Spring Break
Little Saigon protests
trigger simple solution
John Hornberg
Issue date: 3/19/08 Section: Opinion
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I'm satisfied with my work, and the city or university isn't obligated to even acknowledge "Little Citrus Heights."
The compromise was so simple a 5-year-old child could have come up with it: a single, privately funded sign placed on private property indicating a section of Story Road as "Little Saigon" - no city designation on maps whatsoever.
Thousands of Vietnamese-Americans in San Jose fought for it, and a man named Ly Tong nearly died for it by starving himself in protest for nearly a month. Councilwoman Madison Nguyen could still face a recall election for the debacle.
It was a lot of wasted time and effort protesting for the simplest solution. As the outsider in almost all aspects of the situation - a lily-white college student who isn't really from the area or of Vietnamese descent - the fight was lost on me. But after looking at the politics and headlines, the entire process was insulting at best, and ultimately the only group to lose out was the public.
The debate has gone on for four months. Since then, 115 U.S. soldiers have died in Iraq, Hillary Clinton went from presidential contender, to loser, to contender again, and the San Jose Sharks won 31 games.
The first name proposed - Saigon Business District - was at the very least an attempt at some sort of compromise. Residents weren't pleased and should have been used as a jumping point for the community to talk about the issue.
Rather, the deal was take-it-or-leave-it from both the community and the City Council, resulting in a stalemate. This all occurred while greater dilemmas were not properly addressed by the city.
The city is stuck with a large budget deficit. People are losing their homes left and right. And for four long and arduous months, all the city could focus on and all the protestors cared about was what to name a small stretch of road.
In November, the protesting and debate was free speech at its best. By March, it was a selfish act holding up the city from addressing bigger issues. The lack of compromise only prolonged the issue.
Neither side seemed to want to compromise, nor did they seem to talk at any point throughout the ordeal. The entire situation called for a meeting of the minds from both sides and a short discussion about the problems besetting them.
Yet, it was as easy as finding a spot in the ground, pointing at it and having someone nail a sign into the ground. And it took four months to decide this?
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