development to actually have a conversation with the community so that there can be a meaningful development for this property rather than just more parking for District Detroit."

Olympia did not return a message Monday seeking comment about the concerns of Asian American activists expressed at the news conference. City officials have said the building was a safety hazard and needed to be demolished.

More: Detroit's old Chinatown building demolished despite calls to consider preservation

A couple of speakers compared the razing of the building and the death of Chinatown to the destruction of the Black Bottom area of Detroit, once filled with Black-owned businesses that were displaced for highway construction. They noted that the Chin case decades ago brought together Asian and Black activists, calling for the two communities to once again work together to develop Detroit.

James Lee, of Livonia, held up a framed photo of his grandparents, who ran Shanghai Cafe, a Chinese restaurant near the demolished building from the 1940s to the 1960s.

"I'm here on behalf of my grandfather ... and my father ... and my kids, whom I've shown this space to prior to demolition," Lee said. "But I'm primarily here for my grandmother, who raised me."

Lee said what's important is not the memories of his family's restaurant, but the history of the Chinese American community in the area. The building housed several groups, such as the Chinese Merchants Association, which assisted immigrants.

"There's no disputing the progress that has been made in this area, but there's a cost to that progress," Lee said. "You compare Detroit to other cities like Chicago that have a respect for their history. ... One of the underlying problems in the metro Detroit area is the fact that we don't have a connection to the past."

More: Asian Americans oppose demolition plans for historic Chinatown building in Detroit

Arthur Park, who leads a peace and justice committee at Central United Methodist Church, a congregation that has welcomed Chinese immigrants for decades, said: "We Asians feel like we're unwanted. … Is there space for the Asian American community in Detroit? ... Please include us in the discussion of the future of this property."

Detroit has one of the lowest percentages of Asian Americans and immigrants among large cities in the U.S., according to census data.

State Sen. Stephanie Chang, D-Detroit, said: “Make sure that we’re listening to the descendants of Detroit’s Chinatown. ... Find ways to preserve the history before it is too late. Seeing the demolition on Saturday was devastating for many of us, but I really believe that the city and Olympia has an opportunity, if they choose to take it, to work hand in hand with the Asian American community."

Hayg Oshagan, with the city council's immigration task force, also criticized the demolition, wondering why it was torn down so soon before any discussion.

"This is an unfortunate event that happened," said Detroit City Councilwoman Gabriela Santiago-Romero, who introduced the resolution calling to halt the demolition. "I'm dedicated ... to ensuring that we do designate Chinatown as historic."

Reporters Dana Afana and Aurora Sousanis contributed to this report.

Contact Niraj Warikoo: nwarikoo@freepress.com, Facebook.com/nwarikoo, Twitter @nwarikoo.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Asian Americans speak out against demolition of Chinatown building