FOR THE RECORD MY NAME IS SHARON DURKAN, DISTRICT EIGHT CITY COUNCILOR AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON PLANNING DEVELOPMENT AND TRANSPORTATION. TODAY IS APRIL 6TH. THE EXACT TIME IS 10:02 A.M..
THIS HEARING IS BEING RECORDED. IT IS ALSO BEING LIVE STREAMED@BOSTON.GOV BACKSLASH CITY DASH COUNCIL DASH TV AND BROADCAST ON CHANNEL EIGHT RCN
CHANNEL 82 FIOS CHANNEL 964. WRITTEN COMMENTS MAY BE SENT TO THE COMMITTEE EMAIL AT 6 P.M. LA AND DEBBIE@BOSTON.GOV AND WILL BE MADE PART OF THE RECORD AND AVAILABLE TO ALL COUNCILORS .
PUBLIC TESTIMONY WILL BE TAKEN AT THE END OF THIS HEARING. THE INDIVIDUALS WILL BE CALLED ON IN THE ORDER IN WHICH THEY SIGNED UP AND WILL HAVE TWO MINUTES TO TESTIFY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN TESTIFYING IN PERSON, PLEASE ADD YOUR NAME TO THE SIGN UP SHEET NEAR THE ENTRANCE OF THE
CHAMBER. IF YOU ARE LOOKING TO TESTIFY VIRTUALLY PLEASE SEE OUR CENTRAL STAFF LIAISON SHANE PACKET SHANE PACK AT BOSTON.COM FOR THE LINK AND YOUR NAME WILL BE ADDED TO THE LIST.
TODAY'S HEARING IS ON DOCKET 0178. ORDER FOR A HEARING TO DISCUSS DEDICATING THE NEW OPEN SPACE AT PHILLIPS SQUARE TO 20 LEE PLAZA. THIS MATTER WAS SPONSORED BY COUNCILOR UM EDWARD CHAMPLIN
AND WAS REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE ON JANUARY 28TH, 2026 . TODAY I'M JOINED BY MY COLLEAGUES IN ORDER OF ARRIVAL LEAD SPONSOR COUNCILOR FLYNN AND COUNCILOR MURPHY. UM I DO NOT HAVE ANY OF LETTERS OF APPOINTMENTS.
I WILL READ THOSE INTO THE RECORD AS THEY COME. UM, I'D LIKE TO THANK THE TRANSLATORS FOR BEING HERE THIS MORNING. UM, FOR MANDARIN PLEASE SEE TERRY AND ELLEN IF YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HANDS.
THE REST TERRY ALLEN. RAISE YOUR HANDS. THE INTERPRETER. OKAY. >> PERFECT. OKAY. FOR MANDARIN OR CANTONESE? OKAY. SEEMS LIKE THE NAMES ARE
DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I HAVE. SO, UM. SO IF YOU NEED AN INTERPRETER, UM, THERE ARE ONES THAT ARE MADE AVAILABLE. UM, TO CHANGE THE NAME OF ANY PUBLIC STREET OR WAY IN THE CITY OF BOSTON THROUGH THE PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION.
UH, COMMISSION RESIDENTS MUST SUBMIT A FORMAL PETITION WITH SIGNATURES FOR AT LEAST 50% OF THE QUALIFIED ABUTTERS NOTIFY CITY DEPARTMENTS AND SEEK RECOMMENDATION FROM A CITY COUNCILOR. PUBLIC IMPROVEMENT COMMISSION THEN REVIEWS THE PETITION AND
HOLDS A PUBLIC HEARING. I UNDERSTAND THIS IS SOMEWHAT OF A UNIQUE CASE AS THE CITY IS CURRENTLY A MESS A REDESIGN OF PHILLIPS SQUARE. UH SOMETHING OUR PANELISTS FROM THE ADMINISTRATION CAN SPEAK MORE UM, IN DETAIL THIS
MORNING. I ALSO WANT TO RECOGNIZE THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC SPACE FOR EVERY COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY. AND THAT TO ME LEE WAS A SIGNIFICANT FIGURE IN BOSTON'S HISTORY. I LOOK FORWARD TO DISCUSSING
WAYS TO HONOR THEIR LEGACY. UM, TODAY WE'RE JOINED BY AMY CORDING, THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING FOR THE BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. UM, AND THEN WE'LL HEAR FROM UH, PANEL TESTIMONY FROM UH,
ALICE KANE FROM THE CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NEW ENGLAND, KAYLA LEE ON BEHALF OF TONY LEE'S FAMILY DOCTOR CAROLYN CROCKETT, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY ANGIE LOU ASIAN CDC AND CHINATOWN
MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE. UM, JOHN HAHA. UM CHINATOWN RESIDENT AND LYDIA LOWE. UH COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND BOSTON COMMEMORATION COMMISSION .
UM, I'D LIKE TO START WITH AN OPENING STATEMENT FROM THE LEAD SPONSOR. UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN, YOU HAVE BEFORE. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. MADAM CHAIR, BEFORE I BEGIN,
UM, COULD I JUST TAKE ONE MOMENT JUST TO MAKE SURE EVERYBODY IS SETTLED WITH INTERPRETATION AND, UM, EVERYONE HAS THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY, THE RIGHT
HEADPHONES. I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS INCLUDED AS PART OF THIS HEARING.
LET ME JUST ASK THE INTERPRETATION TEAM THE LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION. OKAY. JUST GIVE ME THE THUMBS UP. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR FOR
HOLDING THIS IMPORTANT HEARING FOR OUR NEIGHBORS IN CHINATOWN IN THE SOUTH END. OVER THE LAST EIGHT YEARS I
HAVE MADE LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS A CRITICAL PART OF ANY DISCUSSION IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S IMPORTANT
THAT WE HAVE ANY MEETING ANY PUBLIC MEETING IN EITHER OR CANTONESE IN MANDARIN AND THAT'S THAT'S IMPORTANT AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE
INTERPRETERS AND THE LANGUAGE ACCESS TEAM THAT IS HERE. I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE RESIDENTS OF CHINATOWN IN THE SOUTH END FOR THEIR
ADVOCACY AND ENSURING THAT CHINATOWN IS A NEIGHBORHOOD OF RESIDENTS THAT COME TOGETHER THAT RESPECT EACH OTHER, THAT
CELEBRATE OUR OUR CHINESE ROOTS, HERITAGE, LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS AND UM SUPPORTING OUR IMMIGRANTS AND WORKING CLASS FAMILIES AS WELL.
A PROJECT HAS BEEN INITIATED BY THE BOSTON TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO REDESIGN THE AREA OF HARRISON AVENUE, KNOWN AS
PHILLIPS SQUARE INTO A MORE WELCOMING AND COOLING OPEN SPACE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD IMPACTED BY THE HEAT ISLAND EFFECT. THE PROJECT WILL INCLUDE A
PLAZA THAT INTERSECTS WITH OXFORD PLACE, THE CHILDHOOD HOME OF TONY LEE. WE'RE ALSO HONORED TO HAVE TONY'S DAUGHTER WITH US HERE THIS MORNING, AND I KNOW SHE'LL
BE ON A PANEL AND WILL OFFER TESTIMONY. UM, WE ALSO KNOW THAT CHINATOWN'S URBAN TREE CANOPY ONLY 7% THE LEAST OPEN SPACE
PER CAPITA AMONG NEIGHBORHOODS IN THE CITY. TONY LEE WAS A WIDELY RESPECTED AND WELL-LOVED COMMUNITY LEADER. RAISED ON OXFORD PLACE IN
BOSTON'S CHINATOWN, TONY LEE HAD A LONG AND INFLUENTIAL CAREER AS AN ARCHITECT AND URBAN PLANNER BOTH AS THE CHIEF OF PLANNING AND DESIGN FOR THE
BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND AT MIT MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY WHERE DEPARTMENT OF URBAN STUDIES TONY LEE WORKED TIRELESSLY TO SAVE WORKING CLASS
NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITIES OF COLOR FROM DESTRUCTION AND DEMOLITION AS MEMORIALIZED IN THE BOOK PEOPLE BEFORE HIGHWAYS. TONY LEE MENTORED MULTIPLE
GENERATIONS OF URBAN PLANNERS AND COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS NOT JUST HERE IN BOSTON BUT ACROSS THE WORLD REALLY. TONY LEE WAS AN AVID HISTORIAN OF BOSTON CHINATOWN WHO LED
PROJECTS TO EXPLORE THE COMMUNITY HISTORY IN HISTORIC STREETSCAPES. THIS HEARING WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS DEDICATING THIS NEW OPEN SPACE
AT PHILLIPS SQUARE TO TONY LEE PLAZA AND MORE IMPORTANTLY OR AS IMPORTANTLY, IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO LISTEN. LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE RESIDENTS OF CHINATOWN IN THE
SOUTH END ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT TO THEM. UM HONORED TO REPRESENT THE RESIDENTS OF CHINATOWN, THE SOUTH END I REPRESENT THE LARGEST ASIAN COMMUNITY IN THE
CITY OF BOSTON AND LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS IS A CRITICAL PART OF THAT REPRESENTATION. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN. COUNCILOR MURPHY. THANK YOU. >> UM. THANK YOU TO THE RESIDENTS WHO.
SHOWED UP. WE'RE HAPPY TO BE. HAVE YOU HERE WITH US AND HEAR DIRECTLY. >> FROM YOU. BUT I WANT TO THANK COUNCILOR FLYNN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND ALWAYS BEING SUCH A STRONG ADVOCATE FOR THE
CHINATOWN COMMUNITY. AND I KNOW I'VE BEEN WITH YOU MANY TIMES, COUNCILOR FLYNN AT EVENTS THROUGHOUT CHINATOWN WHERE. WHERE ADVOCATING FOR MORE OPEN SPACE, THE HEALTH CONCERNS, THE
HEAT ISLAND THAT WE KNOW CHINATOWN UM DEALS WITH ALL THE TIME THE THE HIGH RATES OF ASTHMA, ALL OF THE CONCERNS THAT WE HAVE TO CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR IN THIS AREA AND
HAPPY TO SUPPORT THIS PROPOSAL . I KNOW THIS IS A QUARTER ACRE PLACE THAT USED TO BE A PARKING LOT, WHICH NOW IS A PUBLIC PEDESTRIAN AREA WITH ARTWORK
AND A SPACE FOR THE NEIGHBORS TO GO AND JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO FINDING WAYS THAT WE CAN MAKE THIS POSSIBILITY. SO WE'RE JUST HAPPY TO BE HERE AND SUPPORTING COUNCIL FLYNN IN THE COMMUNITY.
SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU COUNCILOR MURPHY. UM AND NOW WE HAVE A RECORDING HERE WHO'S THE DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING? UH, PROBABLY WEARING MULTIPLE HATS RIGHT NOW I IMAGINE IN THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. SO AMY, THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
I KNOW HOW BUSY YOU ARE. UM, DO YOU WANT TO GIVE AN OPENING STATEMENT? UH, SURE. UH, YEAH. TO, UH, THE CITY HAS HAD A TACTICAL PLAZA OUT AT THIS
LOCATION UM, FOR MANY YEARS. WE'RE MOVING INTO, UH, THE DESIGN OF THE FULL PLAZA. UM, AND AND WHAT THAT WILL LOOK LIKE. UM, I THINK THAT THIS YEAR IS
LARGELY ABOUT HOW WE NAME AND DEDICATE, UH, THESE SPACES. UM, SO, UH, RIGHT, LIKE IF THE INTENTION HERE IS THE PLAZA PHILLIPS SQUARE I'M HERE TO UH,
RIGHT, I GUESS DISCUSS THE, UM THE STEPS THAT WE TAKE TO UH TO FORMALLY NAME AND DEDICATE THE SPACE. THANK YOU SO MUCH. WELL. >> I GUESS I'LL THEN I'LL GO TO THE LEAD SPONSOR. UM, I'M NOT GOING TO TIMER YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN.
I KNOW THIS IS A. DEEPLY IMPORTANT ISSUE TO YOU, SO, UM SO FEEL FREE TO ASK AS MANY. QUESTIONS AS YOU. LIKE OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU. AMY. AMY, JUST FOR THE RECORD, COULD
YOU JUST GIVE US A LITTLE BACKGROUND ON THE DESIGN OF THE PLAZA? WHAT IS TAKING PLACE? UH, YEAH. SO I'M WE'RE HAPPY. TO GIVE YOU THE FULL UH RIGHT,
UH, DESIGN PLANS AND EVERYTHING AND THERE'S A WEBSITE, UM, FOR PHILLIPS SQUARE ON ON THE CITY'S UM, PAGE THAT I WALKED THROUGH. UH, BUT IT'S BASICALLY UH, UH,
FORMALLY RECONSTRUCTING THE SPACE THAT HAS NOW BEEN UM, KIND OF DONE OVER IN PAINT, UM, AND TAKING UP ALL THE EXCESS SPACE IN THAT UH, INTERSECTION TO PROVIDE UH, PEDESTRIAN
PLAZA, UM, AND AND KIND OF JUST THERE'S A LOT OF PAVEMENT OUT THERE. UM, AND WE WERE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE I THINK IN THE TACTICAL WAY, UH, WHAT KIND OF SPACE COULD BE RECLAIMED?
UM, AND NOW WE ARE LOOKING AT WHAT COULD GO IN THERE. UH, IT'S ACTUALLY UH RIGHT UH, QUITE A NICE PLAZA SPACE, UH, WITH RIGHT LIKE PLANTINGS, BENCHES, UH, GATHERING SPACES.
UM, AND IT'S MEANT TO KIND OF UH, REALLY FORMALIZE THAT AS A AS A PEDESTRIAN SPACE FOR THE NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT IS THE BUDGET TO NOT JUST TO DESIGN THE THE FULL PLAZA
BUT TO IMPLEMENT THE INFRASTRUCTURE CHANGES? I DO NOT KNOW THAT OFF THE. TOP OF MY HEAD. >> UM. BUT I CAN ABSOLUTELY PROVIDE. THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU. OKAY, MAYBE MAYBE THROUGH THE CHAIR.
MAY I RECEIVE THAT INFORMATION ? YEAH. >> I'M SORRY. CAN YOU SAY IT AGAIN? IT WAS THE HOW MUCH WOULD IT BE FOR THE DESIGN PHASE OF THE PLAZA BUT ALSO THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE
INFRASTRUCTURE OF THOSE CHANGES . OKAY. >> THANK YOU. BASICALLY HOW MUCH OF HOW MUCH THE BUDGET IS. I'LL GET YOU. >> THE FULL DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION BUDGET. NO THAT'S THAT'S EXCELLENT. THANK YOU. MIMI. UM, AMY, TELL ME ABOUT AS WE
KNOW CHINATOWN HAS THE LOWEST, UM, TREE CANOPY PERCENTAGE PER CAPITA OF ANY NEIGHBORHOOD. WHAT IS WHAT IS THE PLAN IN TERMS OF ENSURING THAT WE GET
MORE TREES? UM, OPEN SPACE, UM, IN THE AREA. UH, SO THE. PLAZA DOES COMPLETE, UH, CONTAIN A VARIETY OF TREES AND
ADDITIONAL UH, PLANTINGS, UM, FOR FOR JUST THAT UM, I THINK THAT WHEREVER UH, IT COULD BE DONE UM, THERE'S SOME INTERESTING SUBSURFACE UTILITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING BUT WE UH CERTAINLY AT ALL THE
CORNERS OF THE PLAZA I THINK THAT THERE WAS A OPPORTUNITY TO ADD, UH, TREES AND LANDSCAPING. THANK YOU. UH, MAYBE MY FINAL QUESTION.
CAN YOU GIVE US GIVE US, UM, A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON THE PROCESS OF CHANGING A NAME OR ADDING A
NAME, UM, THAT FITS IN WITH THE COMMUNITY. FITS IN WITH THE PHILIP SQUARE NAME. GIVE IT JUST GIVE US A BACKGROUND ON THE LOGISTICS OF HOW THAT WOULD WORK, PLEASE. YEP. >> SO, UH, THE PLAZA.
WAS DEDICATED IN 1894 TO UH, PHILLIPS UM AND AH, I THINK THAT WE HAD WITH A NEW PLAZA HERE WE HAVE THE ABILITY TO DEDICATE A CITY ASSET UM, WITH
A NAME. UM, SO THIS PLAZA COULD, UH, BE DEDICATED UH, TO WILLIE AND IT WOULD BE, UH, THE TWO NEELY PLAZA AT PHILLIPS SQUARE.
UH, THERE WOULD BE A SEPARATE PROCESS FOR DEDICATING A SQUARE OR RENAMING A SQUARE. UM, BUT IF THE INTENTION HERE IS TO DEDICATE THE PLAZA AT PHILLIPS SQUARE, UH, THAT
DEDICATION PROCESS, UH. HAPPENS WITHIN THE STREETS, CABINET. OTHER STREETS. CALVIN OKAY, I KNOW THE SECOND PANEL WILL DISCUSS MORE. WE'LL DISCUSS THAT AS WELL. BUT UM, I KNOW THE COMMUNITY
DOES WANT TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM HERE IN WE APPRECIATE THE COOPERATION AND THE ONGOING UH, THE ONGOING DIALOG. SO I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU AND ME.
UM, MADAM CHAIR, UM, I HAVE NO FURTHER QUESTIONS. THANK YOU. >> COUNCILOR FLYNN, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON ONE OF. >> YOUR QUESTIONS. UM, WHAT? UH, OBVIOUSLY I HAVE THE PETITION HERE THAT'S BEEN PUT
FORWARD BY THE COMMUNITY. I WAS JUST CURIOUS HOW IT GETS SCHEDULED TO BE. >> ON THE AGENDA. UH, SO IT DEPENDS ON. RIGHT LIKE IF THIS IS A, UH, AN ASSET DEDICATION TO A PLAZA
DEDICATION. UM, WE WOULD PROBABLY DO THE DEDICATION IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LIKE FORMAL. UM. >> UH, RIGHT. RIBBON CUTTING OF THE PLAZA. IT WOULD. PROBABLY BE THE. >> BEFORE MOLE DEDICATION.
UH, IT'S THE PROCESS THROUGH US IS LARGELY JUST THE DOCUMENTATION AND WE RECORDED AT THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS UH, TO. TO FORMALLY NAME IT IT GOES IN THE CITY'S STREET BOOK UM AND
ALL OF THAT STUFF UH, IS IS RELATIVELY EASY. WE CAN SLIDE THAT INTO ANY SORT OF PICK PROCESS. AND THEN THERE IS A UH, PROCESS. WITH THE ABUTTERS. IS THAT CORRECT? SO THAT'S.
ONLY IF WE ARE CHANGING A NAME. UM. . OF SOMETHING UH, DEDICATION OF A UH A CITY ASSET WITHIN A RIGHT OF WAY IS LARGELY DONE. SO THAT'S ONLY FOR ROADS NOT FOR NOT FOR PLAZA. RIGHT.
OKAY. I I WAS JUST CURIOUS ABOUT THAT. UM, COUNCILOR MURPHY. UM, THANK YOU, AMY, FOR BEING HERE IN THE INFORMATION YOU SHARED.
DO YOU SEE, UM, ANY ISSUES OR CONCERNS THAT COULD POP UP AND MAYBE NOT DIRECTLY IN YOUR DEPARTMENT? YOU DID MENTION THE STREETS CABINET. KIND OF IT FALLS ON THEM ULTIMATELY.
UH, YEAH. SO OTHER STREETS CABINET IS RIGHT. IT FALLS ON US. TO LARGELY PUSH THE PAPER. UH, BUT I THINK THAT IT IS LARGELY DONE BASED ON A RECOMMENDATION THAT COMES THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, RIGHT.
THE THE MAYOR'S OFFICE. UM, SO LIKE WE HAVE DONE RIGHT BRIDGE. DEDICATIONS AND. I WAS GOING TO ASK THAT LIKE HOW OFTEN DO YOU SEE THIS HAPPENING AND WHAT OTHER TYPES
OF CITY ASSETS ARE WE NAMING? UH. >> SO WE JUST RENAMED THE NORTH WASHINGTON STREET BRIDGE. KNOW RUSSELL BRIDGE. WE HAVE THE RAY FLYNN BRIDGE. UM, AND THOSE ARE OUR CITY
ASSETS WITHIN UH, RIGHT RIGHT OF WAYS. UM. >> AND SO THAT'S JUST UH. A DEDICATION PROCESS, A SQUARE DEDICATION IS A IS A SEPARATE PROCESS BUT WE'RE NOT UH, IMPACTING THE EXISTING SQUARE DEDICATION HERE, SO WOULDN'T
REQUIRE. UH, RIGHT. DEDICATION OR RENAMING SEPARATE STEP. RIGHT OKAY. JUST MAKING SURE THAT WITH HAVING YOU HERE WITH THAT
KNOWLEDGE THAT WE'RE GIVING THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, ALL THE INFORMATION THEY MAY NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY DO THIS PROPERLY. SO YEP. >> NO, I THINK THAT WE HAVE EVERYTHING THAT UH THAT WE NEED. I THINK WE JUST NEEDED TO KIND OF BE.
UH, RIGHT CLEAR ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING WITH UH WITH UH, DEDICATING A PLAZA WITHIN UH NAMED SQUARE AND JUST MAKING SURE THAT EVERYBODY UNDERSTOOD WHAT THAT MEANT. I THINK THAT WE HAVE WHAT WE NEED, UH, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE ARE DOING IT, UH, RIGHT ,COORDINATED WITH, UH, THE ONGOING PROJECT SO THAT, UM, ALL THIS WILL BE READY TO GO. UH, AND THE. UH, PLAZA. >> CAN BE DEDICATED RIGHT FOR. UH, RIBBON CUTTING.
AND DO YOU HAVE A TIMELINE ON WHEN THAT, UH. I WILL I. I THERE IS A TIMELINE ON HERE BUT I. WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT IS. THE MOST UP TO DATE ONE AND I'LL GIVE YOU THAT WITH BUDGET. AWESOME. >> OH THANK YOU. THANK YOU. >> CHAIR.
UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR AMY OR WOULD YOU LIKE TO MOVE FOR THE NEXT PANEL? YEAH. >> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. I JUST WANT TO SAY, UH, THANK YOU TO AMY AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUING TO WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR TEAM.
THANK YOU. THANK YOU AMY. AND, UM, I KNOW THAT YOU HAVE OTHER COMMITMENTS TODAY, BUT I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU COULD COMMIT TO WATCHING EVERY MINUTE OF THE REST OF THE HEARING SO THAT YOU KNOW THAT
THESE RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN HEARD. OH, ABSOLUTELY. UM, AND THEY KNOW WHERE TO FIND US. BUT YEAH, WE'RE UM WE'RE WE'RE. >> HAPPY TO CONTINUE, UM. WORKING THROUGH THIS. AWESOME. >> OKAY. >> GETTING IT ALL LINED UP. THANK YOU. >> YOU ARE RELIEVED. ALL RIGHT. OKAY. AND NOW WE'LL WE'LL HEAR FROM
OUR SECOND, UH, PANEL ALICE KANE, THE CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY KAYLA LEE ON BEHALF OF TWO FAMILY DOCTOR CAROLYN CROCKETT. UM, FEEL FREE TO GRAB A SEAT. ANGIE LOU FROM THE ASIAN CDC
AND CHINATOWN MASTER PLAN COMMITTEE. HUA Q UH, SORRY IF I'M GETTING THIS WRONG. UM, CHINATOWN RESIDENT AND LYDIA LOWE FROM THE CHINATOWN
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND COMMEMORATION COMMISSION AND
FEEL FREE TO SIT IN ANY ORDER.
AND I KNOW WE'RE SHARING MICS SO JUST MAKE SURE WHEN YOU'RE SPEAKING THAT THE MIC IS CLOSE ENOUGH TO YOU. UM. AND THEN I'LL WAIT FOR HIM TO TURN ON THOSE MICS AS WELL.
PERFECT. UM SO FEEL FREE TO GO DOWN THE LINE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELVES BRIEFLY. GOOD MORNING. MY NAME IS ALICE KANE. >> I'M WITH THE CHINESE HISTORICAL. SOCIETY OF. >> NEW ENGLAND.
HI, I'M. KAYLA LEE TUNNEY, LEE'S DAUGHTER. I'M CAROLYN CROCKETT, A PROFESSOR. >> AT MIT IN THE. >> DEPARTMENT OF. URBAN. STUDIES AND. PLANNING CHINESE DEPARTMENT. I'M ANGIE LIU. I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ASIAN.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION IN CHINATOWN. MY NAME IS BILINGUAL. >> I'M FROM CHINESE. PROGRESS ASSOCIATION. I AM COMING UP A NICE.
UH WHAT UH, I GOT HOW WHAT, UH, DO YOU KNOW FOR WHAT DO THE ANGLE UH BUT UH. LILY FONG BECAUSE I WAS HERE TO
LEAVE I DON'T SEE OH. UH. >> TWO FACES. UH, SO SHE IS. LIVING IN TEN, UH, TEN MAPLE PLACE. I KNOW, BUT SHE WAS LIVING IN
86 EIGHT HARRISON AVENUE LAST YEAR. JUST MOVED TO. UH, TIMBER PLACE. YEAH. I'M LYDIA LOWE. I'M EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND A MEMBER OF THE BOSTON
COMMEMORATION COMMISSION. WONDERFUL. >> SO, UM, I WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING HERE. UM, THANK YOU FOR SPENDING TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY DAYS TO, UM, TO BE IN THIS SPACE WITH US AND TO DISCUSS THIS, UH, THE MATTER
AT HAND. I WANT TO START WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR WITH ANY QUESTIONS THAT HE HAS SPECIFICALLY. >> FOR THE PANEL. AND THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO
ALL OF THE COMMUNITY PANEL FOR BEING HERE FOR THE IMPORTANT WORK YOU DO IN CHINATOWN THROUGHOUT THROUGHOUT BOSTON AS WELL BUT ALSO RESPECTING AND
ADVOCATING FOR IMMIGRANTS, ADVOCATING FOR THE ASIAN COMMUNITY AND ADVOCATING FOR SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE FOR IMMIGRANTS AND WORKING CLASS
RESIDENTS. UM LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION ACCESS IS A BIG PART OF THIS HEARING AND IT'S ABOUT LISTENING TO YOU UM AND
LISTENING TO THE RESIDENTS ABOUT WHAT'S IMPORTANT UH, WHAT YOUR WHAT YOUR THOUGHTS ARE WHAT YOUR FEELINGS ARE AND THEN WE ACT AS A CITY COUNCIL. BUT I'M HONORED TO BE HERE TO
REPRESENT THIS COMMUNITY AND IN REALLY TO LISTEN AND HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BRIEFLY, UM, SPEAK WITH UM, KAYLA LEE THIS MORNING.
UH, DIANE DAUGHTER OF OF OF TONY AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOUR MOTHER HAS DONE. UM, BUILDING BUILDING A STRONG
AND VIBRANT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT RESPECTS IMMIGRANTS, THAT RESPECTS OUR ASIAN ROOTS AND HERITAGE. UM. WHY WHY IS THIS WHY IS THIS
PROJECT IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY? WHY IS THIS PROJECT IMPORTANT TO YOU AND IS THIS A GOOD WAY TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND CELEBRATE THE EXCEPTIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS
THAT YOUR MOTHER HAS MADE TO BOSTON'S CHINATOWN AND UM, IN THE CITY OF BOSTON AS WELL? YEAH. >> YEAH JUST. CUZ YOU'RE NOT. >> MY GOD. YEAH.
SHOULD I JUST READ MY SPEECH? YES. >> THAT MIGHT. >> BE YEAH YEAH GET. THAT ON. IT OKAY. OKAY SO ON BEHALF OF OUR FAMILY I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING. >> THE NAMING OF TINY LEE PLAZA.
THIS WOULD BE A GREAT HONOR AND A FITTING ONE FOR OUR FATHER WHO GREW UP IN BOSTON'S CHINATOWN AND ALWAYS HELD IT CLOSE TO HIS HEART LONG AFTER HE MOVED OUT, MY FATHER ARRIVED AT THE EAST BOSTON IMMIGRATION
CENTER IN 1938. HE TURNED SEVEN DURING THE LONG VOYAGE FROM HIS HOMETOWN INTO HIS. SON CHINA. AND HIS FATHER BROUGHT HIM STRAIGHT TO HIS GRANDPARENTS APARTMENT AT FIVE OXFORD PLACE
WHERE HE SPENT THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS UNTIL THE FAMILY MOVED A FEW BLOCKS AWAY TO HUDSON STREET. TUNNEY LEARNED ENGLISH. AT THE QUINCY SCHOOL, HELPED OUT IN HIS GRANDPARENTS GROCERY STORE ON BEECH STREET, PLAYED
ON THE STOOPS AND IN THE STREETS WITH HIS FRIENDS AND WOULD LATER DESCRIBE CHINATOWN AS A VILLAGE. HE LOVED HOW EVERYONE LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER. HAVING TRAVELED FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD, HE.
FOUND COMMUNITY AND A DEEP SENSE OF BELONGING IN HIS LIFE. HE TRAVELED FAR BUT HE WOULD. ALWAYS SEE CHINATOWN AS HIS HOME. THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE CENTRAL ARTERY IN THE MASS PIKE
EXTENSION AND THEIR IMPACT ON CHINATOWN MADE A DEEP IMPRESSION ON TUNNEY. TIME RESIDENTS WERE DISPLACED, BUILDINGS DEMOLISHED AND NEIGHBORHOODS DESTROYED. IN SOME WAYS HE SPENT THE REST OF HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE AT THE
BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT. AUTHORITY AND THE MASSACHUSETTS DIVISION OF CAPITAL PLANNING AND OPERATIONS AND AT MIT, RECTIFYING THE CITY PLANNERS DEEP DISREGARD FOR CHINATOWN RESIDENTS.
ENGAGING COMMUNITY. VOICES IN PLANNING WAS A KEY. LESSON HE IMPRINTED ON HIS STUDENTS IN HIS MANY. DECADES OF TEACHING AND MENTORING AS AN URBAN PLANNER, TUNNEY'S WORK AND TEACHING WERE
DEVOTED TO CREATING WELCOMING. FUNCTIONAL AND BEAUTIFUL PUBLIC SPACES. THROUGH A PROCESS INCLUSIVE. >> OF THE COMMUNITY. HE BROUGHT THAT VISION TO IT THE WORK HE DID IN THE SOUTH COVE WITH THE ASIAN.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. CORPORATION AND WITH THE CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF NEW. ENGLAND, AMONG OTHERS. URBAN PLANNING IS OF NECESSITY ABOUT CHANGE IN PROGRESS, BUT
IT IS ALSO ABOUT PRESERVING WHAT IS VITAL AND HISTORIC. FINDING THAT BALANCE IS KEY. TUNNEY WAS AMAZED AT CHINATOWN'S RESILIENCE AND EVOLUTION AND HE WAS DEDICATED
TO CHRONICLING BOTH IN HIS LAST MAJOR PROJECT, THE CHINATOWN ATLAS, A WEBSITE WHICH IS ABOUT TO BE PUBLISHED IN BOOK FORM BY MIT PRESS. WE APPRECIATE YOUR CONSIDERATION OF. NAMING THE. >> PLAZA AFTER TUNNEY.
THE COMMUNITY MADE HIM WHO HE. WAS AND HE SPENT HIS LIFE ADVOCATING FOR AND GROWING WITH. CHINATOWN. >> ALWAYS HONORING. THE VOICES AND NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU, THANK YOU KAYLA. UM, WELL, BEFORE I BEGIN, DOES ANYONE ELSE WANT TO, UM, OFFER ANY OPENING STATEMENT? I THINK. >> UM, YEAH. >> IF ANYONE. HASN'T BEEN HERE, IT HAS
SOMETHING TO SAY. >> YEAH. YES I THINK GO AHEAD. YES. >> SORRY. >> THAT'S WHAT I WAS INTENDING. HELLO AGAIN. MY NAME IS ALICE KANE. I'M THE CURRENT MANAGING DIRECTOR OF THE. CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
OF NEW ENGLAND. UM, TUNNEY WAS A TERRIFIC VOLUNTEER WITH OUR. ORGANIZATION AND TODAY I'D LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT JUST A FEW HISTORICAL POINTS. UM, ABOUT THE AREA, UH, IN THE
PLAZA THAT'S BEEN UH, RENAMED OR. RENAMED UM. THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY'S MISSION IS TO DOCUMENT, PRESERVE AND SHARE THE HISTORY . AND LEGACY OF CHINESE.
IMMIGRATION TO NEW ENGLAND. UM, ONE OF OUR ONGOING. ACTIVITIES IS A TOUR, UH, OF WHICH. THIS AREA IS ONE OF OUR SCHOOLS . EXCUSE ME. >> COULD I INTERRUPT YOU FOR ONE SECOND? YES, SIR.
WE MIGHT BE HAVING A CHALLENGE WITH THE INTERPRETATION. OH, OKAY. >> OKAY. YEAH. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT YOU. YEAH. JUST SPEAK UP, PLEASE. OH.
SO, UM, EARLY BOSTON WAS A PENINSULA. A PENINSULA WHOSE SOUTH COVE INCLUDED TODAY'S HARRISON AVENUE. BEACH. >> TYLER AND. HUDSON STREETS.
BY THE MID-19TH CENTURY, THE SOUTH COVE WAS HOME TO A VIBRANT IMMIGRANT. COMMUNITY OF CHRISTIAN ARABS AND GREEKS WHO WERE JOINED BY
CHINESE IMMIGRANTS IN SOMETIME IN THE 1870S UH AN 1886 BOSTON HERALD ACCOUNT DESCRIBED THE BUILDINGS NUMBERED 32 THROUGH
38.5 HARRISON AVENUE UH AS BEING BOSTON'S. CHINATOWN. >> UH HUNG FAR LOW WAS THE UH FIRST CHINESE RESTAURANT IN THE CITY. OPENED AT NUMBER 36 HARRISON
AVENUE IN UH, 1879. THE AREA'S ROWHOUSE ARCHITECTURE FEATURED SHOP SPACE AT THE GROUND LEVEL AND THREE STOREYS OF LIVING SPACE
ABOVE. HOWEVER, THIS ARCHITECTURE ON HARRISON AVENUE. CHANGED IN 1893. AND 94. WHEN THE CITY DECIDED TO WIDEN IT FOR BETTER ACCESS OF STREET
RAILWAYS. THROUGH THIS NEIGHBORHOOD. CHINESE RESIDENTS LOST THEIR HOUSING AND BUSINESSES WITH THIS DEMOLITION. DEMOLITION AND MOVED FURTHER
INTO THE SOUTH COVE. THIS SAME STRETCH OF HARRISON AVENUE WITNESSED THE 1903 POLICE RAID THAT FOLLOWED THE FUNERAL OF WONG CHONG, A TONG
MURDER. VICTIM LONG PLANNED FOR POLICE AND U.S. IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES USED THE OPPORTUNITY THE FUNERAL PRESENTED TO ROUND UP CHINESE AT.
THIS EVENT, LOCAL NEWSPAPERS. REPORTED ON THE CHAOS OF. >> FOOT CHASES. ON HARRISON AVENUE AND THE USE OF NUMBER 19 HARRISON AVENUE AS A HOLDING AREA FOR APPREHENDED CHINESE AWAITING TRANSPORTATION
. THE OPERATION OVERALL WAS CONSIDERED A SUCCESS IN CATCHING 45 PERSONS WHO DID NOT HAVE UM. IDENTIFYING PAPERS.
FORWARDING A FEW DECADES LATER ,TANNY LEE LIVED HIS CHILDHOOD IN OXFORD PLACE, A SMALL STREET BETWEEN PHILLIPS SQUARE AND 28 HARRISON AVENUE AND BECAME
AWARE AND REMEMBERING OF THE AREA'S HISTORY. THROUGH HIS LIFE. AFTER A PRODUCTIVE CAREER IN ACADEMICS AND IN PUBLIC SERVICE ,UH TINY LEE COORDINATED A
COLLABORATIVE PROJECT WITH OUR SOCIETY UH, MEMBERS OF THE MIT COMMUNITY AND OTHERS THAT COMBINED HIS LOVE OF CHINATOWN AND OF HISTORY. THE PROJECT WAS THE CHINATOWN
ATLAS, WHICH SOUGHT TO UNDERSTAND AND TELL THE STORY OF CHINATOWN'S HISTORY, DYNAMICS AND CONTEXT WITH THE HOPE OF FUTURE GENERATIONS.
APPRECIATING AND PRAISING AND PRESERVING THE COMMUNITY'S VITALITY. CONNECT WITH THE REAL. FOR HIS PUBLIC AND ACADEMIC
WORK AS WELL AS THE POSITIVITY OF HIS WORK ON THE CHINATOWN ATLAS AGAINST THE EARLY HISTORY OF CHINATOWN. TONY IS FIRMLY CONNECTED HERE AND DESERVES TO BE RECOGNIZED.
UM OUR SOCIETY. BELIEVES THAT. >> IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO DEDICATE THIS SPACE, UH, NEAR PHILLIPS SQUARE TO TUNNEY, WHO GREW UP NEAR HERE IN ADVANCE OF THIS PARTICULAR ACTIVITY WE
HAVE COLLECTED PETITIONS, UH, SUPPORTING THE NAMING OF THE PLAZA WHICH. I WILL FORWARD UH, AT ANOTHER POINT. UM, WE HOPE THAT THIS BODY WILL SUPPORT OUR NAMING REQUEST.
>> THANK YOU. LET'S MAKE. >> UH. >> GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. UH, GOOD MORNING. COUNCILORS DURKAN. FLYNN AND MURPHY, THANK. >> YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING US HERE FOR THIS REALLY IMPORTANT
TIME OF COMMUNITY AND TIME OF TESTIMONY. I'M CAROLYN CROCKETT. >> I'M A PROFESSOR. OF URBAN PLANNING HISTORY AND POLICY AT MIT. I'M REALLY PROUD TO BE IN IN AND TO SIT INSIDE OF TONY'S DEPARTMENT.
IT STILL FEELS THAT WAY EACH DAY. SO I'M HERE TO JUST BRING A FEW REFLECTIONS BASED ON TUNNEY'S IMPACT ON THE FIELD OF PLANNING. UM. AS WE. >> HAVE HEARD, ANTHONY. WAS A.
TOWERING GIANT OF CREATIVITY, COMPASSION AND INTELLECTUAL. POWER WHO UNDERSTOOD, UM, HOW CITIES WORK BEST. UM, HE LEARNED THIS FROM HIS
MANY TRAVELS AND ADVENTURES, HIS VALUES AND ESPECIALLY FROM HIS BELOVED BOSTON CHINATOWN NEIGHBORHOOD. IT IS AN HONOR TO COME HERE AND SPEAK, UH, AND TO THINK ABOUT
HOW HIS LEGACY CAN BE ENSHRINED AND ENMESHED INSIDE OF THE VERY FABRIC OF THE CITY BY NAMING THIS PLAZA IN HIS HONOR. I READ. >> A LITTLE BIT FROM AN MIT WEBSITE THAT DESCRIBES TUNNEY
WHO IS AGAIN SOMEONE WHO VERY PRESENT FOR US AS FACULTY AND HIS STUDENTS AND ALUM EACH DAY UM AN ARCHITECT BY. TRAINING. >> LEE WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED PLANNER, HISTORIAN AND COMMUNITY ACTIVIST AND MIT.
HIS RESEARCH FOCUSED. ON THE PROCESS OF COMMUNITY BASED DESIGN WITH A PARTICULAR INTEREST IN HIGH DENSITY URBAN
SETTINGS OR CROWDED PLACES, AND HE LED FREQUENT COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN MIT STUDENTS AND BOSTON AREA NEIGHBORHOODS. HIS APPROACH TO URBAN PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE. EMPHASIZED HOW FIELDS HOW THESE
FIELDS COULD BE HARNESSED TO EMPOWER AND ENHANCE THE LIVES OF PEOPLE WHEN APPROACHING DESIGN, TUNNEY VIEWED THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT THROUGH THE LENS
OF HOW INDIVIDUALS WOULD CONSTRUCT, USE, LIVE. AND INTERACT WITH. THE CREATIONS OF. PLANNERS AND. >> ARCHITECTS. >> HE SAID. IT'S ABOUT UNDERSTANDING
INSTITUTIONS AND IF YOU KNEW OR IF YOU HAD THE PLEASURE AND HONOR OF KNOWING TUNNEY, YOU KNOW THAT TUNNEY ALWAYS WANTED TO LOOK INSIDE OF INSTITUTIONS ,INSIDE OF BUILDINGS, INSIDE OF HOUSES FOR HOW PEOPLE LIVED
AND THAT WAS CORE TO HIS. PRACTICE AND CORE TO HIS IMPACT . CHINESE IMPACT IS ALL AROUND US AND CONTINUE TO SHAPE THE FIELD OF URBAN PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE.
TUNNEY UNDERSTOOD CITIES AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS THAT THEY CONTAINED AS. FUNDAMENTALLY ABOUT PEOPLE KNOWING EACH OTHER, PEOPLE TAKING CARE OF EACH OTHER,
PEOPLE LISTENING TO EACH OTHER. THESE KINDS OF IDEAS ABOUT MUTUALITY AND CARE REPRESENT THE CUTTING EDGE OF DESIGN AND URBAN POLICY TODAY. BUT TUNNEY HAD ALREADY.
UNDERSTOOD AND. MASTERED THESE IDEAS MORE THAN 60 YEARS AGO AND HIS TEACHING AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES NEAR AND FAR. SOME OF YOU MAY BE FAMILIAR WITH THE DEVELOPMENT OF TENT
CITY, WHICH IS AT 130 DARTMOUTH STREET UH AND WORKING WITH RESIDENTS INTENSITY TUNNEY DESIGNED SOMETHING CALLED THE TOTAL STUDIO. WHICH IS VERY. POWERFUL IN BRINGING PLANNERS
AND ARCHITECTS TOGETHER FIELDS THAT SOMETIMES EXIST LIKE THEY HAVE A CEMENT WALL BETWEEN THEM . THEY DO NOT INTERACT. TONY CREATE TUNNEY'S CREATION OF THE TOTAL STUDIO WAS A, UH,
VISIONARY BREAKTHROUGH UM OPPORTUNITY TO AGAIN TO BRING TOGETHER PLANNERS AND ARCHITECTS TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO BRING A COMMUNITY VISION INTO THE 269, UH, MIXED INCOME
UNITS THAT MAKE UP TENT CITY TODAY, UH CONTINUES TO BE A BREAKTHROUGH AND VISIONARY APPROACH TO PRACTICE AND ALSO TEACHING AND BRINGING TOGETHER FIELDS THAT ARE TYPICALLY SEPARATE. UH UH TONY ALSO TONY ALSO WAS
WAS DEEPLY INVOLVED IN THE FIGHT TO STOP BY 95. SOME OF YOU KNOW I WROTE A BOOK ABOUT THIS PEOPLE BEFORE HIGHWAYS MY INTERVIEWS AND CONVERSATIONS WITH TUNNEY, UH, MAKE THAT STORY POSSIBLE. AND IN THAT STORY HE TALKS
ABOUT BEING A YOUNG PLANNER AND WHAT IT MEANT TO SIT DOWN WITH RESIDENTS IN CAMBRIDGE AND BOSTON TO TELL THEM THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO STOP A HIGHWAY WHICH PEOPLE DID NOT BELIEVE. TUNNEY WORKED WITH RESIDENTS
USING MANY OF HIS EXPERIENCES AND SOME OF HIS FRUSTRATIONS IN BOSTON CHINATOWN TO MAKE THE DEFEAT OF I-95 POSSIBLE. AT. TONY ALSO WORKED UH IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY INCLUDING .
WASHINGTON DC WHERE HE HAD HE LED PRACTICE THERE. UM HE WAS ALSO A LEAD PLANNER FOR RESURRECTION CITY IN WASHINGTON DC, WHICH WAS A 1968 ENCAMPMENT FOR 3000 PEOPLE ON
THE WASHINGTON MALL THAT WAS MEANT TO BE AS A TEMPORARY AND FUNCTIONAL CITY TO HOUSE PROTESTERS. I WOULD ENGAGE IN DOCTOR MARTIN LUTHER KING'S FINAL UH UH CAMPAIGN UH FINAL.
I'M SO OUR MOVEMENT THE POOR PEOPLE'S MOVEMENT. TUNNEY WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN THE FOUR PERSON PLANNING TEAM TO LEAD THAT SUCCESSFUL UM, ENCAMPMENT AND CAMPAIGN. UM HIS IMPACT IS ALSO FELT FAR BEYOND THE UNITED STATES.
UH, AS MANY OF YOU. MAY KNOW, UM, HIS PROJECTS INCLUDE THE LAUNCH OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE AT CHINESE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, WHICH HE FOUNDED. UM THIS. DEPARTMENT WOULD GO ON TO
BECOME THE UNIVERSITY SCHOOL. >> OF. ARCHITECTURE IN HONG KONG. UM, IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT TUNNEY, WHAT YOU KNOW IS THAT TONY PLAYED FOR THE LONG GAME. HE UNDERSTOOD THAT
CONVERSATIONS UM, LISTENING COMMUNITY BUILDING WAS ABOUT BUILDING GENERATIONS OF OF OF CONNECTION OF CARE AND MUTUALITY. HE DID NOT, UH, A SPOUSE OR
SUPPORT THE 20TH CENTURY'S UH THE 20TH CENTURY'S OBSESSION WITH DISPLACEMENT, WITH CHANGE, WITH ERASURE. TONY AGAIN PLAYED FOR THE LONG GAME IN A CENTURY AND.
NOW AND THEN. UM, REALLY FOCUSED ON DISPOSABILITY ON THE NEXT NEW THING TONY AGAIN PLAYED FOR THE LONG GAME. HE SAID YES TO US. HE SAID YES TO LIFE. HE SAID.
YES TO PEOPLE. UH AND I HOPE YOU WILL. SAY YES TO TONY ON THIS DAY. THANK YOU.
AND THANK. >> YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK TODAY, UH, ABOUT THIS PROPOSAL TO NAME THE NEW PLAZA AT PHILIP SQUARE, UM, IN CHINATOWN TO HONOR. UM, TONY LEE.
SO AGAIN, I'M ANGELOU I'M THE CURRENT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE ASIAN. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. CORPORATION IN CHINATOWN. OR ACDC FOR SHORT. WE ARE A NONPROFIT COMMUNITY
BASED ORGANIZATION FOCUSED ON PRESERVING AND STRENGTHENING CHINATOWN THROUGH AFFORDABLE HOUSING. FINANCIAL WELLNESS. AND RESIDENT AND YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAMS.
TONY WAS. A CO-FOUNDER OF OUR ORGANIZATION. IN 1987. ALONGSIDE A GROUP. >> OF DEDICATED COMMUNITY ACTIVISTS. SOME OF. >> WHOM GREW. UP IN. CHINATOWN LIKE HE DID AND EXPERIENCED. FIRSTHAND THE.
>> URBAN RENEWAL AND DISPLACEMENT IN. UH OF. >> THE 1950S AND 60S. UH. >> AS YOU. ALREADY HEARD UH, EARLIER FROM ALICE, UM. KAYLA AND UM, CAROLYN TUNNEY. WAS A VERY WELL-RESPECTED URBAN
PLANNER WHO HAD. >> A LONG CAREER WITH THE. >> CITY OF BOSTON. AS WELL AS UM, TEACHING AT MIT. BUT I. THINK HIS. HEART REALLY. BELONG TO BOSTON'S. CHINATOWN. >> AND UM, I JUST. ALSO WANT TO. HIGHLIGHT THAT, UM, AS A
PLANNER. >> FROM THAT ERA. HE BROUGHT. >> A REALLY UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE BECAUSE THIS WAS AN. ERA WHERE. URBAN PLANNING WAS DOMINATED BY A TOP. DOWN PHILOSOPHY. UM, AND WHOLESALE EMINENT
DOMAIN. SO THE FACT THAT HE WAS ABLE TO REALLY. VALUE UM THE IMPORTANCE OF LISTENING TO. COMMUNITY RESIDENTS VOICES THAT WAS SOMETHING REALLY UNIQUE.
I GOT TO KNOW HIM FOR A NUMBER OF. YEARS BEFORE HE PASSED. AWAY IN. 2020. AND I STILL. REMEMBER VIVIDLY UM, SEEING HIM . WALKING THROUGH CHINATOWN, UM.
WITH HIS BACKPACK. AND HIS PRESENCE AND WISDOM AT MANY COMMUNITY MEETINGS. ADVOCATING FOR. >> LOW INCOME IMMIGRANT RESIDENTS. HE DID NOT MINCE HIS WORDS WHEN . >> IT. CAME TO.
DEVELOPMENT PRESSURES. GENTRIFICATION OR LACK. OF OPEN. >> SPACE IN CHINATOWN FOR. MANY YEARS HE WAS A. CRITICAL AND STEADY PRESENCE AT THE MONTHLY CHINATOWN MASTER PLAN COMMUNITY MEETINGS. WHERE WE.
>> WOULD DISCUSS AND DEBATE ABOUT DEVELOPMENT. PROPOSALS. >> PLANNING AND ZONING AND HE WAS CRITICAL IN GUIDING THE COMMITTEE AND THINKING ABOUT HOW THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY
COULD BETTER HOLD THE CITY AND DEVELOPERS ACCOUNTABLE. THROUGH HIS ACTIONS HE SET AN EXAMPLE FOR US AND HE MENTORED SEVERAL GENERATIONS OF CHINATOWN LEADERS AND
ACTIVISTS. GIVEN THAT THE CITY AND THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY HAVE BEEN COLLABORATING ON REDESIGNING PHILLIPS SQUARE INTO A MORE
USER FRIENDLY OPEN SPACE, WE BELIEVE THAT THIS PRESENTS A UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY TO NAME THAT NEW OPEN SPACE AFTER TONY LEE TO HONOR HIS LEGACY IN THIS COMMUNITY.
THE NEW PLAZA, AS. YOU HEARD. WILL BE JUST STEPS AWAY FROM HIS CHILDHOOD HOME ON. OXFORD PLACE. AND THE IMPROVED DESIGNS WILL PROVIDE A MUCH NEEDED OPEN SPACE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT
HAS THE LOWEST TREE CANOPY COVERAGE AND THE LEAST AMOUNT OF OPEN SPACE PER CAPITA IN THE CITY. THANK YOU FOR THE. OPPORTUNITY TO TESTIFY AND I ASK THAT YOU SUPPORT THIS
PROPOSAL TO NAME THE NEW OPEN SPACE AT. PHILLIP SQUARE. AFTER TUNNEY TO. >> HONOR. HIS LEGACY.
I UH. GOOD MORNING COUNCIL. MY NAME IS FALLING HUANG. I UM THE STAFF IN CPA SYDNEY. >> HAVE. THE STATEMENT. . >> I WILL, UH. GIVE THE STATEMENT LATER.
UH MY COWORKER. BUT LIKE NOW I WANT TO UH SALEHA WE ARE. SHARED UH, LESS THAN EXPERIENCE. YEAH. HOW DO YOU STEP UP? BUT BEFORE YOU SHARE THE STORY,
I JUST WANT TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THE CHINA CENTRAL CHINATOWN IS NOT ONLY THE. BUSINESS IS A LOT LESS THAN LIVING THERE IS, UH, TODAY.
SO POST THE WHOLE HOUSE 606 MR. YOU WILL BE HERE BUT UH, HE CANNOT COME TODAY BECAUSE I HAVE THE DOCTOR APPOINTMENT BUT HE HE SAY IN HIS BUILDING HOUSE
15 ACCESS IS TOTAL IS UH 75 UNIT AND HE SAY ENTIRE AGE SO MANY ELDERLY THEY USE THE WALKER THEY NEED TO USE THEIR SPACE UH IN THE OF SQUARE IN
THE OTHER BUILDING OUR DAY IS UH MOST A LOT ELDERLY UH I THINK SOME, UH LESS THAN WE WILL TESTIFY LATER IS 115. CHAUNCEY STREET. UH, I WAS LIVING IN TRANSIT
STREET BEFORE UH, THEY USED THAT, UH, OPEN SPACE A LOT FOR, UH. A FARM. I DID NOT SEE MY, UH, NEED. I KNOW THAT CITY. DOESN'T GET YOU SEE PEOPLE, UH
. SEE IT AS HE WAS LIVING IN THE 86 A HARRISON STREET BEFORE I TOLD ABOUT 24 UNIT LANSING EVANS IHAN.
YOU'RE ALL CHILI. >> NICKEL. AND. THEN I. CAN SEE I GO. HAN GOT YOUNG PEOPLE GUAVA JULY HUI UH UH YOUNG LOVE.
HOME GET THE ONLY PROBLEM LEMON BARLEY I WON'T SOMETHING WHILE WE TALK ON ONE AND TWO OR PHONE
WHY TWO AWAY I MEAN I I DO I'M NOT THEY GO FROM THE HOME GET MY PHONE SO YOU WHAT'LL YOU'LL FIND IT.
DENG OUR KONG YUAN UH DON'T KNOW. OH, I DON'T KNOW FOR ALL I'M NOT SAYING THOUGH I'M A LITTLE LONG INTO. UH OH I KNOW I'M I'M GLAD TO HELP ME DO WANNA GO ON THE MALL AND GET.
OKAY BUT I FIND. OUT UH. SHE DOES. >> SAY SHE WANTS TO LIVE IN 86 A HARRISON. >> AND WHEN I DIDN'T. CANCEL I KNOW THAT BUILDING RIGHT. AS YOU SAY, THE BUILDING IS VERY, UH, TOTAL 24 UNIT BUT
MOST OF THE TEN BECAUSE THEY CANNOT USE THE AC IN THE UH IN THEIR BUILDING DURING THE SUMMERTIME THEY, UH THEY WILL
ALL GO OUTSIDE, STAY IN THE POP, UH, OPEN SPACE UNTIL TWO, 2 OR 3 A.M. AND THEN COME BACK HOME SLEEP. AND SO YOU SAY REALLY IMPORTANT
IS FOR THE, UH, CHILDREN OR THE ELDERLY OR THE FAMILY USE THE GREEN SPACE. UH, THEY AIR THERE'S A WAY UP CAN MORE THREE IN THAT PRAISE.
YOU I KNOW CAN'T GO THE. NAME ON TIME FOR GUILT WELL HE MOLDABLE FINALLY DOUBTING THE ONLY LONGING GONNA TELL ABOUT YOU.
LA LA LA I'M AT ONE UH UH UH. LONGING GOT ONE? YEAH. HOGAN UH, WANTED I KNOW FOR NOW I'M THERE. WAITING SO NOW I CAN NOW, UH,
THE DOW ON YOU? YEAH. YOU KNOW I KNOW I KNOW I WILL GO Y'ALL KNOW HIM ALL DAY WILL FINALLY GETTING OUR GUY UM NO LONGER LA LA WHY DID I YEAH. WHAT THE.
I GOTTA. UH SHE DOES SAY HOPE THE COUNCIL OR CITY CAN, UH UH, USE THE. >> MONEY FOR. DEPARTURE AS. SOON AS POSSIBLE BECAUSE OUR. KID, OUR.
FAMILY. >> OUR ELDERLY REALLY WANT TO SEE THIS HAPPENING SOON AND THEN. EVERYONE CAN MORE HELP FOR, UH ,THE ENVIRONMENT, MORE PROGRESS. SO IN CHINATOWN I TRY MY BEST TO DO THE INTERPRETATION.
I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND. THANK YOU. YEAH. >> THANK YOU. OKAY. >> YEAH. >> I LEAVE THE ACCOUNT. I'M LYDIA LOWE. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY LAND TRUST. AND ALSO. >> A MEMBER OF THE BOSTON
COMMEMORATION COMMISSION. AND I'M HAPPY TO CLOSE UP THE PANEL. UM, IN. ASKING THAT. UH, THIS PROJECT. >> AT. PHILLIPS SQUARE BE NAMED. AS TUNNEY LEE. PLAZA AND. >> TO UNDERSCORE.
AS UM. UH. >> SHAO HUA JUST DID THAT UM, YOU KNOW, THIS PROJECT THE. IMPLEMENTATION IMPLEMENTATION OF. >> THIS PROJECT IS. VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF CHINATOWN AND
PARTICULARLY THE RESIDENTS UM, IN THE CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT OF CHINATOWN WHERE TUNNEY GREW UP. UM, I'M NOT GOING TO GO OVER THE SAME A LOT OF THE SAME HISTORY. >> THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE. SPOKE ABOUT ABOUT TONY'S.
CHILDHOOD IN. >> CHINATOWN, HIS, YOU KNOW, VERY ILLUSTRIOUS. CAREER AND. THAT, YOU KNOW. >> THROUGHOUT THAT. CAREER THAT. HE ALWAYS. MAINTAINED WHAT HE. SAID WAS A. BASIC CONCERN FOR. THE QUALITY.
OF PEOPLE'S LIVES AND RESPECT. FOR ALL. THOSE INVOLVED IN PLANNING AND CREATING BUILDINGS, INCLUDING THE. PEOPLE WHO WILL INHABIT THE BUILDINGS COWORKERS, CONSTRUCTION WORKERS, OWNERS,
DEVELOPERS, FELLOW COLLEAGUES. TUNNEY WAS. THE PERSON. >> WHO. COULD TALK TO EVERYBODY. AND URGED US ALL TO COME TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD. >> OF. THE COMMUNITY.
HE WAS ALSO. UH HE. ALSO PIONEERED UH. MANY UM. EFFORTS TO RESEARCH. AND LIFT UP CHINATOWN HISTORY UM WHICH HE BELIEVED WAS VERY
IMPORTANT FOR US TO LEARN UM, STARTING UH LAUNCHING PROJECTS LIKE THE CHINATOWN ATLAS UM. WHICH PEOPLE SPOKE. ABOUT AND ALSO UM. ENCOURAGING US TO ACTIVATE.
CHINATOWN STORIES LEADING TO. OUR PROJECT THE IMMIGRANT HISTORY TRAIL. AT A. WELL-ATTENDED CHARRETTE. FOR THIS PHILLIPS SQUARE PROJECT LAST SPRING, CHINATOWN RESIDENTS AND.
COMMUNITY WORKERS OF. ALL AGES GATHERED AROUND TABLES WITH MAPS AND PICTURES TO DEVELOP A VISION FOR THAT PROJECT AT HARRISON AVENUE BETWEEN ESSEX STREET AND OXFORD
PLACE THERE WERE FIVE DIFFERENT BREAKOUT GROUPS AND. AMAZINGLY WHEN THE FIVE. DIFFERENT GROUPS REPORTED ON THEIR IDEAS, A COMMON. IDEA EMERGED THAT THIS PROJECT
AND THIS AREA COULD BRING. VISIBILITY TO. CHINATOWN'S HISTORY. AND STORIES. THAT BECAME A. THEME OF. >> THE PROJECT. AND PROJECT DESIGNERS PROPOSED A SIDEWALK OF TILES MARKING
CHINATOWN HISTORY. HARRISON AVENUE. AND OXFORD PLACE. HAS BEEN. ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS THE PRIORITY SITE FOR A NEW CITY HISTORIC MARKER ACROSS THE
STREET, THE MURAL, TIED TOGETHER BY A THOUSAND THREADS, HANGS AT 1525 HARRISON AVENUE. A MARKER. >> ON THE IMMIGRANT HISTORY TRAIL HANGS ON. THE UNION. BUILDING OF THE INTERNATIONAL
LADIES GARMENT WORKERS UNION AT HARRISON AND BEACH. WITH A SHIFTING LENTICULAR PHOTOGRAPH OF GARMENT WORKERS FROM THE 1930S AND 1960S AND
ARTIST ONE T. SEND WHO WAS THE FIRST TO PROPOSE THIS NAMING AND IS IN THE AUDIENCE TODAY. WE'LL SOON INSTALL. A LIFE SIZE BRONZE STATUE OF A GARMENT WORKER ON HARRISON
AVENUE AS WELL. SO NAMING THE PROPOSED STREETS . PROJECT TINY LEE PLAZA. IS NOT ONLY AN APPROPRIATE WAY TO HONOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF. >> AN. IMPORTANT BOSTONIAN, BUT IT WOULD ALSO.
BE A. >> KEYSTONE FOR IMPLEMENTING. >> A BROADER VISION OF HARRISON AVENUE AS A MAJOR CORRIDOR OF CHINATOWN. AS A HISTORIC AND CULTURAL DISTRICT THAT CELEBRATES ITS DECADES AS. >> AN ANCHOR. NEIGHBORHOOD FOR IMMIGRANT
WORKING CLASS FAMILIES AND SMALL BUSINESSES. AND FINALLY, I WANT. >> TO SPEAK TO THE SUPPORT OF THIS STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ITSELF. CHINATOWN IS ONE OF THE. DENSEST NEIGHBORHOODS WITH A
LACK OF OPEN. SPACE AND. PARTICULARLY IMPACTED BY EXTREME HEAT TENANTS AND THE OLDER UPSTAIRS HOUSING STOCK. AS SHAO HUA. HAD MENTIONED IN. >> THE COMMERCIAL SUBDISTRICT,
ARE THOSE MOST VULNERABLE TO EXTREME HEAT WITH INADEQUATE OR NO AIR CONDITIONING BECAUSE OF THE OLDER WIRING IN THEIR BUILDINGS OR SOMETIMES THE WHIMS OF THEIR LANDLORDS.
. >> ON HOT. SUMMER NIGHTS, PHILLIPS. SQUARE IS. FILLED WITH TENANTS SITTING OUTDOORS AS THEY TRY TO COOL OFF THE SHADE. GREENERY AND COOLING FEATURES. >> IN THE PROPOSED DESIGN ARE
URGENTLY NEEDED. JUST CHECKING ARE WE OKAY AND TRANSLATION. ADVICE IS NO. BETTER OKAY SO WE'RE GOING TO HOLD FOR A SECOND OKAY. OKAY YOU. >> GUYS HAVE A DIFFERENT DEVICE. LET ME SEE WHAT WE CAN DO OKAY.
DO YOU. >> SHOULD MAYBE THE VIDEO CALLS THE. HEARING MAYBE THE MANDARIN. YEAH I'M GOING TO CALL A BRIEF RECESS FOR A COUPLE MINUTES JUST SO WE CAN GET THIS UNDER CONTROL.
YES. >> AGAIN.
OKAY. >> WE ARE BACK. UH, THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR PATIENCE. UM, SO I KNOW THAT LYDIA LOH WAS, UM, GIVING AN INCREDIBLE HISTORY AND SO I JUST WANT TO.
LYDIA, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO GO BACK A LITTLE BIT I KNOW WE MISSED I THINK WE PROBABLY MISSED A MINUTE OF YOUR OF WHAT YOU SAID TRANSLATED. OKAY, I GUESS I'LL GO BACK TO
SAYING THAT, UM. NAMING THIS. PROPOSED PROJECT TINY LEE PLAZA . IT'S NOT ONLY AN APPROPRIATE WAY TO HONOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF AN IMPORTANT BOSTONIAN, BUT
IT WOULD ALSO BE A KEYSTONE FOR IMPLEMENTING A BROADER VISION OF HARRISON AVENUE AS A MAJOR CORRIDOR OF CHINATOWN AS A HISTORIC AND CULTURAL DISTRICT
THAT CELEBRATES ITS DECADES AS AN ANCHOR NEIGHBORHOOD FOR IMMIGRANT WORKING CLASS FAMILIES AND SMALL BUSINESSES. AND THIS. >> IS SOMETHING THAT TONY ALWAYS REMINDED US THAT CHINATOWN HAS ALWAYS BEEN A
WORKING CLASS NEIGHBORHOOD. FINALLY. >> I WANT. TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THIS STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT ITSELF. CHINATOWN IS ONE OF BOSTON'S DENSEST NEIGHBORHOODS WITH A
LACK OF OPEN SPACE THAT IS PARTICULARLY IMPACTED BY EXTREME HEAT. AS YOU HEARD TENANTS IN THE OLDER UPSTAIRS HOUSING. STOCK IN THE COMMERCIAL SUBDISTRICT ARE SOME OF THOSE
MOST VULNERABLE TO. EXTREME HEAT WITH. INADEQUATE OR EVEN NO AIR CONDITIONING AND SOMETIMES LIVING IN OVERCROWDED APARTMENTS ON HOT SUMMER NIGHTS ,PHILLIPS SQUARE. >> IS FILLED WITH TENANTS
SITTING OUTDOORS AS THEY TRY TO COOL. OFF THE SHADE. GREENERY AND COOLING FEATURES IN THE PROPOSED DESIGN ARE URGENTLY NEEDED FOR HEAT
MITIGATION, SO WE URGE YOU TO SUPPORT THE NAMING OF TINY LEE PLAZA. AND TO FULLY FUND THIS IMPORTANT STREET PROJECTS. IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH. >> A PRESSING NEED FOR OPEN SPACE. IMPROVEMENT AND HEAT MITIGATION
. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH LYDIA. UM, AND JUST HEARING ALL OF THE INCREDIBLE TESTIMONY HERE TODAY . UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIVERSE PERSPECTIVES BECAUSE
YOU'RE ALL COMING AT IT FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE. SO JUST REALLY GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOUR TIME. UM, I WANT TO GO BACK TO, UH TO I ALMOST CALLED YOU CHAIR FLYNN. UM, BUT, UH, I WANT TO GO BACK
TO, UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN WHO IS THE LEAD SPONSOR TO SEE IF HE HAS ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR THE PANELIST. OH, AND WE HAVE BEEN JOINED BY COUNCILOR MAYNARD CULPEPER FROM DISTRICT SEVEN. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. THANK YOU. >> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR.
AND WE WE LISTENED CLOSELY TO THE PANEL AND WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE PANEL FOR THE MOVING TESTIMONY YOU PROVIDED. UM, IT WAS VERY HELPFUL TO US
AND WHAT I LEARNED MOST OR ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT THINGS I LEARNED IS THE THE ECONOMIC JUSTICE MOVEMENT IN CHINATOWN
WAS REALLY UM, A RESULT OF THE ACTIVISTS IN THE COMMUNITY INCLUDING INCLUDING TONY IN THE WAY HE UM THE WAY HE BROUGHT THIS ISSUE FORWARD.
WE WE LOOK AT CHINATOWN AS A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S THAT'S IN THE MIDDLE OF THE UM THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM. IT'S ON THE RIGHT IN THE MASS PIKE. IT'S ON ON THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM
THE TRUCK ROUTE FROM BASICALLY MAINE TO FLORIDA ACROSS THE STREET IS THE SOUTH STATION WHERE THE BUSSES ARE ON AND THE TRAINS HAVE RUNNING AND YOU
KNOW, WE SEE THE ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES WE'VE HAD WE THE THE THE SCIENTISTS COMMUNITY SAID THAT CHINATOWN HAD THE HIGHEST RATE OF ASTHMA OF ANY NEIGHBORHOOD NEIGHBORHOOD I WAS
WITH CITY COUNCIL AT THE TIME MAYOR WELL CITY COUNCIL WERE WITH THE UNITED CONCERNED SCIENTISTS AND THEY CAME UP WITH THAT STUDY. UM, BUT LET ME ASK UM LET
ME ASK TO TONY'S DAUGHTER UM, WHY WAS ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE UM SO IMPORTANT TO TO YOUR FATHER AND WHY? UM.
WHY WILL THIS WHY WILL THIS RENAMING UM LET'S PUT MORE FOCUS ON THE ISSUE OF ECONOMIC JUSTICE. ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND IS
THAT SOMETHING THAT IS THAT SOMETHING THAT IS SIGNIFICANT TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY? I GUESS THAT. YOU KNOW, I MENTIONED BRIEFLY
IN MY LITTLE TALK THAT UM, I THINK GROWING UP IN CHINATOWN AND SEEING THE THE DISREGARD
OF OF THE PLANNING SYSTEM AND WHAT THAT DID TO HIS COMMUNITY JUST UH, I THINK IMPLANTED IN HIM A PRETTY DEEP SENSE
OF INJUSTICE AND I THINK THAT THAT THAT BASICALLY INFORMED HIS HIS WHOLE CAREER. UM. >> HE WAS DEEPLY DRIVEN BY BY THOSE VALUES. YOU KNOW, HE I CAROLYN MENTIONED THAT I THINK
EVERYBODY BASICALLY MENTIONED THAT HE WAS HE CARED ABOUT PEOPLE. THE WORK HE DID WAS PLANNING AND ARCHITECTURE AND HE USED HIS EXPERIENCE AND HIS SKILLS
IN THAT TO TO IMPROVE PEOPLE'S LIVES. AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT MORE I CAN ADD TO THAT. BUT HE WAS JUST THAT WAS IT FOR HIM AND I I DO FEEL THAT THIS
PROJECT AND AGAIN LYDIA SAID EVERYBODY HAS HAS SAID WHY IT MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. THERE'S JUST SO MUCH UH IT WOULD.
I THINK YES CREATE SORT OF A LONG LASTING LEGACY NOT JUST TO MY FATHER BUT TO HIS VALUES. RIGHT. SORT OF LIKE WHAT HE CARED ABOUT AND WHAT CHINATOWN MEANT
TO HIM IS SORT OF A MAYBE A MICROCOSM OF GREATER JUSTICE IN THE WORLD. FOR WHAT? I DON'T KNOW IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION. NO, IT CERTAINLY DOES. AND THANK YOU AND THANK YOU TO
YOUR FATHER'S COMMITMENT TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE, SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THANKS. THANKS FOR CONSIDERING IT. IT FEELS VERY, UM MOMENTOUS. NO THANK YOU. UH, WE'RE HONORED TO HAVE YOU
HERE. LET ME ASK A QUESTION TO, UM, DOCTOR KAREN CROCKETT. WE LISTENED TO THE TESTIMONY HERE ABOUT HOW TONY TREATED
PEOPLE AND HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS FOR RESIDENTS TO BE TO BE RESPECTED AND TREATED WITH DIGNITY ESPECIALLY BEFORE, UM, ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE'S A PROJECT GOING ON OR ADVOCATING
FOR SOMETHING. BUT DO YOU AS A AS A PROFESSOR TEACH YOUR STUDENTS SOME OF THE LESSONS THAT TONY DEMONSTRATED THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE IN TERMS
OF BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER, LISTENING TO PEOPLE RESPECTING EACH OTHER? COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. UM, HOW ALL THAT IMPACTS IN THE UM IN GOVERNMENT? YES. >> UM, ABSOLUTELY.
THANKS FOR. >> THE QUESTION, COUNCILOR FLYNN. UM. ,YOU KNOW, TONY WAS THE PLANNERS. PLANNER SORT OF HE WAS VERY MUCH AHEAD OF HIS TIME.
UH, AND SOMEONE WHO WAS THOUGHT OF AS A RENEGADE IN THE FIELD IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY AND CONTINUES TO BE UNDERSTOOD BASED ON THESE PRINCIPLES OF LISTENING, OF THINKING ABOUT THE NEEDS OF PEOPLE, LETTING
PEOPLE'S NEEDS AND THEIR OWN POWER DECIDE WHAT PLANS UM, AND DESIGNS ARE. UM AND I. THINK WELL, I KNOW FOR ME IN MY COURSES IT IS REALLY IMPORTANT
FOR STUDENTS TO UNDERSTAND WHO HE WAS AS A PERSON, AS A FACULTY MEMBER, AS THE AS THE HEAD OF OUR DEPARTMENT AND SOMEONE WHO WAS REALLY WHO HAD HIS HIS FOOT FIRMLY IN THE ACADEMY AND FIRMLY IN THE
WORLD. SO TWO FEET AND SO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT GOVERNMENT SERVICE AND PRACTICE AND POLICY I MEAN TONY WAS IN THIS VERY BUILDING, WORKING AND THINKING AS THE HEAD OF PLANNING FOR THE
BOROUGH. UM, SOMEONE WHO WAS UNIQUELY ENGAGED, DEEPLY ENGAGED IN GOVERNMENT BUT ALSO HIS CAREER AS HIS DAUGHTER WAS JUST SAYING
WAS SO INFORMED BY WHAT HE SAW HAPPENING IN CHINATOWN AND HOW RESIDENTS WERE TREATED AND MISTREATED OFTEN UH, BASED ON THE EXPANSION OF THE CITY HIGHWAY EXPANSION. AND HE TOLD HE TOLD A STORY
ABOUT RESIDENTS IN CHINATOWN COMING TO HIM WHEN THEY RECEIVED LETTERS SAYING THAT THEIR HOMES WERE GOING TO BE TAKEN OR DEMOLISHED BEFORE BECAUSE OF THE EXPANSION OF THE
MASS PIKE AND NOW PEOPLE WERE SO UM, CONFUSED AND SCARED AND TONY BEING ABLE TO TALK TO PEOPLE ABOUT WHAT TO DO, HOW TO GET REDRESS. UM I'M SURE NOT ONLY WAS HE A
GOOD NEIGHBOR BUT WAS HE WAS ANGERED RIGHTFULLY SO BY THE MISSTEP AND OVERREACH OF GOVERNMENT AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT THOSE PERSONAL EXPERIENCES BOTH HIS OWN HIS OWN NEIGHBORS UM, WHAT WAS
HAPPENING IN CHINATOWN PROVIDED LIKE A TEXTBOOK FOR HIS PRACTICE, UM, AND HIS PROFESSIONAL TRAJECTORY. AND SO I DO TEACH THAT IN CLASS, UH, ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO TAKE YOUR VALUES AND YOUR
EXPERIENCES SERIOUSLY. UM, CERTAINLY IN MY OWN MY OWN STORY UM, IS IS ECHOES SOME OF THAT? UH, TONY WAS ALSO MY TEACHER WILL ALWAYS BE MY TEACHER AS SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTOOD THAT YOU
CAN TAKE PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES UM, TAKE ENTIRE COMMUNITIES EXPERIENCES SERIOUSLY AND LET THAT CREATE A PATH TO A DEEPER SENSE OF EQUITY AND JUSTICE. THAT IS CERTAINLY THE CASE IN BOSTON.
AND SO FOR US UM, AT MIT IN THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT IS CERTAINLY I WOULD ARGUE IN THE ARCHITECTURE DEPARTMENT. UM, HIS EXAMPLE IS ONE THAT CONTINUES TO INFORM AND INSTRUCT HOW TO TEACH PLANNERS
AND ARCHITECTS WHO WANT TO BE UM IN SYNC WITH AND UNDERSTAND UH, HIGHER LEVELS OF JUSTICE AND EQUITY THAT HAVE TO BE INFORMED BY HOW PEOPLE LIVE. I'M SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG ANSWER, BUT YOUR QUESTION IS SO IMPORTANT AND PROVOCATIVE AND
GETS RIGHT TO THE CORE OF WHY WE'RE HERE SO ABSOLUTELY. UM AND IT IS SOMETHING ALL OF US SHOULD HAVE A PLAZA THAT MAKES US STOP AND SAY WHO WAS TONY LEE? WHAT WAS HIS LIFE AND WHAT DOES
IT MEAN FOR THIS COMMUNITY? AND THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT. RIGHT. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU CAROLYN. AND UM I'M GOING TO ASK ONE MORE QUESTION. I DO WANT TO GIVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MY COLLEAGUES TO TO ASK QUESTIONS.
UM, BUT MAYBE I'LL GO TO ALICE AND ALICE ONE ONE SUB ONE PART OF THE DISCUSSION WE I THINK CAROLYN KIND OF MENTIONED IT BRIEFLY BUT ONE ONE THING WE
REALLY DIDN'T DISCUSS WAS THE. YOU KNOW, THE ANTI-ASIAN RACISM THAT WE'VE SEEN ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE WE JUST LOOK AT THE EXAMPLE OF THE BUILDING A
TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD BUILT MOSTLY BY THE CHINESE LABORERS ,IRISH LABORERS, UM, THE CHINESE LABORERS DIDN'T GET ANY RECOGNITION. UH, WE'RE NOT.
WE'RE NOT TREATED WITH RESPECT. THAT FAMOUS PHOTO OUTSIDE OF SALT LAKE CITY WHEN THEY WERE DOING BASICALLY THE RIBBON CUTTING THERE WASN'T ONE CHINESE PERSON OR ASIAN PERSON I SHOULD SAY.
AND IN THE PHOTO. UM WE ALSO WE ALSO HAVE WE ALSO KNOW ABOUT THE ANTI-ASIAN RACISM THAT TAKES PLACE HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS AND ACROSS THE
COUNTRY. I'VE I'VE WITNESSED IT DURING COVID 19 WHEN UM, HATE CRIMES ACTUALLY WENT UP HERE IN MASSACHUSETTS WHEN PEOPLE KIND OF ASSOCIATED THE ASIAN
COMMUNITY WITH WITH COVID 19. UM, BUT WHAT WHAT IMPACT DID RACISM HAVE ON UM THE THE TONY
OR THE OR THE HIS GENERATION IN TERMS OF TEACHING OR WORKING IN IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WASN'T ALWAYS THAT WELCOMING TO
CHINESE OR ASIAN UM, EDUCATORS OR LEADERS IN THE CITY AND CERTAINLY TEARING DOWN THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM. UM, UM HAD AN IMPACT AND I THINK SOME OF THAT WAS UH,
RACIST AS WELL. BUT WHAT DO YOU WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS AS A HISTORIAN THAT STUDIES THESE ISSUES? THROUGH THROUGH THROUGH MANY YEARS?
THE THE CHINESE IN THE UNITED STATES HAVE EXPERIENCED UH, DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT BECAUSE OF BEING MISUNDERSTOOD .
UM, MANY PEOPLE DID NOT TAKE THE TIME TO KNOW THE CHINESE BETTER UH, TO UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE, THE WORK ETHIC BEHIND WHAT MOTIVATED THEM TO TO BE
WHERE THEY WERE. I MEAN, THEY THE FIRST CHINESE COMING TO THE UNITED STATES WERE JUST LIKE ANYBODY ELSE. UH, THERE WERE DIFFICULTIES AT
HOME. UM, IN TERMS OF GOVERNMENTAL CONFLICTS. UM UH NATURAL DISASTERS. SO THEY AS ANYBODY. ELSE ELSE.
IN THE WORLD UH, WE'RE LOOKING FOR DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT AND I THINK THAT WHAT THE CHINESE EXPERIENCE THROUGH THE MANY
YEARS OF THIS OF THE EXCLUSION. ACTS IS CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW. UM, DESPICABLE.
HOWEVER, IT ALSO LED TO MANY OF THEM TO RISE ABOVE WHAT THEY WERE EXPERIENCING TO SEE BEYOND
THE IMMEDIATE DIFFICULTIES AND CHALLENGES THAT THEY HAD. AND I THINK THAT TONY IS A WONDERFUL EXAMPLE, UH, RISING
ABOVE WHAT HE AND OTHER MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY WERE EXPERIENCING TO TRY TO GIVE A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE TO EVERYBODY INVOLVED. UM.
>> I HOPE THAT THAT ANSWERS A BIT OF YOUR QUESTION. UM, IN DEALING WITH THIS QUESTION. ,UH. >> OVERALL UM I'VE BEEN ASKED THIS ON ON DIFFERENT FROM
DIFFERENT ANGLES AND I THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT THE THE PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE BEFORE US UH, YES HAD
MANY, MANY CHALLENGES BUT THOSE THAT REALLY. UH. >> STRIVE TO BE BETTER. HAVE UM. HAVE COME OUT. UM ON. TOP IF YOU WILL UH.
IN THE COMMUNITY AND TO GIVE BACK JUST LIKE TONY DOES UH DID IN HIS OWN TIME. WELL WELL THANK YOU ALICE. THE THE ANSWER WAS EXCELLENT
AND I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU ALSO FOR EDUCATING CHINESE BUT ALSO THE GENERAL PUBLIC ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTIONS THE THE
SACRIFICES THAT THE CHINESE CHINESE AMERICAN COMMUNITY HAS MADE TO OUR CITY AND TO OUR TO OUR NATION. I'VE SEEN IT FIRSTHAND SERVING SERVING IN THE U.S. NAVY FOR 20
SOMETHING YEARS AND ON ACTIVE DUTY AND SERVING IN A WAR. BUT I'VE I'VE SERVED ALONGSIDE, YOU KNOW, ASIAN ASIAN-AMERICAN YOUNG MEN, YOUNG WOMEN WILLING
TO RISK THEIR LIFE AND THEIR THEIR THEIR AS AMERICAN AS AS I AM AND I STILL THINK ABOUT THEM RISKING THEIR LIFE FOR OUR NATION. BUT ON THE OTHER SIDE ON THE
OTHER END I THINK OF THEIR UM THEIR PARENTS OF THE NEPHEW OR THE NIECE OF THEIR GRANDMOTHER AND GREAT CITIES LIKE BOSTON OR CHICAGO A SAN FRANCISCO STILL
BEING SUBJECTED TO RACISM. BUT I I DO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO YOU AND TO THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY FOR UM, ALWAYS ALWAYS EDUCATING US ON HOW IMPORTANT
AND SIGNIFICANT THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE CHINESE AND CHINESE COMMUNITY ARE TO OUR CITY AND TO OUR COUNTRY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN. UM AND THANK YOU TO THIS
AMAZING PANEL. UM, SO NEXT WE'RE GOING TO GO TO COUNCILOR MURPHY. UM, AND THEN COUNCILOR CULPEPPER WE DON'T HAVE ANY TIME LIMITS TO JUST ASK WHAT QUESTIONS YOU'D LIKE TO ASK OF THE PANEL. THANK YOU. >> UM. THANK YOU.
TO THE PANELIST. I WANT TO THANK YOU, COUNCILOR FLYNN AND YOUR TEAM FOR CONVENING THIS OUTSTANDING PANEL WHEN WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, A
GROUP LIKE ALICE FROM THE CHINESE HISTORICAL SOCIETY. KAYLA OBVIOUSLY HERE FOR YOUR DAD, YOUR FAMILY DOCTOR CROCKET FROM MIT AND FROM THE ASIAN
SEAS CDC AND CHINATOWN MASTER PLAN SHALWAR THANK YOU FOR. YOUR I THINK I PRONOUNCE. CORRECTLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR YOU KNOW, JUST TESTIMONY AND UM
NOT IN CHINATOWN OFTEN AFTER DARK BUT UM, DO KNOW DURING THE DAY SEE THAT YOU KNOW WHAT LITTLE OPEN SPACES THERE ARE THERE ARE DEFINITELY USED.
SO UM, AND ALSO LYDIA FROM THE COMMUNITY LAND TRUST AND BC JUST WANTED TO NAME THAT AGAIN. SO IF ANYONE'S LISTENING AND JUST HEARING YOU KNOW, THIS EXPERT PANEL WHO KNOWS BETTER
THAN UM YOU KNOW ANY ONE OF OR AT LEAST ME. SO I WANT TO THANK YOU AND TO JUST SAY HOW YOU KNOW NAMES MATTER, RIGHT? IT DOES MATTER.
AND WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT YOUR DAD, A PROFESSOR AT MIT, IT REMINDED. ME OF MY GRANDFATHER WHO. >> WAS. A CUSTODIAN AT MIT. BUT THE RICHARD J. MURPHY SCHOOL IS. NAMED AFTER HIM AND PEOPLE. OFTEN WOULD. ASK ME.
YOU KNOW, WAS. >> HE FAMOUS? WAS HE A POLITICIAN A PROFESSOR OR SOMETHING? AND I WOULD SAY WELL NO, HE CLEANED THE TOILETS AT. MIT BUT HE HAD. >> AN IMPACT ON. >> HIS COMMUNITY RIGHT? LIKE HE DID SO MUCH.
AND JUST WANTED TO READ SOME OF THE WORDS UM THAT I WROTE DOWN WHEN YOU WERE ALL SPEAKING . VISIONARY. BREAKTHROUGH. IMPACTFUL. POWERFUL. TOWERING CONNECTION.
PEOPLE. COMMUNITY. LOOK INSIDE. UM ALWAYS THINKING OF THE LONG GAME RESPECT UM DOING WHAT WAS GOOD. >> FOR THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S YOU KNOW WHAT I TOOK AWAY FROM ALL OF WHAT YOU WERE SAYING AND JUST. THINK. >> YOU KNOW, KAYLA, YOU MUST BE SO PROUD, RIGHT? THAT AND YOU OBVIOUSLY SHARED YOUR DAD FOR SO TO SO MANY
PEOPLE. >> BUT. UM, A LIFE WELL LIVED AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE NAMING MORE THAN JUST THIS SQUARE BUT AND OFTEN THINKING HOW HOW DO WE ADVOCATE AND IT MAKES ME WANT
TO ADVOCATE EVEN MORE FOR THE CHINATOWN COMMUNITY. I'M SORRY BUT UM WANTED TO SAY ALSO A THOUGHT I HAD ABOUT UM
WHEN WHEN IT'S BUILT AND WHEN THE NAME IS THERE AND MAYBE IT WILL ALREADY BE PART OF IT BUT WHEN I GO TO HERO SQUARES ALONG WITH COUNCILOR FLYNN AND THE BOSTON VETERANS COMMITTEE UM
COMMISSION DOES UM QR CODES. SO ANY TIME AT THE HEROES SQUARE LOCATION SO YOU CAN TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE AND SCAN IT AND IT GIVES YOU THE YOU KNOW, HISTORY OF WHY LIKE WHO WAS
THIS SOLDIER? WHY DID YOU KNOW WHAT WHAT SACRIFICES DID THEY MAKE? LET'S, UM MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS A PLAQUE SOMEWHERE IN THIS PARK SO THAT THOSE WHO ARE VISITING CAN LEARN ABOUT YOUR
FATHER AND WHY IT WAS SO IMPORTANT AND THE LASTING. YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY WHEN I OFTEN SAY AS AN AT LARGE CITY COUNCILOR ALSO THAT YOU KNOW, WHAT WE DO IN HIGH PARK IMPACTS ROXBURY, RIGHT?
LIKE WHAT WE'RE DOING IN CHINATOWN IMPACTS MY NEIGHBORHOOD IN DORCHESTER AND MATTAPAN. SO IT'S IMPORTANT THAT ALL OF US WHICH I BELIEVE WE WILL SUPPORT AND SEE THIS THROUGH. SO LOOKING FORWARD TO THE
BIGGER RIBBON CUTTING BUT YOU KNOW HONORING YOUR FATHER IN SUCH A MEANINGFUL WAY. SO THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILOR MURPHY, COUNCILOR CULPEPER AND I AND I KNOW I'M TAKING A RISK BY
GIVING YOU UNLIMITED TIME. NO. JUST APPRECIATE. UH, THE. NO TIME LIMITS. I WISH COUNCILOR WEBER WAS HERE BECAUSE YOU'RE SETTING A
PRECEDENT. BUT I THANK YOU. I THANK COUNCILOR FLYNN, UH, AS A CO-SPONSOR FOR BRINGING FORWARD THIS IMPORTANT CONVERSATION. THE STOCK THAT SITS AT THE
INTERSECTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, PUBLIC SPACE AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION CHINATOWN IS ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY POPULATED NEIGHBORHOODS IN
BOSTON. AND HERE I WON'T GO THROUGH THIS SUMMARY THAT THEY GAVE ME, BUT I REMEMBER CHINATOWN AS A
JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT GRADUATED FROM THE WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT AND PRIOR AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DID THAT DAY TO CELEBRATE OUR GRADUATING
FROM HIGH SCHOOL, ALL OF US WENT TO CHINATOWN FOR DINNER AS A 15 YEAR OLD AND WHAT AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE IT WAS.
OUR PARENTS LET US GO ON OUR OWN, BUT CHINATOWN WAS THAT KIND OF COMMUNITY. YOU COULD GO BE SAFE, HAVE FUN ,HAVE GOOD FOOD AND REALLY
FEEL LIKE IT'S HOME. AND SO WHEN I LOOK AT UH BRINGING THIS FORWARD AND GOOD TO SEE DOCTOR CROCKETT AND I SEE HE'S MEMORIALIZED IN YOUR
BOOK PEOPLE BEFORE HIGHWAYS AND UH, WHEN I THINK ABOUT COMMUNITY, THIS IS WHAT I PULLED UP. UM. >> BECAUSE ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN ADVOCATING IS
THAT WHEN WE RENAME STREETS AND PLAZAS, WE DO IT IN THE NAME OF SOMEONE THAT HELPED CREATE IT SO THAT THE YOUNG FOLKS CAN ACTUALLY SEE THAT IT'S POSSIBLE
FOR THEM TO DO IT TOO. WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP NAMELESS TREES BACK TO THE 1900S TO BRING FOLKS THAT WE NEED TO DO IT FOR FOLKS LIKE UH, SARAH AND
SHAR THAT ACTUALLY LIVED IT SO WE CAN HELP TELL THE STORY. SO LET ME READ THIS TO YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND THEN I DO HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. I DON'T THINK I'LL GO TO THEM BUT LET ME JUST READ THIS THE
LEGACY OF TONY LEE PRESERVING THE HISTORY OF BOSTON CHINATOWN BOSTON CHINATOWN LOST A PILLAR OF ITS COMMUNITY THIS SUMMER AT MIT PROFESSOR EMERITUS TONY
LEE, AN URBAN PLANNER, ARCHITECT AND HISTORIAN DIED IN JULY OF COMPLICATIONS FROM CANCER. LEE IMMIGRATED FROM CHINA IN
1938 AT THE AGE OF SEVEN, SPENT HIS LIFE SHAPING THE GROWTH IN THE BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD, ALWAYS WORKING TO PRESERVE ITS HISTORY WITH AN EYE TOWARD THE FUTURE,
TURNING LEE'S RESEARCH FOCUS ON COMMUNITY BASED DESIGN AND ENGAGEMENT. HIS BOSTON CHINATOWN ATLAS I THINK THAT'S WHAT HAS REALLY POPPED OUT OF ME HIS CHINATOWN
ATLAS, AN INTERACTIVE ONLINE PLATFORM DOCUMENTING THE HISTORY OF BOSTON'S CHINATOWN URBAN PLANNERS AND HISTORIANS. HISTORIANS SAY THE ATLAS IS ONE
OF A KIND PROJECT WHICH WILL TEACH NEW GENERATIONS ABOUT THE CITY'S HISTORY. AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT TEACHING THESE YOUNG FOLKS ABOUT OUR CITY'S HISTORY AND
YOU THINK ABOUT THIS PLAZA BEING ANTHONY LEE, IT REALLY RAISES FOR ME SOME OF THE THINGS WE'RE DEALING WITH IN ROXBURY, ESPECIALLY WITH THAT
CENTER BUSTLING AND TRYING TO SHAPE IT IN A WAY WHERE IT WILL TEACH YOUNG FOLKS THE FUTURE OF WHAT CHINATOWN IS, HOW
SPECIAL CHINATOWN HAS BEEN, HOW SPECIAL CHINATOWN IS AND HOW SPECIAL BASED ON HOW WE SHAPE AND HOW WE NAME DIFFERENT
HISTORICAL PLACES THAT WILL PRESERVE THE FUTURE FOR MANY, MANY YEARS TO COME. AND SO WHEN I THINK ABOUT THIS AND I LOOK AT WHAT WE'RE STRUGGLING WITH AND RIGHT WITH
HOW DO WE PRESERVE THE HISTORY ,THIS IS REALLY TEACHING ME THAT EVEN THOUGH ROXBURY LIKE CHINATOWN TREE CANOPIES
ARE AN ISSUE UH, TRYING TO PRESERVE OPEN SPACE UM, I THINK AS WE BEGIN TO LOOK AT HOW THE
CITY PRESERVES ITS HISTORY IN A WAY THAT THE HISTORY IS MANIFESTED BASED ON THOSE THAT HELPED CREATE IT. SO I THINK THIS IS A TESTAMENT TO SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY
NEED TO START THINKING ABOUT IN ROXBURY. HOW DO WE PRESERVE BLUE HILL AVENUE IN A WAY THAT THE YOUNG FOLKS 50 YEARS FROM NOW WILL KNOW THAT MINYARD CULPEPER
FOUGHT AND WORKED HARD TO CREATE WHATEVER WE END UP WITH IN THE WIDESPREAD GROVE. AND SO LOOK, I SAY LET'S DO IT. UH, I DON'T HAVE ANY QUESTIONS.
UM, I JUST THINK IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE NEED TO DO AND BUILD UPON IT AS UH MAINTAINING THE HISTORY BASED ON THOSE THAT
ACTUALLY HELP DEVELOP AND PRESERVE IT AND AND YOU KNOW, THE GOOD THING ABOUT TURNING LEE WASN'T JUST FOCUS ON CHINATOWN. I MEAN, HE'S IN THAT BOOK
PEOPLE BEFORE I WAS A DOCTOR, CROCKETT, UH, WROTE AND THAT'S CELEBRATED TODAY. SO LET'S CELEBRATE. UH, I WANT TO BE AT THE CELEBRATION. DON'T FORGET MY NAME OFF THAT LIST.
I WANT TO BE AT THAT. AND THANK YOU FOR COMING TO WHAT A GREAT PANEL. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILOR CULPEPER. UM, SO I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO
THE LEAD SPONSOR, COUNCILOR FLYNN IF HE HAS ANY ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS. UM AND THEN I DO WE DO HAVE SOME TESTIMONY AS WELL. SO, UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND THANK YOU FOR GIVING UH,
GIVE ME ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY. I DO WANT TO ASK A QUESTION TO MY MY GOOD FRIEND. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT ABOUT THIS RENAMING BUT FOCUSING
LYDIA ON CHINATOWN, HAVING SO FEW PUBLIC SPACES SUCH AS TAI TUNG PARK AS YOU KNOW ON UM ON TYLER STREET UH, THAI TUNG
VILLAGE PROBABLY THE SMALLEST, SMALLEST PARK MAYBE IN THE CITY OF BOSTON. UM, I KNOW YOU ARE ALSO WORKING LYDIA ON REGGIE WONG PARK.
UH, RIGHT IN THIS HEART OF THE AREA THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WITH THE HIGHWAY SYSTEM WAS AND LYDIA LEE WAS WORKING WITH MYSELF AND SOME LEGISLATORS AARON MICHAEL WATTS AND NICK
COLLINS ON ON REALLY MAKING THIS PARK SOMETHING FOR THE COMMUNITY. UM, LYDIA TALKED TO ME ABOUT ECONOMIC JUSTICE ISSUES AND WHY
IS THIS IMPORTANT TO RENAME THIS AREA AFTER MONEY AS IT RELATES TO ECONOMIC JUSTICE AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE?
I DON'T KNOW IF. TONY USUALLY USED THE WORDS ECONOMIC. JUSTICE. >> BUT HIS LIFE WAS ALL ABOUT ECONOMIC. JUSTICE BECAUSE YOU KNOW, HE.
UM HE BELIEVED IN. UM. >> THE STRENGTH OF. YOU KNOW, WHAT WAS A POOR IMMIGRANT WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY, YOU KNOW, THAT RAISED HIM AND HE DIDN'T HAVE
ANY ILLUSIONS ABOUT YOU KNOW, HE HE WAS VERY FOND OF HIS CHILDHOOD. HE REMAINED LOYAL TO CHINATOWN THROUGH HIS WHOLE LIFE. BUT HE WAS ALSO LIKE, YOU KNOW. THERE WERE RATS AND ROACHES AND
YOU KNOW, WE WERE STRUGGLING AND YOU KNOW, WE WERE LUCKY BECAUSE WE WERE ONE OF THE FIRST ONES TO HAVE A BATHROOM. BUT BACK IN THOSE DAYS WE DIDN'T HAVE BATHROOMS AND UM, YOU KNOW, AND THOSE YOU KNOW,
SO I THINK THAT TUNNEY'S LIFE WAS ABOUT REALLY IDENTIFYING WITH THE STRUGGLES OF PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, WHO HAD HUMBLE BEGINNINGS BUT THAT WHO
DESERVED WHOSE LIVES DESERVED RESPECT JUST LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE. UM, AND THAT'S WHAT HE FOUGHT FOR WHEN HE FOUGHT THE YOU KNOW, THE ENCROACHMENT OF THE HIGHWAY. UM. >> BECAUSE HE WASN'T ABLE TO
PREVENT IT, YOU KNOW, IN CHINATOWN. UM, AND AND I THINK HE REALLY TAUGHT GENERATIONS OF ACTIVISTS
IN CHINATOWN TO KIND OF STAY TRUE TO OUR GOALS. AND AT THE SAME TIME HE WAS EMINENTLY PRACTICAL. AND SO, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES
HE'D SCOLD ME BUT ALWAYS BUT ALWAYS HE WAS ENCOURAGING TO AND HE ALWAYS TOLD US LIKE WE HAVE TO COME TOGETHER. EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY YOU KNOW, WE HAVE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVES BUT WE NEED EACH OTHER AND UM YEAH. SO I AND I THINK IN TERMS OF AND YOU KNOW, AGAIN I DON'T THINK ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE,
YOU KNOW, WAS A TERM THAT HE USED A LOT BUT HE REALLY BELIEVED IN, YOU KNOW, IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE AND THAT, YOU KNOW, CHINATOWN DESERVED UM, OPEN SPACES JUST
LIKE OTHER COMMUNITIES UM, DO. AND I JUST WANT TO CLARIFY ALSO UM, FOR THE RECORD BECAUSE UM, YOU KNOW, THE UH, AMY FROM THE
ADMINISTRATION WAS TALKING ABOUT THE PROCESS OF RENAMING VERSUS THE PROCESS OF NAMING AND UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A WHOLE DISCUSSION ABOUT THIS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE
ORIGINALLY WERE LIKE LET'S RENAME PHILLIP SQUARE AND THEN WE LOOKED INTO WELL, WHO IS PHILLIP SQUARE NAMED AFTER? AND WE SAID, WELL WAIT A SECOND, WE DON'T ACTUALLY WANT TO RENAME PHILLIP SQUARE
BECAUSE WE'RE NOT AGAINST THE PERSON WHOSE PHILLIP SQUARE WAS NAMED FOR. YOU KNOW, ALSO REALLY DESERVED THAT HONOR. BUT WE WE JUST WE WANT TO NAME THIS PROJECT AS TINY LEE PLAZA
. UM AND THEN YOU KNOW, WE REQUESTED THIS HEARING BECAUSE WE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WASN'T A REALLY CLEAR PROCESS. FOR. >> YOU KNOW, FOR REQUESTING THAT. AND SO WE SAID WELL, LET'S JUST
YOU KNOW, LET'S ASK FOR A CITY COUNCIL HEARING TO MAKE OUR CASE. UM. >> YOU KNOW, SO THAT THAT CAN GIVE THE CITY SOMETHING TO DECIDE. >> UM, THE LEAD SPONSOR OF THIS HE'S BEEN DOGGED TO GET THIS HEARING DONE. SO COUNCILOR FLYNN, I WANT TO
THANK YOU FOR I KNOW THAT IT'S A BUSY TIME IN THE COUNCIL SCHEDULE AND I KNOW AS CHAIR I REALLY TRIED TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN, BUT I JUST WANT TO SAY HE HAS BEEN DOGGED BY BOTH TALKING TO THE ADMINISTRATION
AND TO MY OFFICE. SO I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THAT PERSISTENCE BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S NOT EASY. IT'S NOT AN EASY TIME TO GET A HEARING SCHEDULED SO. WELL WELL THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU FOR THOSE KIND WORDS
AND THANK YOU LYDIA FOR THAT RESPONSE. AND MAYBE I'LL JUST FINISH IT WITH ONE FINAL QUESTION ALSO TO
TO OUR WONDERFUL FRIEND UM ON AND ANGIE WE LISTENED WE LISTENED TO THE EXAMPLE OF TONY TALKING ABOUT CHINATOWN BEING A
WORKING CLASS COMMUNITY THAT RESPECTS OUR IMMIGRANT ROOTS. THAT'S WHAT YOU'VE DONE BUILDING HOUSING FOR WORKING
CLASS FAMILIES FOR OUR SENIORS, RECOGNIZING THE CONTRIBUTIONS OF OUR CHINESE RESIDENTS AS WELL. IS THIS SOMETHING THAT YOU HAVE ALSO LEARNED AS YOU CONTINUE TO
ADVOCATE FOR BUILDING HOUSING AND TO MAKE SURE THAT CHINATOWN IS IS A NEIGHBORHOOD THAT WELCOMES WORKING CLASS FAMILIES
AND AND IMMIGRANTS AS WELL. UM, YES. UH. THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. UM. I THINK. YOU KNOW, UM. TONY REMINDED.
US THAT UM AND I THINK. WHAT WAS. REALLY UNIQUE. UM. >> FOR A PLANNER FROM THAT ERA WAS THAT UM, SO I THINK. MANY OF THE. >> EARLIER PLANNERS WERE SO ENAMORED WITH. THESE MEGA PROJECTS. UM.
>> OVERWHELMING PROJECTS THAT. UM YOU. LOOK AT A. >> LOT OF THE RENDERINGS OF BIG . PROJECTS FROM. >> THE 1950S. >> EVEN. THROUGHOUT THE 70S. UM. >> RENDERINGS SHOWED ONLY BUILDINGS BUT VERY FEW PEOPLE.
UM OR THE. PEOPLE YOU KNOW, ALMOST. RESEMBLED ANTS. AND SO I. THINK BECAUSE OF. HIS EXPERIENCE. OF GROWING UP IN A WORKING CLASS IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY LIKE
CHINATOWN. UM, HE REALLY. REMINDED ALL OF US THAT UM. IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE. SO WHENEVER WE'RE. CREATING BUILDINGS, AFFORDABLE HOUSING. >> OR WHATNOT IT'S. REALLY ABOUT.
MAKING SURE THAT. THE PLACE. REMAINS A, UH A. COMMUNITY WHERE, UM, THOSE. WORKING CLASS. IMMIGRANT RESIDENTS, UM, CAN
REMAIN THERE. UM, AND AS SOMETHING THAT WE ALSO TRY TO THINK ABOUT AND BALANCE. RIGHT. UM, EVEN WHEN WE THINK ABOUT UH ,YOU KNOW, HISTORIC
PRESERVATION ROW HOUSES AND WHATNOT, IT'S TRYING TO BALANCE PRESERVING THE HISTORY AND THE BUILDINGS OF CHINATOWN. BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
REALLY IS ABOUT THE PEOPLE BECAUSE AS WE'VE SEEN IN OTHER CHINATOWNS, UM, ACROSS THE UNITED STATES, NOT ALL OF THEM UM.
ARE UH. AS VIBRANT AS FAST AS CHINATOWN EVEN THOUGH MAYBE OURS IS NOT AS PHYSICALLY AS LARGE. AS NEW. >> YORK OR. >> SAN FRANCISCO. BUT WE. >> DO HAVE. A LOT OF RESIDENTS HERE AND THAT IS BECAUSE. WE HAVE.
OVER THE YEARS. AS A COMMUNITY FOUGHT. FOR SUCCESSFULLY. A LOT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT ENABLES NOT ONLY. SENIORS BUT FAMILIES UM.
UH, WITH. ADULT IMMIGRANTS AND CHILDREN, UM, TO LIVE HERE, YOU KNOW, YOU GO TO CHINATOWN, YOU KNOW, UM IN THE MID-AFTERNOON YOU. WILL SEE UM, KIDS GETTING
DROPPED OFF, YOU KNOW, COMING OUT OF THE SCHOOLS. FROM LIKE QUINCY AND OTHER SCHOOLS. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY. >> THE CASE IN LET'S SAY DC'S CHINATOWN. RIGHT? THEY HAVE ONLY SEVERAL HUNDRED
UM, CHINESE ELDERS LIVING THERE AND IT'S PRETTY SAD. WELL THANK YOU ANGIE. AND I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS I DO WHEN I VISIT A CITY IF I'M IF I'M
TRAVELING I LIKE TO SEE THE CHINATOWN AND I LIKE TO WALK AROUND AND SEE HOW THE COMMUNITY INTERACTS AND HOW LARGE IT IS AND SEE HOW MANY RESIDENTS ARE LIVING THERE
WHETHER IT'S IN WASHINGTON D.C. OR ON MANHATTAN OR BROOKLYN. UM, BUT BUT YOU ARE RIGHT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE KEEP AND PRESERVE THIS WORKING CLASS
NEIGHBORHOOD TO CELEBRATE OUR IMMIGRANT ROOTS AND WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE INCREDIBLE PANEL FOR BEING HERE. UM, MADAM CHAIR, I KNOW WE DO HAVE PUBLIC TESTIMONY SO I, I DON'T WANT TO ASK ANY MORE
QUESTIONS, BUT THANK YOU FOR, UM, THIS IMPORTANT HEARING. >> MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILOR FLYNN. UM, I DO THE SAME THING ONLY YOU SOUND MORE ANTHROPOLOGICAL . I AM A BIG FOODIE SO I DO THE SAME THING. BUT I.
USUALLY TRAVELING. THROUGH JUST TRYING TO TASTE, UM, SOME OF THE CHEAP EATS. UM, I HAD A GREAT EXPERIENCE IN SAN FRANCISCO'S CHINATOWN AND I GOT. >> A LITTLE. >> TOO FALL.
SO, UM, SO IT'S JUST INTERESTING UM, INTERESTING THAT WE BOTH DO THAT. UM BUT GRATEFUL UM, I DO HAVE ONE QUESTION AND THEN I THINK WE'RE GOING TO GO TO PUBLIC
TESTIMONY UNLESS UNLESS THERE ARE OTHER QUESTIONS FOR MY COLLEAGUES. I JUST WANT TO ASK A VERY SPECIFIC QUESTION ABOUT WHERE THE IDEA CAME FROM. AND THEN SECOND, UM, HOW THE
HOW YOU FORMED THE PETITION AND JUST LIKE WHAT WENT INTO THAT AS A COMMUNITY AND THAT MIGHT BE FOR ALICE OR FOR FOR UH I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S FOR LYDIA OR ALICE OR ANGIE.
I THINK WELL, THE IDEA CAME I SPOKE ABOUT THAT DESIGN CHARRETTE. UM, IT WAS ACTUALLY AT THE SASAKI OFFICE WHERE ALL OF THESE DIFFERENT YOU KNOW,
IT'S LIKE I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE 8000 PEOPLE, 100 PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT RESIDENTS, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND WE HAD ALL THESE DIFFERENT BREAKOUT GROUPS TALKING ABOUT HOW WE
WANTED THE PHILIP SQUARE PROJECT TO COME TOGETHER AND THIS YOU KNOW, REALLY IT WAS REALLY AMAZING HOW OUR ALL THESE GROUPS STARTED TALKING ABOUT THIS WAS A WAY TO UM,
MAKE VISIBLE CHINATOWN'S HISTORY AND THAT AS A SECOND GATEWAY INTO CHINATOWN INSTEAD OF IT YOU KNOW, WE HAVE ALREADY KIND OF THE TRADITIONAL GATE ON
THE OTHER SIDE BUT PEOPLE REALLY WANTED THIS TO SPEAK TO CHINATOWN'S HISTORY. SO THAT WAS SO INTERESTING AND INSPIRING THAT EVERYBODY ARRIVED AT THAT UM, SEPARATELY
AND AND THIS WAS DURING THE REPORT BACKS FROM THE DIFFERENT GROUPS AND SO DURING THOSE REPORT BACKS UM SO WHEN WHO'S IN THE AUDIENCE DO YOU WANT TO
STAND UP WHEN. YOU WHEN DOES AN ARTIST WHO IS IS WORKING ON THE THE WORKERS STATUE PROJECT UM TO UM CREATE
UH LIFE STATUES OF CHINA OF IMMIGRANT LABORERS AND FOR POINTS AROUND CHINATOWN AND HE WAS AT THAT UM CHARETTE ALSO AND AS HE WAS LEAVING HE KIND
OF SAID TO ME WHY IS IT YOU KNOW, WHY DO WE KEEP JUST CALLING IT THE PHILIP SQUARE PROJECT? WE SHOULD CALL IT THE TINY. LEAP SQUARE PROJECT. AND SO THEN HE. LEFT BUT I WAS LIKE THAT'S A
GREAT IDEA. SO I BROUGHT IT UP AT THE END OF THAT FULL PLENARY AND ASKED EVERYBODY IN THE ROOM WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS IDEA? AND PEOPLE JUST LIKE ALL STARTED CLAPPING AND SAYING
THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA. IT SEEMED REALLY FITTING, YOU KNOW, KNOWING THAT UM, TONY HAD GROWN UP JUST AROUND THE CORNER AND UM. SO IT. >> STARTED THIS HAS A VERY GRASSROOTS ORIGINATION OF JUST
PEOPLE BEING IN THE SAME ROOM, WHICH ACTUALLY SOUNDS REALLY FITTING TO TONY'S HISTORY. OF PLANNING. IT'S KIND OF LIKE A LITTLE SERENDIPITOUS THAT THAT IS THE
WAY THIS CAME ABOUT AND UM, I'M JUST CURIOUS UM, IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL PETITION, HOW WAS THAT FORMED AND WHO WAS INVOLVED? SO THEN.
AFTER THAT, UM. WE KIND OF CALLED A ZOOM MEETING TOGETHER AND UH, JUST BROUGHT TOGETHER SOME OF THE LIKELY SUSPECTS BUT IT WAS
REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE IT WAS ACROSS THE SPECTRUM OF LIKE YOU KNOW, THERE'S CERTAIN CHINATOWN ORGANIZATIONS THAT WORK TOGETHER ALL THE TIME LIKE THE LAND TRUST AND SDC WORKED TOGETHER A LOT.
BUT THERE OTHER ORGANIZATIONS THAT DON'T NECESSARILY, YOU KNOW, WORK TOGETHER ALL THE TIME. AND SO, YOU KNOW, IN THIS ZOOM CALL, YOU KNOW, JUST TO SAY HEY ,WHAT WHAT DO PEOPLE THINK
OF THIS IDEA? UM, IT WAS JUST UNANIMOUS. YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY REALLY LIKED THIS IDEA. AND SO BASED ON THE CONVERSATION I DRAFTED THE
PETITION AND THE FIRST PETITION WAS SAYING LET'S RENAME TONY LEE THIS AS TONY LEE SQUARE. BUT THEN WE LOOKED INTO THE PROCESS AND WE ALSO LOOKED INTO
WHO WAS PHILIP'S. IT WASN'T CLEAR WE JUST CALL IT PHILIP SQUARE. NOBODY KNEW IT WAS FOR OLIVER WENDELL PHILLIPS, YOU KNOW, UNTIL WE DID THAT RESEARCH AND IT TOOK SOME DIGGING BEFORE WE
COULD FIND OUT. UM, SO THEN WE CALLED ANOTHER ZOOM MEETING AND WE SAID OKAY, WHAT DO WE WANT TO DO? DO WE WANT TO RENAME PHILIP SQUARE OR DO WE WANT TO NAME
TONY LEE PLAZA AS A SEPARATE THING OR DO WE WANT TO NAME A DIFFERENT SQUARE? WE COULD NAME HARRISON AVENUE AND OXFORD PLACE AS TONY LEE
SQUARE AND SO WE YOU KNOW WE DISCUSSED IT AND UM CAME TO THE IDEA THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO CANCEL OUT UM, PHILIP SQUARE
BUT WE DO BELIEVE THAT TONY LEE DESERVES, YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF HONOR. AND SO WE PROPOSED. TO. >> UM. >> NAME THE. PROJECT ON THE LEE PLAZA. YEAH. >> AND TO ME THIS IS FASCINATING BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE
CHINESE HISTORY, UM, IS ONE OF I MEAN, IT SOUNDS LIKE HE CARED A LOT ABOUT ORAL HISTORY AND A LOT ABOUT THE COMMUNITY AND A LOT ABOUT LIKE THAT COMMUNITY BUILDING ELEMENT
OF OF PLANNING. AND SO THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE AT A PLANNING MEETING HAD AN IDEA ABOUT HIM BEING IT'S JUST KIND OF A REALLY INCREDIBLE UM IT
SPEAKS A LOT TO TO WHO HE WAS. AND THERE WERE OTHER PEOPLE. WHO I KNOW SUBMITTED UM, WRITTEN TESTIMONY. OR WERE GOING TO UM. TWO OF HIS PARTNERS ON THE
CHINATOWN ATLAS PROJECT REALLY WANTED TO SUPPORT THIS IDEA BUT COULDN'T BE HERE TODAY. SO THEY DID SEND WRITTEN TESTIMONY. >> AND I'LL JUST SAY ONE. >> CAN YOU TO ACCEPT PUBLIC TESTIMONY UNTIL YOU KNOW AND WE'LL MAKE IT PART OF UH, THIS
HEARING. SO IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO AFTER THIS WANTS TO SEND ANYTHING IN UM AND I DO THINK WE'RE GOING TO PACKAGE THAT UP AND WE WILL SEND THAT TO THOSE THAT MAKE DECISIONS AT THE PARK AS WELL.
AND I KNOW UH, MANY PEOPLE PROBABLY HAVE HEARD OF HELEN CHEN DAY. SHE'S ONE OF OUR ELDERS IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, HER HEALTH IS NOT SO GOOD. SO SHE HAD ALSO REALLY WANTED
TO BE HERE AND UM BUT WANTED TO EXPRESS HER SUPPORT AS WELL. YEAH, WE I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM AUNTIE HELEN YET BUT WHEN SHE DOES I I KNOW SHE SHE MEANS A LOT TO EVERYONE AND AND
THE WHOLE ENTIRE CITY. SO UH. YES. GO AHEAD, COUNCILOR CULPEPER. THANK YOU. >> I HAVE ONE QUESTION AND I WANTED YOU TO SPEAK TO WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR THE COMMUNITY TO
HAVE THIS SPACE NAMED IN HIS HONOR BUT CERTAINLY GIVEN HIS, UH, TIES TO TO PLACE AND HIS LIFELONG COMMITMENT TO CHINATOWN, JUST TALK ABOUT WHAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY MEAN.
OH, I MEAN ALL OF YOU I. MEAN YEAH, I ANYBODY ELSE? YEAH YEAH. YEAH. >> I THINK WHAT YOU SAID ABOUT THE. TRAIL WAS SO IMPORTANT. >> THAT I DON'T KNOW. CULPEPER WAS HERE. WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THAT. YEAH I THINK IT'S IT'S NOT. I'M SORRY.
COULD YOU TURN ON THAT MIC? OH, PERFECT. YEAH. >> I THINK IT'S NOT ONLY ABOUT, UM, NAMING THAT ONE PLAZA ALTHOUGH THAT'S IMPORTANT AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, VERY APPROPRIATE BECAUSE IT'S NEAR WHERE HE.
GREW UP. BUT IT'S THE IT'S THE FACT THAT THE COMMUNITY'S COME TOGETHER WITH THIS IDEA OF LIFTING UP. UM. >> CHINATOWN'S HISTORY THROUGH THIS PROJECT AND THAT IT'S YOU
KNOW, IT'S RIGHT ON HARRISON AVENUE THAT WIDE PART OF HARRISON AVENUE THAT'S THAT'S WHERE. >> THIS. PROJECT IS. AND SO IT CAN ACTUALLY LEAD TO A WHOLE CORRIDOR THAT REALLY UM
,DOES CELEBRATE THAT HISTORY. UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF YOU WERE HERE WHEN I NAMED A FEW OF THE THINGS THAT ARE IN THE WORKS IN ADDITION TO THIS UM, STREETS PROJECT WHICH WE HOPE
WILL BE NAMED AFTER HIM. UH, THERE'S ACTUALLY, UM, GOING TO BE A HISTORIC CITY MARKER. THE CITY IS TRYING TO PUT IN 15 NEW MARKERS BEFORE THIS SUMMER
AND TO SPECIFICALLY WITH THE GOAL OF DIVERSIFYING THE CITY MARKER PROGRAM COMPARED TO WHAT IT INSTALLED IN 1976. UM, SO ONE OF THEM WILL BE IN CHINATOWN AND IT WILL BE AT THE
CORNER OF UH HARRISON AVENUE AND OXFORD PLACE. SO AGAIN, AN OPPORTUNITY TO LIFT UP THE INCREDIBLE HISTORY OF THIS AS THE ORIGINS OF CHINATOWN THAT POINT BUT
ALSO TO UM TO MENTION IT AS THE CHILDHOOD HOME OF OF TOMMY LEE OUR IMMIGRANT HISTORY TRAIL, WHICH IS A UM COMMUNITY LED PROJECT THEN INTENDS TO PUT A
LENTICULAR PHOTOGRAPH KIND OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC MARKER ON THE HOME WHERE TUNNEY LIVED UH, BECAUSE ONE OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS NOW LIVES THERE AND THEN ON OTHER
PARTS OF HARRISON AVENUE THERE IS A MURAL ALREADY, UM, THAT WAS DONE BY AN ARTIST WORKING WITH THE ASIAN CDC ON THE BUILDING WHERE THE HISTORIC,
YOU KNOW, RAID, UM, TOOK PLACE AND THEN UM, A LITTLE FURTHER DOWN HARRISON AVENUE IS THE HISTORIC GARMENT WORKERS UNION BUILDING AND THERE IS A
LENTICULAR PHOTOGRAPH, A PHOTOGRAPHIC MARKER WITH TWO DIFFERENT IMAGES OF GARMENT WORKERS UM, IN THE UNION UM.
ON THAT BUILDING UM AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, IN THE THE ONE OF THE . UM WORKERS BRONZE WORKERS STATUES, THE UH A STATUE A LIFE SIZED STATUE OF A GARMENT
WORKER IS ALSO SLATED TO BE INSTALLED UM, ALONG HARRISON AVENUE. SO IT'S JUST AN OPPORTUNITY TO REALLY CREATE THIS HISTORIC CORRIDOR.
THANK YOU, COUNCILOR CULPEPER AND I SEE I'M SORRY I MISSED, UM, COUNCILOR MURPHY'S LATE. SO COUNCILOR MURPHY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU. UM, SO I. KNOW THAT AT PHILLIPS SQUARE WE
HAVE LIKE THE CHRISTMAS TREE LIGHTING THE AUGUST MOOD FESTIVAL IS THERE THE LION DANCE PARADE WHEN THEY SHUT THE STREET AND PUT, YOU KNOW, UP THE STAGE FOR THAT?
UM, IT'S. IT'S A SMALL. SPACE AND I AGREE AND RESPECT THAT. YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO YOU WANT TO KEEP IT PHILLIPS SQUARE BUT IF YOU COULD DESCRIBE LIKE KNOW
THAT LITTLE STRETCH OF THAT QUARTER ACRE WELL LIKE IN THAT SPACE WHAT CHANGES ARE COMING IN WHAT SPOT SPECIFICALLY WOULD BE THE TUNNEY LEE PLAZA PART
OF IT DO DO YOU KNOW OR SHOULD I HAVE ASKED. I ASSUME. >> YOU WOULD KNOW EXACTLY. YEAH. >> IT WAS TOO BAD THAT UM I KNOW THAT IT WAS TO BE ONE OF THE UH YEAH. TODD CITY. WORKERS WHOSE IDEA.
>> WHO IS REALLY WORKING ON THE PROJECT COULDN'T HAVE SHARED A LITTLE BIT MORE BECAUSE IT'S QUITE A NICE DESIGN THAT THEY'VE COME UP WITH THAT INCLUDES I THINK IT INCLUDES
SOME SHADE ELEMENTS. UH. >> THEY'RE HOPING IF THERE'S ENOUGH BUDGET TO INCLUDE A WATER FEATURE LIKE A WATER MISTING FEATURE UM, IT INCLUDES NEW PLANTING UM, BECAUSE
THERE'S A LOT OF UTILITIES UNDERNEATH THE GROUND THERE. THEY CAN'T HAVE BIG TREES BUT THEY WILL HAVE SOME POTTED TREES I THINK UM, AND UH, YOU
KNOW AND THERE WERE IDEAS ABOUT HAVING DIFFERENT KINDS OF PIECES OF CHINATOWN HISTORY IN THE TILES OF UH, YOU KNOW, WALKWAY. SO THE IDEA OF THE NAMING IS
THAT THAT PROJECT ITSELF WOULD BE CALLED TINY LEE PLAZA BECAUSE IT'S NOT IT'S NOT A PARK. IT'S NOT LIKE A A PARK LIKE A GREEN PARK. NOW THERE WILL BE MORE GREENERY
BUT IT IS ESSENTIALLY STILL A UH MOSTLY PAVED AREA. I APPRECIATE THAT THEY'RE THINKING OF INCLUDING WATER MISTING. I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S OTHER BUT I KNOW COUNCILOR FLYNN A
FEW TIMES YOU WERE IN CHINATOWN I THINK ONCE WITH YOUR WIFE LIKE DURING ONE OF THE. HEAT WAVES. AND EMERGENCY HEAT WAVE AND GETTING BOSTON WATER AND SEWER TO COME WITH, YOU. KNOW. >> ONE OF THE TRUCKS BUT AND HAVE BEEN TO UM, YOU KNOW, JUST
COMMUNITY MEETINGS ABOUT THE NEED AND INCLUDING YOU KNOW, LIKE TUFTS AND OTHER BUSINESSES AND HOSPITALS AROUND THE AREA BECAUSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT IT GETTING REALLY HOT IN CHINATOWN
,IT'S NOT JUST AN INCONVENIENCE, IT'S A REAL HEALTH ISSUE. SO UH, THERE ARE OTHER FEATURES THAT WOULD ALSO BE OBVIOUSLY BEAUTIFUL BUT USEFUL. >> DO YOU THINK. THAT THEY'RE NOT INCLUDING OVER
THERE THINGS THAT WERE PROPOSED BY THE COMMUNITY THAT MAYBE DIDN'T MAKE THE CUT THAT WE COULD MAYBE ADVOCATE FOR? I CAN JUST STEP IN TO SAY THAT
I AT LEAST I WENT TO ONE OF THE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND IT FEELS LIKE SASAKI HAS BEEN REALLY WORKING WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE THERE'S A LOT INCORPORATED.
I, I THINK WE REALLY DIDN'T GET A FULL PICTURE OF. THE PLAN. SO WHAT I'M PLANNING TO DO IS I I'LL SEND IT AROUND, UM, COUNCILOR MURPHY TO ALL OF OUR COLLEAGUES JUST IN CASE THERE
ARE THOUGHTS. UM, BUT, UH, COUNCILOR FLYNN, WOULD YOU LIKE TO RESPOND AS WELL? YEAH. >> THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. AND I DO KNOW THAT THE
COMMUNITY IS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH THE DESIGN AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF WHAT THE PLAN WOULD BE. I, I DO FEEL LIKE THE RESIDENTS
HAVE BEEN HEARD HAVE BEEN RESPECTED IN THIS PROCESS AND I THINK THAT'S A CRITICAL PART OF ANY INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT OR ANY DEVELOPMENT PROJECT. BUT I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE
RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN HEARD THAT THIS ONGOING COMMUNICATION WILL CONTINUE AND IT'S IMPORTANT FOR THE RESIDENTS TO STAY ENGAGED, STAY INVOLVED AND I AM AND I
KNOW THE RESIDENTS ARE. RIGHT ARE COMMITTED TO THAT AND I KNOW THE CITY IS COMMITTED TO DOING THAT AS WELL. SO I'M I'M HAPPY WHERE THE PROJECT IS GOING RIGHT NOW AND
I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CITY OF BOSTON FOR WORKING UH, RESPECTFULLY WITH THE RESIDENTS THIS FALL AND. SAY SOMETHING LIKE. OKAY, I JUST. UH YOU.
>> KNOW. >> A LOT OF. LESS THAN HERE WE WE, UH. GOTTEN TOGETHER WHEN A LOT OF THE. FOOD. UH, A DECI. LAST A FEW YEARS. AND, UH.
LESS THAN SO HAPPY IS ON. JUNE 26TH, 530 WE HAVE THE COMMUNITY DESIGN CELEBRATION. IN QUINCY SCHOOL. I HAVE THE STILL KEEP THE FIRE
HERE UNLESS THERE'S SO HAPPY TODAY BECAUSE THEY TALK ABOUT HOW TO REMEMBER THE HISTORY ABOUT A CHINATOWN ALL THE DAYS AND LYDIA MENTIONED THAT TO
CREATE THAT IDEA ON THE SASAKI MEETING I AM OVER THERE. I DIDN'T HAVE AT. >> LEAST. A HALF LESS THAN OH A DAY THEY CAN LOSE THEIR HAND IF THEY JOIN THAT THAT MEETING INITIATE OVER THERE. >> BECAUSE YOU WANT TO RAISE
YOUR HAND TO ANYONE WHO. CALLED MENTALLY. >> TIME FROM. COMMUNITY YAMA HOYA SOUR I GUESS YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH I THINK IT'S UH LAST YEAH BECAUSE.
UH UH WHY WE UH FOR MY PERSONAL STORY BECAUSE I, I WAS LIVING UH IMMIGRATED HERE 2003 I WAS LIVING IN MY MY FAMILY HISTORY IS UH.
NEAR THE UH ACROSS THE STREET BUT I KNEW TOKYO IS DURING I ENJOY CPA AND THEN I JOINED TO UH UM CHINATOWN MASS OPEN 2010
AND. 22 NOT A. 2020 TEN AND 2020 ON MY BACK AND UM, I LEARNED A LOT FROM
HIM AND AND UM, I KNOW HIM BUT THAT IS FOR ME. I AM SO LUCKY I STILL CAN TALK TALK TO HIM IN PERSON, BUT I WANT. MORE PEOPLE TO KNOW THE
HISTORY, UH, IMMIGRANT OR OUR YOUTH IN THE FUTURE. THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO NAME SOMETHING TO REMEMBER HIM BECAUSE I'M SO LUCKY. I DON'T KNOW ANY HISTORY HERE
BEFORE I CAME HERE, BUT I LEARNED FROM HIM. I LEARNED A LOT. THIS ONE I WANT TO SAY HERE THAT IS VERY IMPORTANT FOR OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR MURPHY, DO YOU HAVE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? NO. >> JUST WANTED TO ALSO UPLIFT
UM, GLAD TO HEAR ABOUT THE WORKER STATUES THAT ARE GOING TO BE PLACED BUT ALSO I KNOW WE HEAR FROM UM MANY OF THE VETERANS CHINATOWN VETERANS AND
I KNOW COUNCIL FLYNN YOU'VE BEEN ADVOCATING ALONG WITH UM, SENATOR COLLINS AND UM. >> I'M SORRY IT SOUNDS LIKE WE'RE HAVING SOME TRANSLATION ISSUES AGAIN. UM, NO BETTER. OKAY, I.
I GO. >> YEAH, I GO TO YOU. SHOULD I RECESS AGAIN? >> THANK YOU. >> OKAY, I'M GOING TO RECESS. UM, SO SORRY TO CUT YOU SHORT, COUNCILOR MURPHY. OKAY, I'M GOING TO RECESS FOR A SECOND. THE.
>>
UH, HELPING THEM. BUT I WILL WORK ALONGSIDE COUNCILOR FLYNN TO, YOU KNOW, UPLIFT THAT HAVING A STATUE DEDICATED ALONG THE GREENWAY FOR OUR CHINESE FROM VETERANS
AND THE YOU KNOW WHAT THEY GAVE TO THIS COUNTRY. BUT LIKE IT WAS SAID EARLIER, WE WEREN'T, UM, RECOGNIZED FOR IT. SO JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO ADVOCATING FOR THAT ALSO. THANK YOU. THAT WAS UM OKAY. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILOR MURPHY.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO PUBLIC TESTIMONY. UM, SO I'M GOING TO TAKE IT IN THE ORDER IN WHICH IT CAME IN. UM, JENNY HWANG IS FIRST UM, EACH EACH PERSON WILL GET TWO
MINUTES TO TESTIFY. UM, THE PANEL IS RELIEVED. UM, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU ALL FOR, UH, YOUR SERVICE AND FOR FOR BEING HERE TODAY TO SHARE, UM. WHAT WHAT THIS MEANS TO YOUR
COMMUNITY. SO JENNY HWANG IS FIRST. SHE MAY CHAN IS NEXT, THEN DRAIN O'DONOHUE YOLANDA YANG UM
AND SO WE'RE GOING TO GO IN ORDER JENNY HWANG. AND I'M GOING TO START A TIMER. BUT SO WHEN YOU HEAR THAT IF YOU COULD TRY TO WRAP UP. UM OKAY. AND I WOULD PULL THE MIC
CLOSER. PERFECT. I JUST WANT COPIES. WOULD YOU LIKE COPIES OF THEM? OH NO, IT'S A I WE CAN DISPERSE THEM LATER BUT YOU GO. AHEAD. OKAY. HI. COUNCIL MEMBERS. UM, MY.
>> NAME IS CHEN. YOU HONG AND I AM ONE. >> OF. THE COMMUNITY. ORGANIZERS AT CHINESE. PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION. SO I JUST WANT TO SAY THAT ON BEHALF OF ALL OF OUR MEMBERS AND. RESIDENTS OF BOSTON CHINATOWN
HERE TODAY, UM, CHINESE PROGRESSIVE ASSOCIATION IS. IN SUPPORT DEDICATING. >> THE NEW OPEN SPACE PROJECT AT PHILLIPS SQUARE AS TONY LEE PLAZA. AND WE REALLY APPRECIATE COUNCILOR FINK'S CALL FOR THIS
PUBLIC HEARING WHICH ALLOWS THOSE OF US WHO LIVE AND WORK IN CHINATOWN TO DECLARE OUR SUPPORT FOR THIS DEDICATION. AND WE'RE AGAIN, WE'RE NOT ASKING YOU TO RENAME THE SQUARE BUT INSTEAD ARE URGING YOU TO
NAME THE PROJECT THE TONNIE LEE PLAZA AND THIS SPACE AT THE INTERSECTION OF UH HARRISON OF AND OXFORD PLACE WHERE PROFESSOR LEE LIVED WITH HIS FAMILY IS WHERE BOSTON'S
CHINATOWN HISTORY BEGAN OVER 150 YEARS AGO AND SINCE THEN IT HAS BECOME A CENTRAL COMMERCIAL AREA AND ONE OF CHINATOWN'S MOST VISIBLE CORNERS WITH PLENTY OF PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC AT OUR ALL HOURS OF THE DAY.
SO MARKING THIS SPACE IN HONOR AND MEMORY OF TONY LEE WILL HELP PRESERVE AND CELEBRATE OUR COMMUNITY'S RICH HISTORY AND CULTURE AT A TIME WHEN IMMIGRANT AND WORKING CLASS FAMILIES ARE EAGER TO SEE THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS RECOGNIZED AND
APPRECIATED. SO WE URGE YOU TO SUPPORT THIS PROJECT AND PROVIDE THE FUNDING THAT IT REQUIRES. AS OUR COUNTRY CELEBRATES ITS 250TH ANNIVERSARY, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT MOMENT TO CAPTURE
WHAT IS SO SPECIAL AND UNIQUE ABOUT THIS BOSTON NEIGHBORHOOD AND WE HOPE THAT YOU WILL TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO. THANK YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SHUMATE CHEN.
FOR ALL. YOU HAVE TWO MINUTES. I AM UM I AM SO MAD. TIM. OH SORRY. ARE YOU GOING TO TRANSLATE? I CAN HEAR OKAY, I THINK MY BEST. OKAY OKAY. >> THAT GUY HUH?
GOOD IDEA. WAIT. UH, CHINATOWN 115 TONG CITY. HARTMAN. MY NAME IS YOU MAY I. AM LIVING IN 115.
200 STREET, APARTMENT 1202. WHAT YOU'RE GOING LOKMAN GUESS YOU PAINT IN THE OAKLEY. HI ONG IN GUIDING THE KITCHEN
GOING THE BUILDING HUNG OUT LOUD AND IN THE LONG IN TULANE NINJA I NOTHING AT IN THERE. I AM GOING OUTSIDE.
EVERY DAY I SAW MY BUILDING AND WHOLE HOUSE BUILT IN THE LESS THAN UH. MOST IT'S THE ELDERLY. THEY USE THIS UH POP A LOT SITTING OVER THERE EVERY DAY.
GOING AGAIN AND I'M GOING UP THE POP IN THAT IN A MESS IF YOU DON'T KNOW THAT LAWYER HAT MY A FIGHT ON THE HIGH GOD ON THE WAY OUT FROM THE HOT TO
YOKO GOING DOWN HIM ON DING FOR UH LEAD AND VEHICLE I'M ANGRY HOW FAT DIDN'T LIKE TO GO GET DONE GOT BOONDOGGLE GOT HUNG IN TIGER MOON SO. OKAY SO YOU SAY.
JUST A UH. THE REST YOU USE THE POT AND I, UH I SEE A LOT OF THE PEOPLE BOUGHT THE LUNCH. UH. >> INCLUDING STUDENT THEY SIT DOWN ALL THEY EAT LUNCH.
THEY USE THAT POP A LOT AND AS YOU SAY HOOKAH CD YOU CAN GET MONEY OR, UH, TO BUILD A NAME UH, REMEMBER UH TO ACTUALLY AND
UH AND USE THIS FAT IN THIS CASE I TOOK A PICTURE ABOUT UH, HOW THE ELDERLY AND THEY USED UH, YESTERDAY THIS PICTURE FROM YESTERDAY.
YEAH, SOMETHING. UH, LIKE NOW EVEN IN WINTERTIME THEY, UH THEY STILL USE IT. >> YOU KNOW, IN SUMMER. MOST HIGH THEY USE THE POT UNTIL THE MIDNIGHT NIPPY. YEAH, YEAH.
MEANING TO KNOW THAT. DON'T GIVE THAT IN ELDERLY THEY DO SSI SIT IN THAT PROCESS. YEAH THANK. >> YOU. THANK. YOU. YEAH. THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UH, SO NEXT UM, DIANE O'DONOHUE. AND THEN YOLANDA YANG. FOR YOLANDA. OH GO AHEAD.
HELLO COUNSELORS. UH, CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME ALSO THE INTERPRETATION. YES. MY NAME IS YOLANDA YOUNG. I REPRESENT UH PCMC AND A POWER CENTER. I WORK AT A POWER CENTER AS
ARTS ENGAGEMENT MANAGER. ONE OF MY BIGGEST DUTY AT POWER CENTER IS TO ENGAGE YOUNG FOLKS IN OUR VOLUNTEER POLL. AS WELL AS THE SCHOOL TOURS
STUDENTS UM, AS MANY AND AS MANY PEOPLE TO KNOW, UM, CHINATOWN DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS WE WERE TO HOST DIFFERENT KINDS OF TOURS FOR POWER CENTER WE HOST STUDENT TO
SCHOOL GROUPS UH VERY YOU KNOW LIKE A FOCUS LEE SO EVERY TIME WHEN I TAKE A TOUR TO STUDENTS ,UM, TO HAVE A HISTORICAL AND
ARTISTIC TOUR IN CHINATOWN PHILIP SQUARE AKA TONY LEE PLAZA IN THIS CASE THAT'S THE SPOT WE USUALLY LOVE TO STOP.
UH, RENAMING PHILIP SQUARE, UH, INTO A TINY LEE PLAZA IS ALSO A PROCESS OF RENAMING THE IMPORTANCE OF BELONGING AS THIS MOMENT EVERY TIME WE TAKE
STUDENTS TO A STOP THERE EVERYBODY WOULD ASK WHO PHILIPS IS AND THEY WOULD ASK THE NAME OF THIS PHILIP SQUARE. UM, I THINK A RENAMING A
RENAMING UM RENAMING THIS PLAZA IS REALLY UH TIME TIMELY REALLY IMPORTANT TO RENAME THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO RENAME THAT BELONGING TO RENAMING THE PEOPLE WHO REALLY LIVE THERE.
UM, I REALLY, UH, BELIEVE THIS PROCESS WILL, UM, UPLIFT UH, THE COMMUNITY AT, UH, IN IN CHINATOWN. UM, AND I HOPE THE CITY WOULD FULLY SUPPORT THE PROCESS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH. UH, YOLANDA AND, UM, I I DIDN'T SEE DIANE O'DONOHUE. UM, BUT. OH, OKAY. OKAY. >> THANK YOU. AND IF YOU WANT TO JUST COME
AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF. WELL, I THINK MY KEY I HOPE YOU GUYS YOU KNOW. HI EVERYONE. UH, MY NAME IS BING SHARMA. I LIVE. >> IN OAK TERRACE IN CHINATOWN.
WONG AND GOT LUCKY KHIANG WE CAME SHE NINE AREA HOME GUYS GOOD LUCK. FUNNY YOU GOT A HIGH HOW LONG GUY KEEP? GETTING THAT GUY YOUNG GUY.
HEY HE MAPPED YOUR BACKGROUND YOU PASSIVE YOUNG. UH. ,SO I WANTED, UM. TO SAY THAT I'VE BEEN. LIVING IN CHINATOWN FOR OVER TEN YEARS OR. MANY. >> MANY YEARS.
AND THE GREEN SPACE IN CHINATOWN. IS VERY LIMITED. AND AS YOU KNOW, THERE 80%. OF THE. UM, ASIAN. IMMIGRANTS ARE WORKING. CLASS, UH, LIVING IN CHINATOWN .
WE LIVE IN THEM CURRENTLY BEHIND ME LIKE YOU SAY HI. HI. I'M GREAT. I LOOK LIKE I GOT ON THAT WING MY NECK GANG AND I KEEP. ANCIENT. YOU TOTALLY.
WING ON TUESDAY. UM, UM. AS YOU KNOW, TONY HAS DONE SO MUCH FOR OUR COMMUNITY AND OVER THE PAST YEARS. SO FOR US TO TO RECOGNIZE HIM
AND THEN TO TO NAME THIS PLACE AFTER HIM IS VERY FITTING. HERE AMONG YOU HOW YOU CAN OH, HANGING TO LA WILLOW GANG IN IN TUCSON.
WE HOPE THAT THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE LIKE HIM WHO SPEAK FOR US WHO ADVOCATE FOR US LIKE TONY AND THIS IS UM, THE SO THIS PARK UH TOO NAMED AFTER
HIM UM WHEN HE TOLD ME BEFORE IS VERY IMPORTANT AND VERY FITTING. EVEN HANGING ON A PEAK HOG I TONG I CALL HOKI. OH, UH, SO YOU AND YOU CAN LOOK
FOR, UH. HI, GRACIE. OH. AS YOU KNOW, WE HAVE. A, UH. HEAT ISLAND PROBLEM RIGHT IN CHINATOWN IS GETTING WORSE, SO IN THERE AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU NICK.
CLEMENTI I MEAN, SHE DOESN'T GO OUT ON THE NIGHT I GOT GOLDEN GATE ALL ALONE CAMP AND, UH. OH, NO. YEAH. SO AND HE'S WHEN HE'S GOT REALLY HOT IS REALLY HARD FOR
THEM TO SLEEP. THAT'S WHY WE NEED TO CREATE MORE GREEN SPACE IN CHINATOWN. ARM UH COVER ON ON ON IT. HE HUNG IN ME LIKE A PATINA.
WE HOPE THAT ALL OF YOU WILL SUPPORT THE GREEN SPACE DEVELOPMENT IN CHINATOWN. SINCE I GOT. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OKAY. >> AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE, UM, THAT THAT THE TRANSLATION IS WORKING IS.
WORTH STILL. SO SO I THINK WHAT WE'LL DO IS IF WE CAN HAVE TWO TRANSLATORS ONE COME TO THIS MIC AND ONE COME TO THIS MIKE IF IT'S NOT WORKING I. FORGIVE HIM MY MIKE.
AND JUST TRANSLATE POTENTIALLY FROM THESE. OH WELL IF THE PERSON SPEAKING CHINESE I THINK WE'RE OKAY BECAUSE WE ALL CAN HEAR BUT IT WAS WHEN YOU GUYS SPEAK ENGLISH
THE BATTERIES DEPLETED. YEAH SO IF THE IF YOU IF YOU COULD JUST MAYBE COME OH I GOT IT YEAH. SO IT WAS WHEN YOU SPEAK THEY COULD UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY SPEAK CHINESE THEY GET. >> IT OKAY YEAH BUT IF YOU IF
YOU NEED TO USE THESE MICROPHONES TO TRANSLATE GO AHEAD OKAY. WELL WE'LL DO THAT. THANK YOU THANK YOU. UM SO WE'RE ALMOST DONE WITH THE HEARING.
THERE'S ONE MORE YOU BUT YOU, UH UM. WE HAVE ONE MORE TESTIMONY BUT SHE HAS NOT SIGNED UP. UM, IT'S IT'S OKAY FOR HER TO SPEAK. >> YES, SHE CAN COME UP.
OKAY. >> I GOT THAT. LIKE HEY, DON'T YOU COME TO YOU GO YOU. . >> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HOSTING THIS MEETING. UM, WELL, I DON'T EITHER. WHAT CONTAINS A HASHTAG THE
ATOMIC CIPHER. I CAN'T. >> ME TODAY I FEEL LIKE I HAVE I HAVE A HISTORY LESSON TODAY. UM, WELL, YOU GUYS CAN SEE THOUGH. UH. YEP. LOOK, ME. YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
OF COURSE. YOU KNOW. WHICH, UH, NOW I KNOW IN 1860 THERE'S CHINESE LIVING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN CHINATOWN.
EACH DAY. UH, GOOGLY TIME FAKE OUT. SO SO YOU GO INTO TOWN GUIDE CALL MY MAKE OR GET QUINCY YAHOO.COM TIGER CALL HIM.
AND THEN I LEARNED THAT TOO MANY HAVE DONE NOT SO MUCH ABOUT FOR THE COMMUNITY BUT FOR THE WHOLE COUNTRY AND FOR THE WHOLE CITY. WHAT'S OUR UNCLE? UH CHI YOU GO MAN.
HEY, HOW Y'ALL YOU GOT GAINING EAGLE YANG Y'ALL Y'ALL YOU YOU GOT. I JUST WANT TO ECHO A LOT OF PEOPLE'S, UM, BELIEVE THAT
TO PHILLIP SQUARE TO TONY LEE PLAZA HAS A VERY DEEP MEANING. YOU CAN'T WAIT TO HOST. YOU KNOW WHAT? THEY'LL GUNG YOUNG LOVE COMPUTER.
HOW YOU GO TO SING ME A CALL? UH, YOU GOT TO BE, UM. AND LIKE SOMEBODY SAY I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A PERMANENT STATUE, A FIXTURE.
SO SOMETHING WE WILL LOOK AT AND TO RECOGNIZE THIS IS A LANDMARK DOCUMENT. THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU SO MUCH.
UM, SO SEEING I JUST WANT TO DOUBLE CHECK THAT THERE IS NO ONE ELSE WHO WOULD LIKE TO PUBLICLY TESTIFY. UM, OKAY. >> ASK IF I CAN LOOK AT. NO. OKAY. >> THANK YOU.
UM, SO I WANT TO GIVE, UM, A FINAL WORD TO THE LEAD SPONSOR FOR A CLOSING STATEMENT. UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. OKAY. >> THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR, FOR CHAIRING THIS IMPORTANT MEETING.
AND THANK YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES IN GOVERNMENT FOR BEING HERE. COUNCILOR DURKAN, COUNCILOR CULPEPER AND COUNCILOR MURPHY AS WELL. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE
ADMINISTRATION FOR BEING HERE. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE COMMUNITY PANEL FOR BEING HERE FOR THE IMPORTANT TESTIMONY YOU PROVIDED. THIS WAS REALLY AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR US TO LEARN ABOUT TONY AND HIS LIFE, HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS, WHAT HE MEANT TO CHINATOWN AND WE GOT FIRSTHAND FEEDBACK INPUT
,TESTIMONY FROM CHINATOWN RESIDENTS ABOUT THE LEADERSHIP OF TONY AND THE IMPACT HE HAD ON RESIDENTS OF CHINATOWN AND IN THE CITY AS WELL.
AND THAT'S WHAT THIS HEARING WAS ALL ABOUT IS REALLY TO TO RESPECT THE COMMUNITY, TO LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY, TO LISTEN TO THE WISHES OF THE COMMUNITY, TO LET THE COMMUNITY
KNOW THAT WE ALSO RESPECT TONY AND THE THE CONTRIBUTIONS HE MADE. THE OTHER ASPECT I DID WANT TO MENTION ABOUT THIS HEARING IS
THE ASPECT OF LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION IN HOW WE INTERACTED AND ENSURED THE VOICES OF CANTONESE SPEAKERS WERE HEARD AND RESPECTED. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO
COUNCILOR DURKAN FOR DOING THAT ,BUT I ALSO WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THIS CITY COUNCIL CENTRAL STAFF AS WELL FOR WORKING WITH US. I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU TO THE UM INTERPRETERS AND THE
TRANSLATORS FOR BEING HERE FOR THE IMPORTANT WORK THAT YOU HAVE DONE. BUT I THINK THIS IS WHAT CHINATOWN IS ALL ABOUT. IT'S ABOUT RESPECTING EACH OTHER, RESPECTING OUR
DIFFERENCES, WORKING TOGETHER, FINDING COMMON GROUND. AND TODAY WAS CELEBRATING A PERSON THAT HAS MADE ENORMOUS CONTRIBUTIONS TO THIS CITY AND
THEY'VE IN BUILDING A STRONGER AND BETTER COMMUNITY FOR WORKING CLASS RESIDENTS AND FOR CHINESE AND CHINESE AMERICANS AS WELL. I'M HONORED TO SPONSOR THIS AND
I'M GOING TO CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE COMMUNITY TO MAKE SURE THAT AND THE ADMINISTRATION TO MAKE SURE THIS GETS DONE. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, COUNCILOR FLYNN, UM, I'M
GRATEFUL TO MY COLLEAGUES FOR BEING HERE. I'M GRATEFUL, UM, TO THE COMMUNITY FOR BEING HERE. I KNOW THAT MONDAY AT 10 A.M. IS NOT AN EASY TIME FOR ANY OF YOU TO BE HERE.
AND SO WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL THAT YOU TOOK TIME OUT OF YOUR BUSY DAYS TO, UM, TO HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY. UM, I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING
WITH COUNCILOR FLYNN, THE LEAD SPONSOR, UM, ON THE NEXT STEPS AND WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE AT THE CITY. UM, I KNOW THAT THIS ISN'T EXACTLY WITHIN OUR PURVIEW, BUT
OUR JOB IS TO PUSH AN AGENDA FORWARD AND UNDERSTANDING. I THINK TODAY I GOT A REALLY GOOD UNDERSTANDING OF WHY EXACTLY THIS MATTERS TO THE COMMUNITY HOW IT CAME TO BE,
HOW THE IDEAS UM, CAME TO BE AND ALSO THE HISTORY OF WHY TUNI IS AN IMPORTANT PERSON IN THE CITY OF BOSTON AND UH, WHY HIS WORK DESERVES RECOGNITION FROM THE CITY.
UM, AND IT'S NOT OFTEN THAT WE GET TO HONOR SOMEONE WHO HAS WORKED FOR THE CITY AND HAS BEEN PART OF THESE PROCESSES. IT'S ACTUALLY JUST IT FEELS
VERY SYMBIOTIC TO HAVE THIS CONVERSATION ABOUT PLANNING AND NAMING UM WITH SOMEONE WHO WORKS, YOU KNOW, AND ABOUT SOMEONE WHO WORKED ON THESE ISSUES. SO UM SO IT'S JUST A GREAT
HONOR TO CHAIR THIS HEARING. I WANT TO THANK UM THE LEAD SPONSOR, COUNCILOR FLYNN FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. UM, AND UNTIL NEXT TIME, THE HEARING ON DOCKET 0178 IS
ADJOURNED.