As I had blogged about before, there has been quite a bit of controversy about a section of San Jose being officially designated by the city as “Saigon Business District” as opposed to “Litte Saigon.” San Jose has one of the largest Vietnamese-American populations in the nation. Apparently on Sunday, there was another huge rally in support of ‘Little Saigon’ before an upcoming vote, as written up in ” 2,500 voices call for ‘Little Saigon’ “:
“Setting the stage for a climactic vote Tuesday night, more than 2,500 people converged at San Jose City Hall on Sunday to demand that the city name a Vietnamese retail area on Story Road “Little Saigon.” The spirited crowd waved the red and yellow flag of South Vietnam before the 1975 communist takeover, shouting “Little Saigon” in unison. Young families with babies in strollers and seniors seemed united in their rage against the city. The event organizers also revealed new information that they believe shows that Madison Nguyen - the councilwoman at the center of the controversy - had a “private deal” to oppose the name Little Saigon. The dramatic attempt to show political force came two days before the city council is set to vote again on what to call the area. Last November, by an 8-3 vote, the council approved “Saigon Business District” as the name - a move that led to an extraordinary backlash.”
You can read for yourself the heated controversy, including a hunger strike by a well know activist within the anti-Communist Vietnamese-American community. From my perspective, it’s nice to see Asian-Americans voicing their civic concerns for their interests, but it would be even nicer if Asian-Americans in general were more active in the broader issues facing San Jose.
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Ernie wrote:
Andrea Nguyen, who coincidentally writes a Vietnamese food blog (yummy) has some pretty insightful stuff to say about the matter. As an outsider, at least I finally have some understanding on why “Little Saigon” is more charged than the “Saigon Business District” - I mean, they both have the word Saigon in it.
Posted on 05-Mar-08 at 1:21 am | Permalink
cddlncv wrote:
BE LIKE BILL
Once upon a time, there was a boy named Bill Clinton who grew up to be the 41st president of the United States. One day in a moment of weakness and against his reason, he gave in to his desire and committed an act of adultery with Monica Lewinsky. When caught, he first denied and then admitted. Despite the scandal, Bill Clinton’s popularity soared at the end of his presidency precisely because:
1. He was competent, talented, and wise.
2. He admitted the mistake. It’s my fault. Es mi culpa.
3. Courageously, he apologized to his wife, family and the country. “I’m sorry.”
4. He repented. “I’ll never see Ms. Lewinsky again.”
Madison Nguyen and Chuck Reed, you are in the same boat as Bill Clinton was many years ago. You committed an act of community betrayal by naming “Saigon Business District.” You were caught.
1. Both of you, many believed, are talented.
2. You both admitted mistake 3/5/08, rescinding the November decision.
3. Go ahead with step 3, apologizing to the community.
4. Repent by voting to name “Little Saigon.”
Do you think Hillary would let Bill get away with non-repenting, “I won’t see her, but I keep my option open. It’s up to Ms. Lewinsky’s decision.”
Be courageous and vote yes to the name “Little Saigon.”
Please follow Bill Clinton’s example and heed the Mercury News Editorial advice “The mayor and council need to put this controversy behind them so the city can move on. The surest way to do that tonight is to approve Little Saigon.”
Thank you.
Posted on 05-Mar-08 at 4:15 pm | Permalink
THE_BANANA_REPUBLIC wrote:
Yeah. So I was there.
This is very much a broad issue affecting San Jose.
I would have thought a blogger of 8asians to have realized this!
Posted on 06-Mar-08 at 1:11 am | Permalink