Big Identity Trouble In Little Bangladesh

The four-block stretch of 3rd Street between Alexandria and New Hampshire is now an official new neighborhood with a shiny blue sign to prove it. Say hello to Little Bangladesh! Hi!!

"The community worked more than a year to gain the official designation, but most stores in the L.A. neighborhood cater to a Latino or Korean clientele," says the LA Times. Behind one of the new signs is "a small shopping plaza with a Salvadoran restaurant, a pizza joint, a former Korean cigarette shop and a restaurant that serves teriyaki chicken, burritos and boba drinks. Across the street are more Korean- and Mexican-themed businesses."

The current Bangladeshi population of the neighborhood is estimated at more than 20,000, and to show solidarity of presence and to provide support for lower-income immigrant families, local Bangladeshis are making a decided effort to open and relocate businesses in the area.

Councilman Tom LaBonge led the effort to, "forge a compromise between the Bangladeshi and Korean communities," reports the LA Times. Chang Lee, Koreatown development chairman for the L.A. Korean American Chamber of Commerce, expects it to take some time for the "relative newcomers" to establish the same level of businesses roots saying, "Their stay in that area is not that long, so it will take some time."