By Julie Shapiro
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
CITY HALL — Dozens of Asian American activists braved the rain Tuesday morning to protest social services budget cuts on the steps of City Hall.
“We are not getting our fair share of city resources,” shouted Councilwoman Margaret Chin, the first Chinese elected official to represent Chinatown. “Yes, it’s a tough budget year…but there is such a great need for these services.”
While Asian Americans represent 12 percent of the city’s population, Asian American groups received only a quarter of 1 percent of the social service funds in the city’s budget, said Harjindar Lally, program coordinator with the Coalition for Asian American Children and Families.
She and others organized Tuesday’s protest through the 12 percent and Growing Coalition, which represents more than 45 Asian Pacific American Groups.
Kaman Wong, 81, a Henry Street resident, said the budget cuts made it harder for him to learn English at the Greater Chinatown Community Association, where he has been taking classes.
“The senior fund cut make a huge impact for us,” said Wong, who came to the United States 20 years ago. “We want to tell our government to put the services back, right here, right now.”
After the city cut the Greater Chinatown Community Association’s $100,000 grant last year, the center could no longer hire professionals to teach English, translate documents and offer healthcare assistance.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2011 budget does not restore that grant and cuts an additional $4.2 million from city senior centers, which will force 50 of them to close. The mayor’s office did not immediately comment.
