Gentrification
has undoubtedly been a touchy subject in contemporary times. Downtown Los
Angeles, known for its grimy yet homey atmosphere is the next city on the list
for trendy but ultimately money-hungry developers. Grand Central market in
particular, a hub for quick on-the-go and often delicious food is on the verge
of an urban revival. Caught in the middle of this shift towards the hipper side
of things are ‘legacy tenants’, mostly immigrants, who are facing the wrath of
gentrification in the food mecca of Los Angeles. Some of these immigrants are
losing their entire livelihoods in this city-wide soul search for what Los
Angeles wants to be next and it’s problematic to say the least.
One of the
people to suffer the consequences of Grand Central Market’s hipster-chic
overhaul is Soo Hwan Kim.
Born
68 years ago in South Korea, Kim came to the United States at 19 and earned a
bachelor’s in electrical engineering from Pacific States University, but like
many educated immigrants facing language barriers, he opted for an
entrepreneurial life. In the 1980s, he invested in a Mexican grocery-restaurant
in Long Beach—he had learned Spanish during a year in Argentina before arriving
in America—and renamed it Kim’s Deli & Market. The business helped raise
three children: an actor, a movie producer, and a deputy district attorney.
After 20 years, hoping to scale back his hours, Kim obtained a $469,000 loan
and in 2005 bought Grand Central Liquor, its ceiling-high wall of alcohol near
the Broadway entrance a fixture of the market for decades.[1]
Their
ouster was part of a “concerted effort and business plan to ‘gentrify’ the
tenant base at Grand Central Market by ejecting long-term and ‘legacy’ tenants
based on their race, color, national origin, and/ or ancestry, in order to
replace them in the substantial majority of instances with Caucasian tenants,”
the two merchants allege in a complaint pending in Los Angeles Superior Court.
They contend that of the approximately 15 vendors the market displaced, only
two were not ethnic minorities; and of their replacements, all but two were
white-owned businesses. The case, which has not previously been reported on,
seeks $8 million to $16 million in economic and punitive damages. (1)
This
revitalization of a Los Angeles relic obviously has its pros and cons. From its
beginnings and its mid-life crisis as a marketplace struggling to make ends
meet to its rebirth as a yelp-elite favorite, Grand Central Market yet again
faces an uncertain future. It must choose between its past and what it wants to
become next. Though it will bring money and consequentially an economic shot of
steroids to the downtown area, it will definitely complicate the lives of some
of its oldest tenants.
Los
Angeles’s looming identity crisis is simultaneously making the city a food destination
for yelpers and hipsters alike while robbing honest, hard-working immigrants of
their life’s work. It’s more than controversial. The whole gentrification thing
isn’t so black and white. There’s a gray zone to all this and we as Angelenos
have to decide what is more important: to support and encourage the growth of
sustainable and trendy local businesses, or to preserve the Latino-
Afro-Asiatic roots, color, and soul of Los Angeles.
Gentrification in the greater Los Angeles area has been increasing exponentially in the past few years especially. I find your post engaging and relevant, good post!
ReplyDeleteWith that being said, what is your perspective on the possible compromises land developers and city leaders can take to address this issue ?
This is a super relevant topic especially living in south central. It's really unfortunate that old buildings and the legacy tenants are getting the boot. More unfortunate that some hipsters will more in, last a year or so then move on, while hardly if at all contributing to the authentic culture of that area. It like to hope that maybe some of those fedora-wearing, gluten-free, wanna be actors would actually care that their favorite pupusa place was getting bought out by a fro-yo franchise, but they really only care about hashtags and instagram filters.
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