Blogathon 2005

Here's something new (at least to me). A Blogathon! People sign up their blogs and for a 24hour period, they will stay up and post a blog every 30 minutes.

This event is supposed to happen this Saturday, August 6th at 9:00AM EST.

My friend, Chris Chin is taking part in it, to raise funds for Chinatown CDC. This organization is trying to raise the last funds needed to complete the I-Hotel. For those folks out there that knows their Asian American history. The original I-Hotel was the an apartment building located on the border of SF's Chinatown and Financial District. It was bought and was going to be torn down so a new office building could be built. Most of the residents moved and the only ones left, were elderly, single Filipino men, the Manongs. These men had no family and no place to go. For several years, community activists prevented the destruction of the I-Hotel, but it did go down eventually in 1979.

I was seven at the time and could remember all the crowds. I still recall the noise and anger coming from the crowd. There was a movie theater across the street and I stopped seeing movies for a while because of it. I was still pretty new to this country and couldn't understand it. Why would anyone want to stop the builders to build a shiny new office building and replace this ugly, run-down P.O.S.? I didn't know the history of the place or of the Manongs living there. At the time, I sided with my parents, who believed that the goverment (and the builders) were in the right. Now that I've grown up, I know more about the situation and know better.

So even tho the I-Hotel was torn down, building could not be started. Legislators made sure that anything that was built there, had to provide housing for the community. This stalemante resulted in a huge pit for years. I would look down there and imagine all the robbers, killers and other assorted bad guys hiding in the shadows. When I was angry at my family, I could imagine living down there in that hole. No longer, Chinatown CDC bought the property from the builders and is now building a new I-Hotel. They've already broke ground and 7500 people have applied to be the new residents. I believe that the Manongs get first crack at the apartments, then it goes to a lottery system.

Please help support the Chinatown CDC.

Blogging for a cause
Bits and bytes become cement
Manongs would be proud

AiYahh!