Locals Call to Stop Chinatown Mega Jail Plan
Several Chinatown residents shared their opposition toward the city’s “mega-jail” plan, which is set to start construction this month.
New York City’s Chinatown is set to become home to one of the world’s tallest jails. In 2017, former Mayor Bill de Blasio approved a $8.3 billion “borough-based jail plan” that includes demolishing the current 15-story Manhattan Detention Complex on White Street and building a 45-story “mega-jail” in its place. Chinatown residents and community advocates are pushing to stop the plan before construction starts this month, taking action through protests and petitions.
In an effort to close down Rikers Island (which will be shut down in 2027), notoriously criticized for its brutal treatment of inmates and poor conditions, the “borough-based jail plan” is the city’s initiative to “create a network of four modern, more humane jail facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.” Since its announcement, the city has been facing backlash over the program.
“It’s really detrimental the way the city is approaching mass incarceration,” Victoria Lee, co-founder of non-profit organization Welcome to Chinatown, said. “To fund [the mega-jail] for billions of dollars instead of investing this into the community resources that we need, whether that be education, healthcare, or mental health, is signaling that to get these services built into the new jail, you have to go through and be incarcerated before you can have access to it.”
Welcome to Chinatown has been one of the leading groups attempting to stop the jail plan by organizing protests and calling for community efforts, such as signing the main petition (which now has over 4,600 signatures) and contacting Mayor Eric Adam’s office to express their stance. As Lee pointed out, the jail construction is set to last until 2027, posing several issues for the Chinatown community, including the displacement of nearby businesses, pollution, and health concerns for local residents.
“Chinatown is a community that has already been exacerbated by everything that’s going on,” Lee said. “Park Row is still not open. COVID-19 is certainly not over, and it’s gonna be a long time before the area recovers. So to have a jail there too, is a signal from the city saying we don’t care about this community.”
In recent years, Chinatown has been facing increasing struggles of public safety and economic downturn. Restaurants and shops have been reporting declines in business since the beginning of the pandemic, and anti-Asian hate crimes are still on the rise — last month, Chinatown resident Christina Yuna Lee was fatally stabbed inside her apartment.
“Mega-jails do not stop crimes,” Howard Huie, steering committee member of NUBC (Neighbors United Below Canal), said. “Spending $11 billion on jails that will not reduce crimes is a travesty. It’s building communities, building facilities to help the homeless and people who need mental support. The borough-based jail plan is a failed plan.”
Located on the corner of White Street and Baxter Street, the Manhattan Detention Complex, locally known as “The Tombs,” sits next to a handful of small businesses and Columbus Park, where many elderly residents are known to gather. Once the construction starts this month, Nha Trang One restaurant, located across the street from the construction site, expects to see an immediate decline in business, according to owner Andy Ha.
“We have been here since 1992,” Ha said. “But our business has been down 50% since a few months ago, after COVID and the winter weather. Now you talk about this. I know we will lose a lot of customers, our sale will be in a lot of trouble.”
Ha explained that with the smoke, dust, and loud noises from the construction, customers are likely to avoid dining at his restaurant due to the unpleasant atmosphere. Ha also expressed concerns for his employees’ health, as it would be potentially affected by the construction.
“I hope they do something for us in this area, for small businesses,” Ha said. “So we can stay afloat for the next five years.”
Although the fencing has not yet gone up around the detention complex as planned, there has been no official announcements from Mayor Adam’s administration about halting the construction plan. However, in a Feb. 27 speech, District 1 City Council Member Christopher Marte claimed that he had persuaded Adams to oppose the mega jail.
According to the Village Sun, Marte said “[he] met with the mayor and his leadership team, and made the case not to build a jail in Chinatown. There were people on that call that want the jail to happen, but we won the mayor over to our side.”
Adam has yet to confirm this to be true; there has been no indication that construction is being halted or delayed. Welcome to Chinatown and NUBC are leading another rally on Sunday, March 20, to protest the imminent jail plan again.
“Manhattan’s Chinatown is one of the last authentic Chinatowns left in the U.S.,” Lee said. “There are multi-generational families that still reside here. It’s still home for so many people. New York City is cashing out on these cultural capital benefits from Chinatown, but then when it comes to preservation, they’re not willing to stand by that.”
