This past weekend, a parade was held in Chinatown, the same weekend as the Dragon Boat Festival in China. On Sunday there were further celebrations down by the river. The parade consisted of 2 schools: Edmonton Chiu Lau Kung Fu school and Hung Mon Lion Dance. I believe there were supposed to be more groups in attendance, unfortunately the rain is the likely culprit for their non-attendance. Some of these costumes and props are not water or wind-proof, and there was certainly a lot of both. However, the cold weather did not dampen the spirits of the parade or spectators watching. We could all marvel at the amazing performance put on by the schools despite the harsh conditions, it was quite impressive to see their dedication.
During the event there were Police, Peace Officers, and extra security to make the place feel safe, something that is necessary for Chinatown. This is something to keep in mind when considering events, that there is still the possibility for children to attend during this time period, with the additional security in place. Chinatown is a vibrant place in Edmonton with a good variety of shops, restaurants, bakeries, and other businesses. Unfortunately these owners have to face an unfortunate reality of the placement of several social services and ‘safe sites’ located very close to 97 street where Chinatown is located. On an ordinary day, I can truthfully say that it is not a place that you would want to bring your children, and is comparable to the downtown core of Edmonton due to the high amount of drug use by the homeless population in this area.
I urge you to please do what you can to support these businesses despite this ongoing issue that urgently needs to be addressed. They are not at fault for the poorly planned placement of these social services, or the lack of security in the area, it is really a disservice to the local community to not have better protection. I mention this in light of the 2 recent killings on May 18th of this year, Edmontonions have a right to feel safe in any place of the city, especially an important cultural site, where the lack of security can be interpreted as being highly discriminatory, something the Asian community has suffered from a lot since the recent pandemic.
Please give your support, and keep an eye out for upcoming events in the area as they are frequently hosting different events to try and make Chinatown a vibrant and safe place to be once again. If we show our support, hopefully the local government will realise the importance of this area for us all.