For 23 years, the residents and businesses of Chinatown and Little Italy have been begging the City of New York and the NYPD to reopen a major access road and our 400-car parking garage.

This unilateral decision made after 9/11 crippled access to Chinatown and Little Italy and our economies, dramatically affecting the vibrancy and potential of our neighborhoods.  This was then exacerbated by Covid, anti-Asian violence, and the construction of the world's tallest jail in Chinatown further choking access.

We are exhausted from being taken advantage of and on the receiving end of decisions that take away our quality of life and economic viability in the neighborhoods we call home.  We cannot grow if we're constantly trying to recover.

Without any public hearings, community input, or notice, the City of New York and NYPD closed Park Row and our 400-car Municipal Garage and now use it for themselves. This decision stripped away a central access road and an affordable parking option.

This loss deeply hurt our community and our economy, compromising opportunities for all who live, work, and visit here.

Our beloved neighborhood became less accessible, its businesses suffering drastically reduced foot traffic, with some being forced to close entirely.

Our congested and narrow roads can attest to the toll taken by the absences of Park Row and the Municipal Garage. The lack of affordable parking has rendered Chinatown a far cry from the lively, vibrant, 24-hour community we once were and cherished.

Ironically, the Municipal Garage was considered a "gift" to the Community in exchange for building the monstrosity of 1 Police Plaza at the edge of Chinatown. 

Now, only the police and city officials can park there while all of Chinatown has become part of Police Plaza parking somehow with police cars taking space wherever they choose which takes even more away from our residents, quality of life, businesses, and visitors. 

This major road shutdown is also a serious safety concern as emergency services cannot take the most direct routes.  This shutdown includes an exit ramp off the Brooklyn Bridge, which is now used for personal police parking and city storage.

Fire trucks come over the Brooklyn Bridge to fight fires in Downtown Manhattan, and Chinatown has had many recent fires in its old tenements.  These fire trucks must navigate detours off the Bridge then one lane local streets to get to a fire when minutes count. 

The City took these critical resources away without our engagement or agreement.

We are asking The City to rectify this injustice and consult the community about decisions that profoundly impact our living and working environment. 

This petition is a call to restore public access to Park Row and the Municipal Garage so Chinatown and Little Italy can focus on recovering and growth so we can thrive, instead of fighting just to survive. 

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We, the undersigned, request that the City reopen Park Row to traffic, and return the Community's Municipal Parking Garage to public use. 23 years ago, both were taken from the community without notice or any public hearing. Both should be restored immediately.

The reopening of both would spur Chinatown and Little Italy's economies which have suffered because of the closings.  
  
Chinatown and Little Italy's small businesses and community have suffered long enough!

我們簽署人要求市政府重新開放公園街供交通使用，並將社區市政停車場歸還公共使用。23年前，這兩者在未經通知或公開聽證的情況下被從社區中取走。兩者應立即恢復。
重新開放將促進因關閉而受影響的唐人街經濟。關閉也對環境產生了影響，因為人們在訪問時在唐人街街道上繞圈尋找空位。唐人街是華人社區的中心，關閉妨礙了我們社區重返唐人街與家人團聚、共進餐點和購物的能力。
我們不反對任何美化努力，包括種樹和使該地區更加適合行人和鄰里環境。所有這些關切與重新開放公園街和停車場是一致的。
我們的小型企業和社區已經受夠了！