Source: China Overseas Chinese Network
On December 27, local time, Chicago’s Chinatown held a “silent march” to express their intolerance for violence against Chinese people. (Photo by "Chicago Chinese Forum" newspaper/Photo by David Zhang)
According to a report from the "Chicago Chinese Forum" newspaper in the United States, since this year, many vicious shootings and robberies have occurred in Chinatown in Chicago, United States. On the afternoon of December 27, local time, a large number of Chinese held a "silent march" in Chicago's Chinatown. They held up placards that read "Crime is crime" and "Stop hating Asians" to express their concern for the increasingly serious violent crimes in Chinatown. of protest and outrage.
There were many overseas community leaders, business people and local residents in the parade. They said their situation would not change if they held out hope but did nothing. They must use silent actions to make all those who care about and love Chinatown stand with them, and they must not allow criminals to continue to run rampant here unscrupulously.
During the parade that day, many shops in Chinatown were temporarily closed and closed their doors for several hours to express their full support for the parade. Some store owners said they hope measures to improve security in Chinatown will be implemented soon. They thanked so many Chinese for participating in this parade, devoting themselves to the security of Chinatown, and striving to speak out with "silence". This is also creating important prerequisites for the prosperity and development of Chinatown.
Hanshi Lu, the mayor of District 25, where Chinatown is located, participated in the parade with everyone. He said that this silent march is a vivid example that allows the Chicago city government and all elected officials to directly understand that security issues are an issue of great concern to everyone in many communities. The government needs to stop just pointing the finger and take action. The government should do more and do better to improve public security. The violence must be stopped and the tragedy of people being killed must not happen again.
Zheng Zheng, chairman of the Chinese Association of Greater Chicago, rushed to Chinatown from a distant suburb to participate in the parade. She said that day's march received coverage from almost all mainstream media, including ABC, CBS and WGN major television stations. Disseminate issues such as the shootings in Chinatown since 2020 and recent shootings, as well as the surge in carjackings and thefts in recent years through mainstream media reports on the parade, so that everyone can know the strong dissatisfaction of Chinese people with the poor security in Chinatown. , putting pressure on the government's law enforcement and legislative departments to improve public security, and at the same time raising people's awareness of safety precautions.
Gong Yurong was one of the volunteers and organizers of the parade that day. She said that the parade that day was very successful, with an estimated number of nearly a thousand people participating. The expected effect was achieved. Through the pressure of public opinion, we strive to get the government to attach great importance to the seriousness of the security problem here. None of this would be possible without the support and participation of many societies, volunteers and countless people. This parade showed the great unity of the Chinese people. It was very hard for everyone, but the enthusiasm for participation was very high. The Chinese still have a long way to go in the future, and there is a lot they can do. We should encourage everyone to actively register voters and vote actively. (David Zhang)
