Correspondence - #36 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ASIAN AMERICAN SENIOR CITIZENS SERVICE CENTER ,,,can Se 85o N. Birch Street, Santa Ana, California 92701-3477 www.aascsc.org CD � , 1989 �Q)� erGlee Cep April 29, 2022 Santa Ana City Council Santa Ana City Hall 20 Civic Center Plaza Santa Ana, CA 92701 Dear Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council, On behalf of the Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center (AASCSC), I am writing in support of Agenda Item #36 to "Discuss and Consider Directing the City Manager to Direct Staff to Prepare a Resolution Apologizing to Chinese Immigrants and their Descendants." More than thirty years ago, Chinese American community leaders founded AASCSC to address issues facing their aging parents with the philosophy of"caring for elders as if they were our own." Since then, AASCSC has become a trusted community organization and partner with a history of ensuring our most vulnerable low-income seniors and immigrants have equitable access to quality social and health programs and services. AASCSC is supportive of this resolution so that the Chinese immigrants and their descendants who were forcibly removed from their homes and businesses and helplessly watched their life's work and investments burn to the ground are recognized by the government institution that caused them tremendous harm. The historic use of government authority to deliberately set fire to Santa Ana's Chinatown to gain control of land to build a new City Hall must not be overlooked and must be remembered as to prevent future instances of government abuse against a targeted group. As we enter the month of May, which has the significance of being Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we implore the City of Santa Ana to acknowledge and take responsibility for its role in this dark moment of Santa Ana's history. While we recognize the City of Santa Ana's efforts to highlight the Lau family's long history in and contributions to the city, this is also a long overdue opportunity for the City of Santa Ana to utilize this as a teaching moment for all to learn from in order to move forward collectively as a community that values reconciliation and justice. Sincerely, Jennifer S. Wang, Chief Operating Officer Asian American Senior Citizens Service Center "Caring for elders as if they were our own"