Chinatown Is Built by and for Immigrants

Shades of Chinatown Mural by Steven Wong

Los Angeles Chinatown was built by immigrants and continues to be powered by immigrants today. For generations, it has served as a refuge for monolingual elders, undocumented tenants, refugees, and low-income families. But it has also been shaped by repeated cycles of exclusion, displacement, and erasure. From the 1871 Chinese Massacre to the 1930s destruction of Old Chinatown to make way for Union Station, this neighborhood has endured violence and redevelopment at the expense of its residents. In each era, the community has rebuilt in waysgrounded in care, resilience, and collective strength.

Chinatown sits on land shaped by centuries of Indigenous stewardship by the Tongva people. That legacy must continue to guide the city’s values and policies. Today, Chinatown remains home not only to Chinese elders and families, but also to Latinx and Southeast Asian residents, many of whom contribute to the local economy as tenants, workers, small business owners, and street vendors, but importantly, are precious members of the community. Our neighborhood  is now facing heightened threats from over-policing and immigration enforcement. The recent use of Chinatown as a staging ground for ICE raids is unacceptable and deeply harmful to the very people who sustain this neighborhood.

As the Los Angeles Chinatown Community Land Trust, we believe displacement doesn’t just come in the form of eviction notices; it shows up in raids, surveillance, intimidation, racism , and systemic neglect. Our work is a direct challenge to these harms, building toward permanent community control of land, supporting tenant leadership, and advancing collective ownership as a pathway to true safety and self-determination. Our acquisition efforts for 729 Yale Street for example, expands beyond a single building—they are about protecting working-class families from displacement and creating a future where our neighbors can remain rooted and thrive.

We also uplift the small businesses that continue to operate under immense pressure and harassment and call on everyone to support them. Visit ShopChinatownLA.com to support local businesses who are pillars of our economy and culture.

In light of recent ICE activity and the trauma it has caused, we are rescheduling our June 21st Community Town Hall to prioritize community safety. Instead, we will volunteer and support urgent needs, including small business support, mutual aid, and know-your-rights outreach. For information about your rights during encounters with ICE or law enforcement, we encourage community members to access multilingual resources from organizations like Public Counsel, CHIRLA, and ILRC.

To access printable Know Your Rights resources, click here. For more ways to stay involved in LA, click here for more resources compiled by the LA Public Press.

Chinatown has survived because our people have always shown up for one another. We will continue to organize with courage and care, standing together for dignity, safety, and a future where everyone belongs.