The director of the Chinatown BIA, Wen Wong, is pictured at Chinatown in Edmonton, Alta, on Wednesday, June 15, 2022. Violence has risen in central Chinatown. THE CANADIAN PRESS / Jason Franson The 97 Hot Pot restaurant in Edmonton Chinatown was packed on the weekends, with some customers queuing up for long-cooked vegetables, lamb and beef. But this is not the last time. Manager Vincent Lau says the killings of two workers from nearby stores last month and years of social unrest in the old downtown neighborhood have scared many spectators. “Businesses have collapsed significantly in recent weeks,” said Lau, who is a 15-minute walk from the restaurant. “Chinatown has been here for a long time, so it’s sad to see it. Having a safer area will welcome more visitors and more people to this part of town.” Wen Wong, executive director of the Chinatown and Area Business Association, said the area in the McCauley neighborhood has deteriorated over the past 20 years. The decline was exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the oldest bakery in the community burned down, followed by several other arson and vandalism cases. Edmonton Police said there is a growing trend of violence, disorder and property crime in areas such as Chinatown, downtown and the transportation system. Wong said years ago, many Chinatown businesses remained open until late at night to serve a busy clientele. Many close now at 6 p.m. and, during the day, they operate with their doors locked, so that customers have to knock to get inside. “We surveyed our members and almost 100 percent said Chinatown is extremely dangerous, especially at night,” Wong said, adding that he does not walk outside at night. Lao said the killings of Ban Phuc Hoang and Hung Trang a few blocks from his restaurant have made it difficult to attract customers. Hoang was working inside his electronics store when he was attacked. Trang was found dead outside the body shop where he worked. Lao said some of his older male workers regularly went to the servers in their cars after shifts “because we were afraid of what might happen.” Wong said addiction and mental health problems have worsened and more people are in the area to access nearby community service centers. Volunteers collect up to 300 needles a month in the community, which is just a few blocks from Edmonton’s safe drug sites, he said. “I do not understand why and how safe injection sites were set up and these centers near Chinatown,” Wong said. “We have a lot of homeless people coming and not wanting to leave,” Lau added. “We have to call the police, which sometimes takes up to an hour. By that time, they have made a mess.” Wong said he counted 150 companies operating at the beginning of the pandemic, which is now about 120. The children of many of the business owners are telling their parents that they do not want their family shops to continue operating because of the challenge, he said. “We have fewer and fewer Chinese owners because they are getting older. It is difficult for the Chinese community.” Lau and Wong agree that two solutions would help Chinatown become the colorful, tourist-friendly and vibrant neighborhood it once was: more security and fewer community service centers in the area. Mayor Amarjeet Sohi announced a plan to tackle crime last week. Includes $ 1 million to revitalize Chinatown, business grants to upgrade their security, more downtown public restrooms, and help with homeowners cleaning up. In the long run, the city plans to urge the province to stop releasing mental health patients and those released from provincial penitentiaries on the streets. This, after questions were raised about why the man accused of killing Hoang and Trang was fired in Edmonton by the RCMP when the bail bond stated that he could only be in town for an addiction treatment program. The city also wants to decentralize social services that are now concentrated near Chinatown for five years. Edmonton Police said they are also developing a strategy to increase community safety along with more police officers in downtown areas. Wong said 12 security officers in cars, bicycles and on foot patrolled the area from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week after the funding was released. It will cover their costs for up to six months. He is not sure what will happen after that. “We hope to see a big change for the better.” This Canadian Press report was first published on June 18, 2022. — This story was created with the financial support of Meta and the Canadian Press News Fellowship.
