CLOGGED ARTERIES

Jan is one of my favorite customers. His family is one of the oldest in the Chinatown community. He owns Sinotique (located on 19A Mott Street) and has produced a very important documentary that I think everyone should watch...

The short film talks about how affects of 9/11 on the Chinatown community. Many cars have been illegally parking on our narrow streets which makes it hard for businesses to operate. When it's hard to find parking, it's hard for us to recieve our deliveries. It also makes it hard for our customers to come into Chinatown.

Not only is this traffic congestion bad for businesses but for general members of the community. Chinatown has a very large aged population and it is already very difficult for the ambulances to navigate in the city without having to deal with this extra parking drama.

Before hearing about Clogged Arteries, I had contacted Jan for an interview for my radio diary. Out of all the interviews that I conducted (which were a lot!), I found his to be one of the most informative. Although we run a business in Chinatown, I was not aware of a lot of the issues that he brought up in his documentary.

I also shared with Jan the disappointments that I faced in my interviews. I was extremely disappointed that ome of the young people in the community didn't want to take the time to be included. They didn't seem to see the importance of telling people how our community was affected.

Jan gave me some words of encouragement that really lifted my spirits. "Young people have a responsibility to the community because they speak English. Say something and do something. Whether it's creating a documentary or picking up a mic and being on the radio, you have to do something."

I really admire Jan's activism in the Chinatown community. Awesome work Jan! Chinatown is lucky to have people like you!


It can be viewed on youtube.com. Just type in the keyword: Clogged Arteries.