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Why We're Reporting On Life Inside Chinese Immigrant Boarding Houses
I came to the U.S. from China in 2019 to study journalism at USC. I knew very quickly that wanted to learn more about the Chinese immigrant community here. It didn’t take long for me to learn about the overcrowded, squalid, dangerous and illegal boarding houses that so many of my countrymen live in.
This is especially true in the San Gabriel Valley, which has one of the highest concentrations of Chinese people in the U.S. So I set out to learn more.
I spent about eight months analyzing data pulled from housing and code enforcement records; I also visited boarding houses throughout the San Gabriel Valley, first as a graduate student and more recently while working with the investigative team at KPCC/LAist.
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I conducted more than 60 interviews — many in Mandarin — to get a better understanding of how tenants are living, who is benefitting from their living conditions and why substandard conditions persist despite vows by city leaders to crack down. One boarding house tenant told me:
"Look at our life here, living neither like a human or a ghost!"
PLEASE READ AND SHARE MY SPECIAL REPORT:
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Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
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