An Open Letter to Our Beloved Park
To: Our Oakland & Lincoln Square Community
From: Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas 勵琪 and Gilbert Gong 利廣順, Director of Lincoln Recreation Center
致我們的屋侖和林肯公園社區 來自於屋侖市議會主席勵琪以及林肯活動中心理事利廣順
Dear Friends,
To our elders, youth, and families, many who live, go to school, and work in Oakland Chinatown and Lincoln Square Park, we want you to know that we are here for you. We know you are feeling hurt, scared, frustrated, and isolated. We too feel pain, anxiety, and anger due to the violent attacks against members of our Asian community, across the Bay Area and country. Elders like Mr. Pak Ho and Mr. Paul Chan were such important participants in our activities and culture at Lincoln Square Park: Mr. Pak Ho was a regular participant with our Sunday morning Tai Chi, and Mr. Paul Chan actively volunteered many times a week with our Table Tennis program.
It is unacceptable and heartbreaking that this violence has made many of us feel unsafe to leave our homes; visit friends and family; walk the streets to get fresh air, be active, and do simple, necessary activities such as grocery shopping or buying medicine. Nobody deserves to fear daily for themselves and their loved ones’ safety. The violence is especially painful because of the cultural, social and economic suffering that COVID-19 has already caused in our Oakland Chinatown community, and so many immigrant communities across the country.
We want to share these important resources to support you:
1. Spread the word about the Victim Assistance programs (contact Mike Lok (mlok@ahschc.org) at Asian Health Services) and Chinatown Clean Ambassadors program organized through the Oakland Chinatown Coalition.
2. Access mental health and grief counseling through Crisis Support Services of Alameda County at 1-800-309-2131. It’s important to take care of ourselves by expressing and processing our emotions in a safe, supportive environment.
3. Report all crimes and assaults to Oakland Police Department or reach out to OPD Asian Liaison Officer Mae Phu at the Renaissance Plaza Office (510) 238-3455.
4. Continue to call and check-in on your loved ones and be careful when outside your homes by moving in groups rather than walking alone.
Since COVID began, we’ve deeply missed seeing you attending activities at Lincoln Square from dawn to dusk, gathering on our streets and in our parks, enjoying conversation and coffee with each other in our beloved small businesses. We are sure you miss one another, too. We can’t wait to reunite and reopen again when it’s safe to do so, and want to do all we can to support our shared healing, health, and joy.
With love and solidarity,
