Take Action Now: Demand Relief for Chinatown’s Small Businesses
New York City’s indoor dining has been shut down until further notice without the promise of relief for the restaurant industry. Ordering take out and delivery is not enough to sustain our favorite restaurants and we must hold our elected officials accountable. Welcome to Chinatown is asking you to make some noise this week.
The shutdown of indoor dining will hurt across New York, but the dire situation of Asian Americans in the food industry stands to only get worse. According to the Asian American Federation, before the pandemic, 1 in 10 Asian American workers in New York City were employed by the restaurant & food services industry. A fifth of Asian American workers below the poverty line depended on their food service jobs. Amongst all racial groups tracked by the NYS Department of Labor, the Asian American unemployment rate in NYC grew the fastest from February to May this year, increasing from 3.4% to 25.6%. That’s more than seven times! Without small business and restaurant relief, even more stand to lose their livelihoods.
Why is this important?
Government programs continue to let Chinatown fall through the cracks despite Chinatown being one of the earliest impacted neighborhoods from COVID-19. Truthfully, this is the reason why we started The Longevity Fund, after seeing a lack of resources and funding for Chinatown’s small businesses. In NYC’s recent Small Business Support for Hard-Hit Low and Moderate Income Communities (LMI) Program, a $35 million forgivable loan program, it did not include zip code 10013, a core ZIP code to iconic Chinatown restaurants.
Using ZIP code-level median income as the determinant of a “Low and Moderate Income Community” unfairly excludes Chinatown, the only working-class neighborhood in downtown Manhattan, because of its proximity to SoHo and TriBeCa. If we want to see Chinatown thrive again, small business and restaurant relief has to be provided.
What can you do?
We’ve made it easy for you to participate and advocate for Chinatown’s small businesses by sending an open letter demanding relief and extension of the eviction moratorium beyond January 1, 2021
Text PRMFPD to 50409 for Governor Cuomo & State Legislatures
Text PNUEUO to 50409 for Congress
Text PHYQBR to 50409 for Mayor DeBlasio
Don’t forget to share this with your social networks!
Also commit to contacting the offices our officials this week. Scrips are below.
Tuesday: Call Governor Cuomo (518-474-8390, option 2)
Wednesday: Call City Council & House of Representatives (Locate contact info at https://www.mygovnyc.org/)
Thursday: Call State Senate (Locate contact info at https://www.mygovnyc.org/)
Friday: Email Jonnel Doris, Small Business Services Commissioner
How else can you help?
Donate to The Longevity Fund, the only grant exclusively for Manhattan Chinatown’s small businesses
Follow @saveourstorefronts to stay informed on legislative updates
Shop local. Resist the urge to purchase from big box retailers!
Order take out and delivery directly from a restaurant to save them fees upwards of 30%
If you are or know a worker in the restaurant industry and no longer have a job, there are several resources for assistance:
NYC Restaurant Employee Relief Fund by ROAR (@roar.ny) and Robin Hood
Southern Smoke Emergency Relief Fund
Welcome to Chinatown is partnering with Southern Smoke (@southernsmoketx) to offer translation services for applicants. Contact chinatown@welcometochinatown.com with questions.
[EMAIL AND/OR PHONE TEMPLATE]
The following is a sample script you can use when contacting the offices of City & State officials
Hello,
My name is [INSERT NAME]. I am a resident of [NEIGHBORHOOD], [CITY] and an impassioned supporter of Manhattan’s Chinatown. I am writing to urge for much needed small business and restaurant relief in light of the indoor dining shutdown.
The shutdown of indoor dining will not only be detrimental to New York, but will continue to exacerbate the dire situation for Asian Americans in the food industry. Because of this, I urge you to take action by:
Supporting the passage of small business and restaurant relief bills, including the Federal RESTAURANTS Act and New York State Senate and Assembly Bills S8904 & A10936, S8231A & A10297A, S8125A & A10224A, and S8865 & A10901;
Urging Governor Cuomo to quickly extend the eviction moratorium beyond January 1, 2021; and
Re-evaluating the criteria of the LMI program and subsequent relief programs to ensure all of Chinatown is included
Chinatown, one of the most culturally significant and historic neighborhoods for Asian Americans, is counting on you to step up for its survival.
Thank You,
[NAME]
