Save Washington Ave Campaign
In 1990, the first Vietnamese retail plaza was built in a no-man’s land of vacant lots and warehouses. Many businesses were started through mutual aid practices of qui, collecting money. Along the 1600 to 600 block of Washington Avenue, Southeast Asian businesses created an important anchor for cultural food, jobs, and services. Washington Avenue also sits in 19146, currently one of the fastest gentrifying zip codes in the US. In 2020, the selling of Hoa Binh Plaza to a developer led to evictions of business tenants. Protecting further displacement of Washington Avenue has been a call to action for the Vietnamese community.
TOUR
Take a tour of Washington Ave to learn about the deep history of African American homeownership, redlining, Southeast Asian business mutual aid, and gentrification.
WRITINGS
For three years, grassroots community organization, VietLead, has been organizing to protect long term business tenants of Hoa Binh Plaza. Alongside the small businesses, we have organized concerned residents, community allies, and neighborhood organizations to oppose Streamline’s proposal.
Nearly 100 supporters came to save Hoa Binh “Peace” Plaza of 1600 Carpenter St. from a developer’s plan to replace the South Philadelphia shopping center with a string of townhomes and condos.
Vietnamese refugee elders took three forms of transportation to tell their stories at the developer’s Zoning Board of Adjustments hearing.
CAMPAIGN
Neighbors against Streamline
In 2019, VietLead worked with North of Washington Ave Coalition, Hoa Binh business tenants, and neighbors on a campaign to protect the plaza from being bought my developer, Streamline. Unfortunately during the pandemic, the business tenants were evicted. Although this was lost, the fight still continues to create a long-term vision of anti-displacement for Washington Ave small businesses.