STOP THE EVICTIONS AT 800 TRACTION AVE.
STOP THE EVICTIONS AT 800 TRACTION AVE.
Located in the Historic Little Tokyo area now renamed the "Arts District", long-time artist residents of 800 Traction Avenue are threatened with eviction by New York’s DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners (owned by powerful bank Credit Suisse). Most are Japanese American and Japanese, now senior citizens, who serve the local community and need a place to live and work. Affordability of housing must be determined according to the incomes of the people who live and work in our communities. What is an “Arts District” without artists? A Little Tokyo without Japanese Americans?
These evictions are an extension of a 75-Year history of forced dispersal of Japanese Americans. From mass incarceration in WWI into concentration camps, to the destruction of low-income housing and small businesses by Japanese banks and City Council collusion in the 70's and 80's, Little Tokyo has had to fight to defend itself.
The artists at 800 Traction Avenue are assets to the community, as are the work spaces and archival facilities in the building that are integral to local cultural life and preservation of our history.
As part of our pledge to preserve and protect Little Tokyo’s right to exist as an historic cultural and community center for Japanese Americans, including the rights of residents of the Little Tokyo Arts District to remain living there, we present the following demands:
1. That DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners CEASE their attmepts to evict the artists
residing at 800 Traction Avenue.
2. That Andrew Rifkin, managing partner to DLJ Real Estate Capital, come speak
directly with community members prior to August 31, 2017 to address our concerns.
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