Little Saigon

is this the face of a communist? (Madison Nguyen’s photo from SJ City Coucil website)

I went to the City Council meeting night before last thinking that I could go in, stick around for a few hours, hear the decision, and run back to the paper and write it up. Not so. I got there, promptly received the run-around, and was directed to a group of angry protestors. I was almost immediately branded with a sticker that read “Little Saigon” and was told that only those who were going to speak would be able to take seats.

Just as I was getting some perspectives from the crowd on the issue, my photographer friend from the same paper, Annie, came charging up and said in a very journalistic voice” we have to go now,” snapping pictures as she went. So we went then. For a short girl, she’s a quick runner. Five years of track, apparently.

Inside, the people guarding the press entrance were upset because we didn’t have press credentials and also because I had a skateboard, which I had used to cruise on down to City Hall.After some lollygagging (Annie turns to me and says “in 10 years of doing this, I’ve never taken ‘no’ for an answer”), the lady finally feels sorry for the decidedly under-dressed student journalists (I’m in ripped jeans and in bad need of a shave, she’s wearing capri pants and what I remember to be an arrestingly pink shirt) and lets us in.

Annie is supposed to go to the photographer stable, and I’m supposed to go to the writer’s stable, but as I climbed the steps, all the other more proficient, nicely-dressed writers said every seat was taken, and I should kindly turn around.So I hid behind little Annie and pretended to be a photographer while I wrote everything down. And that was one crowded photographer box.

As the meeting began, Mayor Chuck Reed said, most certainly tongue in cheek, “we just have a few issues on the agenda, we’ll probably be out in 10 minutes.”Of course, a decision still had not been reached by 1 a.m.Probably about 95% of the speakers, each of whom had one minute to speak, said something in broken english akin to “I vote Little Saigon.”One fellow made an interesting point, saying that if we bow to one group, where’s it going to end the next time the want to get something done?

Speaker after speaker approached the podium, which Reed getting his cards mixed up and warbling their names as I tried to write them down so I could quote them in the daily.”This is impossible,” I whispered to Annie as Reed warbled someone’s name only for the speaker to timidly and indistinguishible murmer it again.”Welcome to Journalism,” she said. I expected her to add “young grashopper” and pat me on the head, but no such luck.

Fortunately, Kim from Channel 5 News was next to me, and fluent in Vietnamese. She was quite willing to translate all the non-english bits for me, and help me with all the spelling of the names. Kim, whoever you are, wherever you are, thank you.

By the time I took off, Annie had long since gone, and to make presstime, I had to leave close to midnight to get the article going, while the meeting was still going strong.

It seems like the vast majority of those living in District Seven, which is affected by this decision, want the name to be Little Saigon, so I can’t imagine why it’s been allowed to get quite this out of hand.  Calling councilwoman Nguyen a communist is a bit out of line, and some of the objectors (to Little Saigon) had good points, but it shouldn’t have gotten to the extent of hungar strikes and protests– if the majority wants Little Saigon, and they have 4,000 signatures to back it up, why not?

Of course, we all know now that the decision to call it Saigon Business District has been rescinded. so the real decision is saved for a rainy day. How can you have a meeting that streatches out past 1 a.m. and still leave it up in the air?

Tags: Chuck Reed, city council, Little Saigon, San Jose